Comment : ‘Let’s Just Get It Over With’ : The Denny case verdicts won’t solve L.A.’s racial problems.

The much-hyped “coming attraction” has finally arrived: the trial of the four men accused of beating Reginald Denny during last year’s riots.

The media is stressed, torn between covering yet another racially charged trial or devoting precious time to the Menendez murder trial or the case of the so-called madam to the stars, Heidi Fleiss.

But for the residents of Los Angeles, the Denny case regretfully resembles the hype that preceded a recently released, multimillion-dollar film that promised lots of action but delivered fizzle. The reality of the moment for most Los Angeles residents is, “Let’s just get it over with.”

The Denny beating trial, although significant for the principles involved, should be allowed to progress and end quickly.

The perceived and real racial problems in Southern California will not be solved by any possible verdict reached in the trial. The verdicts will not suddenly allow the sun to shine brightly on the battered streets and people of Los Angeles. And the trial will not provide solutions to the myriad problems that face Los Angeles and its residents.

Hopefully, the media will spare us the replay of horror--the constant replay of the hideous video and still photos of the tragedy. The images are burned into our consciousness and repeated showing of the violence has no relative value.

Los Angeles must move beyond the reality of this trial; it must preserve the meager steps that have been made in an effort to restore the city.

But Los Angeles must become more than what it was before the riots of 1992. If it does not, the city will flounder and eventually become the specter of an urban metropolis beyond repair or hope.

The answers to Los Angeles’ problems are available; it’s time to get on with it.