Revitalizing Vermont

* I was appalled when I read “Tug of War Over Revitalizing Vermont” (Feb. 28). I live on the east side of Vermont and I resent the suggestion that somehow we, and those who live north and south of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), deserve less than those who live on the west side of Vermont.

Why is there “a battle royal between two of the city’s top African American political heavyweights?” The former Pepperdine building and lot have been in the same condition for years. Why can’t some of the $3 million Waters helped win after the 1992 riots be used for other projects along the Vermont corridor? There are many vacant lots on Vermont from 83rd Street south, past Manchester, left after the riot, that were for commercial use.

If these two political leaders in South-Central would work together this could be a model community. Whether they work together or not, let them both remember that voters live to the east, to the west and to the south of Maxine Waters’ residence on the west side of Vermont. We have lived in our home for 21 years. I love this area, but it needs all the help it can get.

FLORENCE JACKSON

Los Angeles