Cities to Play Ball, but Simi Accused of Balking at Unity

For the fourth time since a Simi Valley jury verdict sparked riots in South Central Los Angeles, softball teams from both communities will meet on a ball field today.

But this year’s Unity Games could be the last matchup that features teams from just the two communities, L.A. organizers say, because the Ventura County suburb no longer shows much interest in mending a rift with the inner-city neighborhood.

“We have built the bridge and crossed over the bridge hand-in-hand,” said Jan Hardy, a South Central woman who is co-founder and executive director of L.A. Unity Games. “But the people in Simi Valley have yet to wake up, get out of bed and walk over that bridge.”

Keith Jajko, a Simi Valley native active in the games, acknowledged that his community has been slow to embrace the games. “The people in South Central have really grasped it,” he said. “The people in Simi have been a hard sell.”

The Unity Games started in 1992 after a Simi Valley jury acquitted four Los Angeles policemen accused of beating Rodney King, a decision that ignited protests and violence in South Central and other Los Angeles communities.

For last year’s game, six busloads of South Central fans drove up to Simi Valley, but only about 30 local residents turned out. Two years ago, five Simi Valley spectators watched the hometown team in a Los Angeles park while 200 South Central residents cheered their team.

This year, Simi Valley players and spectators could number 50, while hundreds of South Central residents are expected to show up at the games at Jesse Owens County Park in Los Angeles.

Jajko said many Simi Valley residents may be afraid to travel to the heart of Los Angeles.

“If we don’t get a good showing this year, it could show that the population as a whole in Simi doesn’t care,” Jajko said. “I liken it to forgetting about earthquake safety now that the Northridge earthquake is over.”

But Hardy isn’t giving up. She vows that the Unity Games will not stop but will expand. The organization was recognized in April as a nonprofit agency by state and federal officials.

“We have done this for four years, and yes, we have made friends, and we’ve given them enough time to turn over a leaf, but I think it’s just apathy and racism combined,” Hardy said. “We’ll branch off and open it up to other communities in Los Angeles County and Ventura County. I have no hard feelings. This has touched some Simi Valley residents.”

Dan Davenport, a Simi Valley resident for 11 years, said the Unity Games have helped foster friendships among the players from both areas.

“There are a lot of things that the participants may not understand--people of other areas and other races--but this allows people to see how much alike we really are,” Davenport said. His wife, Sue Davenport, worked with Hardy in Los Angeles when the rioting and social unrest erupted in 1992. With Hardy, she helped create the Unity Games as an attempt to erase the tension between their hometowns.

Kimberley Harris, 15, a Simi Valley High junior, will pitch today for the youth team. “There’s food and music, and it’s just a whole lot of fun. I think the games will help break down stereotypes.”

Jajko said they have tried to boost participation and attendance by speaking at Moorpark College and at community groups.

“We’re also trying to serve by example that people should get off their duffs, basically, and see other communities,” he said. “I don’t know how much we’re getting accomplished. I don’t know why.”

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FYI

A bus will leave Santa Susana Community Park at 9:30 this morning for the Unity Games, which open at 11:15 at Jesse Owens County Park, 9637 S. Western Ave., in Los Angeles. The youth game will begin at noon and the adult game at 1:45 p.m.