Antelope Valley Must Heed Warnings of Racial Tension

Ugly as it is, hatred is often the easiest human emotion to cultivate. Sadly, it is also among the hardest to purge. For an example, look no further than the Antelope Valley, where a recent rash of race-related attacks has taken place. People in Palmdale and Lancaster are now grappling with how to prevent the ugliest prejudices from exploding into further violence.

Attention was drawn to the problem earlier this month when two black teenagers were allegedly beaten and slashed with a machete by a group of young men shouting “white power.” Then, a week later, a man said he was beaten and chased by a group of black men who shouted racial epithets. That same day, another man was shot in a confrontation he described as racial, saying at least two black men shouted “skinhead” before he was shot. And last Monday, a 15-year-old boy said he was kicked in the back by a black teenager who called him a “skinhead.”

Taken individually, the crimes should make decent people cringe. Even worse, though, is their familiarity. Earlier this year, a black student at Antelope Valley High School was stabbed in the back with a screwdriver, allegedly by a self-proclaimed member of a skinhead gang. Last year, a group of men identified as skinheads was arrested for firing six shots into a car carrying four African Americans--including a year-old baby.

That attack prompted the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission to issue a report on skinhead violence in the Antelope Valley recommending that Palmdale and Lancaster adopt reforms to ease tensions in the communities, both of which have seen tremendous changes in the past two decades. In 1980, for instance, blacks made up only 3% of Lancaster’s population, which was 86% white. By 1990, though, blacks accounted for 7% and whites 73%.

Yet despite an ever-growing catalog of hate-inspired incidents, neither Palmdale nor Lancaster acted on the report’s recommendations--which included school programs, public forums and special citizen councils in each city--until earlier this month. Why? Part of the delay was caused by debates over whether the area even had a problem. The recent spate of attacks should leave no doubt.

The first meeting to address the tensions, scheduled before the recent incidents, was held last week and produced mixed results. On one hand, Lancaster officials should be applauded for finally taking the problem seriously. The city plans to establish a task force and set up a special hate crime hotline advertised on billboards and cable television.

Palmdale officials, on the other hand, still seem slow to recognize the severity of the situation. City officials agreed to participate in the hotline only after protests from civil rights groups. Officials initially said residents could just as easily report hate crimes to an existing graffiti complaint line. They also said city government, not a task force of citizens, should be responsible for implementing any programs because it would be more efficient.

That may be, but the issue here is not about efficiency. It’s about how to curb society’s most repugnant tendencies. It’s about creating a connection between people who otherwise know only the stereotypes and suspicions that foster violence. Local governments are poorly equipped to do that on their own. But they can work with and provide support to community groups better suited to the task. Simply proclaiming the evils of racist violence from a seat of power does not remedy matters. Helping ordinary residents go out and set an example of tolerance and understanding does.