Human Relations Panel Urged to Act

Calling the recent shooting of a Franklin High School student at a neighborhood grocery “a terrible tragedy for . . . the entire city of Los Angeles,” two members of the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday proposed that the Human Relations Commission schedule a discussion on the incident.

“As with many other problems facing this city, it is possible that cultural and social differences might have led to or at least contributed to this sad event,” the motion, signed by councilmen Nate Holden and Mike Hernandez, says of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Brenda Hughes, allegedly by a Highland Park grocer.

“We must take action to defuse any potential fears and hostilities resulting from this and similar other incidents in which cultural or ethnic differences may have played a role,” the motion adds. “We must take steps to promote greater understanding and harmony among the city’s diverse communities.”