Black Leadership
Re “Which Path Will Black Leadership Take in L.A.?” Opinion, June 13: I am the executive director of a grass-roots coalition based in South L.A. We have spent the last nine years walking door to door talking with thousands of residents in the 8th, 9th and 10th districts. Repairing potholes and paving streets are nice improvements but these issues have never surfaced as burning concerns.
The most serious concerns raised by neighborhood residents are the numerous abandoned buildings, problem liquor stores, motels, recycling centers, etc., that attract crime, e.g. drug trafficking, drug use, prostitution. Council members Mark Ridley-Thomas and Rita Walters have been on the forefront of these issues and have worked in collaboration with our organization in the successful closure, abatement and replacement of nuisance, crime-infested properties. Both City Council members, however, also express frustration with the general lack of city response to these problems in their districts.
Bringing “professional football back to the Coliseum” might be a goal on Ridley-Thomas’ agenda, but his support of the NFL has not resulted in the abandonment of constituent concerns.
KAREN BASS, Exec. Dir.
Community Coalition for Substance
Abuse Prevention and Treatment
Los Angeles
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