L.A. Council Needs to Focus on Here and Now

Re “Council OKs Slave Clause,” May 17: L.A. City Council members have lost their minds! With gang crime rampant and terrorism a real threat, they spend time on such grandiose schemes as bringing pro football to the Coliseum and asking companies with city contracts to review their histories regarding slavery.

I suggest these delusional souls wake up and heed the advice of Mayor James Hahn and Police Chief William Bratton about beefing up the police force. God forbid gang violence should get any worse in Los Angeles, but if it does, the council will share a large part of the blame.

Beverly Antel

Torrance

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The City Council will require every business doing business with the city to disclose whether it profited from slavery. But why stop with black slavery? Why not extend the same concern to Jews, who were once slaves in the land of Egypt? Why not require all Egyptian businesses to review their papyrus records and disclose whether they profited from slavery? Or those famous slave traders, the Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians?

Or maybe we should recognize that black slavery ended 137 years ago, and any company today that may have profited from slavery 137-plus years ago today bears no resemblance to its predecessor and does not still carry the guilt and blame.

Howard J. Fox

Oak Park

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Since our City Council doesn’t feel we have enough money to hire more police, maybe it should donate its slush funds. I believe most council members have excess money in their accounts that they are holding on to until they can figure out what to do with it. Solution: Give it up to the LAPD.

Vickie Casas

West Los Angeles