Those Old Lowrider Days

The article “Under the Hood” (by Lynell George, July 16) really hit home. I was in Los Angeles High School’s class of ‘66, and being a 16-year-old black lowrider was a daily adventure. My first car was a green 1957 Buick Special. It would hold 12 to 15 people if the girls didn’t mind sitting on someone’s lap. The police thought we were all thugs and hoodlums. I got pulled over three to four times a week.

This was the era of no cellphones, no OnStar and real phone booths at 24-hour gas stations that had actual attendants. We had some Latino friends in East L.A., and we’d go there on the weekends and party. I never saw any fights between the blacks and Latinos.

I wouldn’t trade places with kids growing up today. Our biggest worry was getting drafted and going to Vietnam. Long live the ‘60s.

John Logan

Long Beach