REMEMBER THE RAVINE

I propose this addition to “50 Ways to Love Your Dodgers” [March 27], under the heading “Know Your History”:

Meet the Ghosts of Chavez Ravine: To appreciate where you are, you need to understand where you’ve been. Before Chavez Ravine became Dodger Stadium, it comprised the neighborhoods of Bishop, La Loma and Palo Verde, home to more than 1,000 people.

The anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s derailed the City of Los Angeles Housing Authority’s progressive ideal of building state-of-the-art low-income housing on the site, and the land was eventually sold to the Dodgers.

Several recent works of art document or re-create the life and humanity of Chavez Ravine before its destruction: Don Normark’s photographs in “Chavez Ravine, 1949: A Los Angeles Story”; Jordan Mechner’s documentary “Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story”; Culture Clash’s Mark Taper Forum performance “Chavez Ravine” (directed by Lisa Peterson); and Ry Cooder’s album “Chavez Ravine.”

Catharine Wall

Riverside