County Supervisor Holly Mitchell convenes panel to discuss local progress in race relations and other areas
Thirty years ago, on April 29 to May 4, 1992, the streets of South Los Angeles were on fire – literally and figuratively – with both structures and tempers flaring due to the acquittal of four White LAPD officers charged with the horrific beating of Black motorist Rodney King.
The African American community’s outrage over the verdict led to three days of civil unrest, taking the lives of 63 people, injuring another 2,383 and destroying more than $1 billion in property. Equally tattered were the already shaking relationships between the Black, Korean and Latino relationships, which appeared to suffer irreparable damage.
However, that appearance turned out to deceiving as evidenced by the progress cited by experts, witnesses and members of the involved ethnic groups. Along with County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, two representatives gathered on April 22 to recall the 30th anniversary of the civil unrest and chart the progress that has been achieved in the last three decades.
The program, entitled “Rising From the Fire – Los Angeles 30 Years After 1992,” was part of Mitchell’s Second District Racial Justice Learning Exchange. In addition to Mitchell, the participants included Brenda Shockley, City of Los Angeles chief equity officer and John Kim, executive director of the Advancement Project California.
Natalia Robles, Mitchell’s justice deputy, and Daniel Park, deputy for constituent engagement, offered welcoming remarks.
“The Racial Justice Learning Exchange is an initiative by Supervisor Mitchell that connects residents, county departments, leadership, commissioners and community organizations to build capacity and address and confront biases, celebrate and share in our diversity and create meaningful steps to eliminate structural racism,” explained Robles.
The session opened with music by the Korean Drum Band followed by a performance from Matthew Cuban Hernandez of Street Poets Inc., and Alicia Wise of the Rhythm Arts Alliance. The group of spoken word artists delivered an inspiring presentation comprised of poetry, dance and drums.
“The connection between the drums from two different cultures is very powerful,” noted Mitchell, who also commented on the significance of the program, which reflected “rebirth and renewal” in the 30 years since the civil unrest.
“It’s important, as we talk about our future, that we ground ourselves in where we were. The 1992 Civil Unrest was not a single catastrophic event. It was another upheaval in this cycle – a 30-year sequence of these events,” Mitchell said.
“Thirty years ago, we lost 50 lives and many lost faith in our justice system. We lost generational wealth and investment and many lost faith in their government. Thirty years ago, we were a part of a moment of collective rage, desperation and exhaustion. But that is changing and the winds are bringing forth new energy and excitement,” she insisted.
Investments in the Second District include 50,000 square feet of commercial space, 180 units of affordable housing, the new SEED School, 250 full-time jobs in retail, education and opportunities to work at Metro, she said.
Serving as moderator, Mitchell asked Shockley and Kim to share their opinion of the root causes of the uprising.
“I was here in 1965 and in 1992, so for me, that cycle is very real. Each time it’s been because of that bit more of oppression, that bit more of disinvestment and bit more of lack of training. When you leave people where their only power is to destroy – strip them of their ability to engage and to vote – you are not going to be able to soothe that because it’s an open wound that has festered for so long,” Shockley stressed.
“I grew up here, on 2nd and Vermont, in the back storage rooms of my dad’s friends who had stores in South L.A.,” recalled Kim as her recounted often witnessing the Korean owners behind plexi-glass shields shouting at Black customers.
“It’s hard to know who was wrong – the one looking to be respected in their own neighborhood or one looking to protect something that they fought their entire life for in terms of their store. Over time, I learned that it’s not about looking for bad people, but about looking for bad systems,” he said.
“We were all in a system that sapped both of these men of their potential and pit us in this place to go at each other. That’s the power system that caused the uprising the system of White supremacy and structural racism,” declared Kim.
Next, Mitchell inquired about the lessons learned since 1992 concerning economic investment and Shockley replied that she realized in 1992 that disinvestment was the foe and today, gentrification is the menace.
“Out of 1992 came a network and structure that you see today – the rise and power of the nonprofit sector where it really became a profession,” said Shockley, the former CEO of Community Build, which is headquartered in Leimert Park.
She added that Mitchell previously headed Crystal Stairs, a child care and child development nonprofit agency, and Congresswoman Karen Bass started Community Coalition, that Shockley said, “Literally has spawned a mayoral candidate.
The program also included a Q&A portion between the panelists and audience along with requesting attendees to tell how they planned to assist in finding solutions to racial injustice and contribute to positive change in South Los Angeles.
The presentation is available for viewing on Mitchell’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG0-CMdGHAM
