Despite growing public support for new public safety strategies that emphasize prevention and healing rather than incarceration—and that have resulted in a historic 30 percent drop in the state prison population since 2011—many law enforcement groups continue to resist change.
Apostle Dr. Beverly “Bam” Crawford highly respected and beloved Pastor will host the “25th Annual L.A.M.P.S. Virtual Conference (Leaders, Apostolic, Maturing, & Mentoring Prophetic Seminars). This four-day conference will be held virtually on Sunday, October 18, Wednesday, October 21, 2020. This year’s theme is “The Elect.”
While this is a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, it is also a pivotal moment in the history of Los Angeles. Although it is a time of crisis, we need to use it as time of great opportunity, a time to breathe new life into the marvelous minority communities of South-Central Los Angeles. In short, we need to embark on what may be called an Urban Marshall Plan designed to expand political power to minority communities and to promote fairness in the distribution of public resources. This is an opportunity to bring new hope to the poor and underserved who are suffering the most in these times of crisis, as they do in all times.
The Anniversary of the 1965 Watts Revolt occurs in the context of a larger history of Black struggle, sacrifices and achievements: the assassination, sacrifice and martyrdom of Min. Malcolm X; the Selma March; the Voting Rights Act; the founding of our organization Us and the African American Cultural Center; and the introduction of the Black value system, the Nguzo Saba, which became the core values of the pan-African holiday Kwanzaa and of Kawaida, a major Movement philosophy of life and struggle.
Wellington’s Road
Mainstream media, in particular, tended to soft-pedal the long range outcomes of the 1992 uprising, i.e., “riots.” Citing groups like the Community Coalition and Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, it emphasized some things had been accomplished. Few would disagree. However, the coverage represented a familiar glossing over of the lack of progress for fundamental change in South Central Los Angeles (SCLA). In 1992, even descriptions of participants themselves were often misleading- Blacks and Koreans were frequently referred to as the primary participants, actually, Latinos too were heavily involved and far more Latinos were arrested than Blacks.
America was built on violence and a propensity for violence is evidenced throughout its history. Many feel that this likely stems from a euro-centric propensity for dominance and greed that contaminates others, but none more than Blacks who singularly bore the horrific burden of chattel slavery.
Racial/ethnic collaboration, for Blacks, is increasingly necessary but arguably, more difficult than ever.
America’s myth of automatic progress has never included the marginalized