The Democrats have a death wish. They self-destructed in 1988
with Dukakis, and in 1984 with Mondale.
This year they think they have a winner with Clinton-Gore. They
are pleased with their convention, their post-convention bus tours and
the numbers in the polls.
AlL of these events went well, because they learned -the experts
keep telling us-from the past successes of the Republicans. '
So, both parties are chasing the blue-collar suburban vote, the
so-called Reagan Democrats.
Those inhabitants of the ethnic enclaves and lily-white suburbs
seem to be the only 'voters either party is wooing. The campaign
messages are all pitched to these folks, as though there were no one
else in America.
Well, the Democrats have a death wish. They learned well from the
Republicans, but they need to take a lesson from Michigan.
The governor is Engler and rot Blanchard for a good reason.
Former Democratic Governor James Blanchard lost trying to out­
Reagan Reagan. He pitched his whole reelection bid to those same
Reagan Democrats, spending no time or money campaigning for
Detroit votes. He ignored the inner cities across the state. Am he lost
the election because Black folk stayed home.
The Clinton-Gore team can spend all the time they want wooing the
Reagan Democrats. They will rot win without their most loyal, tradi­
. tional base of support: the Black vote.
Whoever wants the Black vote has to address the issues key to the
community: jobs, housing, education, health care. They have to make
a direct, personal appeal.
For the Democrats to continue on as they have done this past month
spells defeat in November. They need to wake up and get busy in the
Black community if they expect the Black community to get up and
go to the polls in November.
David Atkins, the man char ed with killing ven 0 the 11 women
who di were found throughout the p t winter in Highland Parle,
i a living example of what Rev. J e Jac on i talking about. .
Atkins, only 24, at a time of life when mo t young people hould
feel they have the world at their feet, spent his time wandering
Woodward, leeping in vacant buildings, and consorting with the
young women also walking the treets and who would become his
victim.
To us, Atkins i a living symbol of all the pain Rev. Jackson so
eloquently d cribes.
From early childhood hi life w pent being shifted from pillar to
post by an indifferent ocial welfare sy tern. A sy tern that pay its
profe ionals well.
A local television tation reported this week on Atkins arraignment.
But the tone of the televised report was ensational, not factual. The
reporter' whole story was: where are the outraged crowds crying for
Atkin' death?
The television report showed new clip of. the white community
raJlyi ng outside the courts when the suburban serial killer, Leslie Allen
William , was coming in and out in handcuffs this past Spring. The
crowds were bawn screaming for the death penalty for Williams. The
reporter implied omething was wrong with Highland Parkers for not
\ gathering to holler and scream for Atkin's death. ,
No, the Highlabi Park community knows the real problem is not
Atkins, the women prostitutes, crack cocaine or empty abandoned
buildings that offer haven for ldllers and crack heads. .
After centuries of surviving in a racist society, African Americans
know these are all symptoms. The real problem is what Rev. Jackson
describes a society that turns its back on its. people.
D
-'
VIEWS OPINIONS
One theme of the Cro Colours
Common Ground Foundation i
"Educ tion i the Key." The
foundation has pi ced an emp i
on the importance of getting an
educ tion and h d motivated
thousands of youth to stay in chool
until graduation.
One of the great challenges of our
time i to provide quality public
chool education on an equal,
non-discriminatory basis for all of
the children in every tate in the
nation.
Community development goe
beyond the construction of building
and streets. All of the people who
live in South Central L.A as well
the millions of persons who reside in
the inner cities across the country,
must be given a chance to participate
in the economy meaningfully
through employment and ownership
of business.
of
,di
WHAT IF this pirit of "coming
together" would spread to other
cities in the United States? What if
the laying down of guns by the
Bloods and the Crips in Los Angeles
is a prelude to taking serious the
prevention of drugs in the
community?
We believe that the young men
TH U cri is throughout
the nation will not be olved by th
implementation of programs like
"Weed and Seed" because
pre ently designed the programs
will actually cause more violence
and death.
Youth who wind up in gangs
should not be "mowed down" like
cutting undesired weeds and gras .,
Why has President Bush not
commented on the po itive initiative
of the youth in L.A. not to riot, nor to
kill but to bring peace and unity to
the communi ty?
While in South Central L.A. we
also wi tnessed the efforts of
community leader and activist, Fred
Williams. "Mr. Fred", as he is
affectionatel y called by the youth in
the housing projects in Watts, is
But ey component of y
ective community development
hould be the focu on youth
involvement and training.
of
youn people in Angel and in
ot r citi know w t time it' ,and
they re rightfully demanding a
voice and presence in all efforts to
"reclaim urban America". the
1992 Presidential Campaign mov
into the final leg, it will be of interest
to note how these issue of
communi ty empowerment will be
viewed by the candidate .
One thing is for certain, the
problems of Angeles before and
after the "upri ing" are the problems
of the nation as a whole.
In the meantime, we will be
highlighting the good and
constructive efforts of persons like
Fred Williams and the Cro Colours
Common Ground Foundation, 2164
E. 25th Street, Los Angeles,
California, 9OQ58. The emergence
of po Hive, nonviolent, brotherhood
and sisterhood in Los Angele
signals the possibli ty that this
"coming together" can and sbould
emerge in every village and city.
I ,
CO.·,'RIGIIT '991 KERN D !IIIGN
ALL RIGIITS RESERVED
SLOW DOWN GEORGE! REMEMBER ... A KINDER AN'O GENTLER
AMERICA ... ESPEC/ALLY AROUND ELECTION TIME.
The L.A. multi-culti Rebellion is
now a fading'memory to millions of
Americans, especially those who
dwell outside ofSo.uthex:n California.
Politicians, except for fleeting
rhetorical references, have striven
mightily to ignore the h'Wllan lessons
from L.A., swollen with angered
alienation.
Politicians for both parties sound
campaign themes that echo each
other, like loons drunk with pion:
"Law and Order!"-"Law and
Order!"-"Law and Order!"
LA's lesson though, forged in
midnight flame, cannot be 0 easily
overlooked, especially to those who
know an inkling of relatively recent
African-American history. The riots
and urban rebellions of the 1960s
were different, in some respects,
from the L.A. riots, although both
share critical similarities.
The 1967 riots in Newark and in
Detroit were occasioned with
horrific losses of life, but property
damage was not as severe as in LA.,
1992.
BUT THO E RIOTS, as well as
ones in Philadelphia and other cities
shared the arne spark as that which
sent South Central L.A. into an
explo ive frenzy-police abuse and
beatings of Blacks. Indeed, the
earlier riotus explosion in Watts was
touched off by the police beating of
a Black taxi passenger. The recent
car- burnings and outbursts of
Dominican rage in New York were
rder·
sparked by the police shooting of a
suspected drug dealer.
Again -and again, the naked
employment of police terror has
touched off riots, with tremendous
loss of life and destruction of
property with an aggregate worth of
billions.
In Newark of July, 1967, 26'
people were killed, 1,500 injured,
and over 1,000 arrested.
In Detroit, July 23-30, 1967, at
least 40 people were killed, 2,000
injured, and over 5,000 were left
homeless after fires destroyed Black
neighborhoods.
In LA, 1992, over 5,000 people,
mostly Hispanic, were arrested, and
over 45 people were killed.
FROM
DEATH
ROW
MUMIA
ABU
JAMAL
Damages were estimated in the
mega-millions and billions.
All of this woeful loss of life, of
hope, and of promise, because a few
racist, brutal cops wanted to beat, or
.shoot, a Black or Brown person.
ARE THE COPS truly agents of
"Law and Order," or of "Law" and
Disorder?
. Billions of dollars in damages,
scores of lives lost, futures
extinguished by crippling
bitterness-all because of thi
governmental pestilence breeding
the plague of racist and clas
destruction upon the poor and
powerle '