How far have we come?
April 26, 2002
Daily Breeze
Angelenos say unrest likely again, but more believe race relations have improved since 1992.
By Nick Green
HALF OF ALL respondents to a new survey believe a recurrence of the Los Angeles riots is likely within the next five years, yet twice as many Angelenos contend race relations have improved since 1992 compared to those who see little progress.
The survey, released Thursday by the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Westchester's Loyola Marymount University, sought to gauge the opinions and perceptions of city residents regarding life in the city on the 10th anniversary of the civil disturbances.
“There's good news and there's bad news here,” said co-author Mara Marks, the center's associate director.
“The overall picture that emerges from this is that Angelenos believe we've come a long way to reviving the city's social fabric, but they also believe a lot of work needs to be done,” she added. “The big gray cloud hanging over all this is that one out of two people say that riots are a serious threat.”
The study, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent, polled a random sample of 1,549 city residents by telephone in English and Spanish from Feb. 16 to March 23. Some of the questions asked were the same as those in surveys conducted in 1992 and 1997, enabling researchers to track changing attitudes.
Among the key findings:
Half of all respondents believe another riot is very or somewhat likely within the next five years, with African-Americans and Asians saying riots are even more likely over the next few years than people in the same demographic groups did in 1997.
Almost 75 percent of those surveyed believe racial and ethnic groups are getting along very well or somewhat well, up significantly from 1997 when only a third of those polled rated race relations as good.
Overall, 78 percent of respondents said the Police Department is doing a good or excellent job, the same level as in 1997 despite the Rampart scandal, while 43 percent supported the reappointment of Police Chief Bernard Parks to a second term.
People are more upbeat about the city today, with about 47 percent of those surveyed saying Los Angeles is heading in the right direction, compared to 32 percent five years ago.
Some 76 percent of respondents talk or visit with neighbors at least monthly, while 36 percent do so every day and 12 percent never do.
Marks observed that the survey was conducted during the public debate over whether Parks would win reappointment to a second five-year term and that may have had an effect on the fear of more riots, which some African-American leaders predicted in the wake of the Police Commission decision to jettison the black chief.
In 1992, blacks and Latinos accounted for 86 percent of the rioters. Over three days of violent unrest that began April 29 after jurors returned their verdicts in the trial of four LAPD officers charged in the beating of motorist Rodney King, 55 people were killed or fatally injured and $1 billion in property was destroyed before more than 20,000 police officers and soldiers quelled the disturbances.
Marks said she was pleasantly surprised at the level of residents' interaction in a diverse, large city, something considered vital for a functioning, cohesive community.
But the survey also sounded several warnings, including rather tepid ratings for some civic leaders and institutions, with the media receiving the lowest marks of all.
“We need to continue to pay attention to the human side of this city and the divisions that remain and the growing gaps between the haves and have-nots,” Marks said. “Our civic leaders and our civic institutions need to continue to pay attention to the wounds that remain.”
That's exactly what worries real estate agent John Greenwood, a former Los Angeles Unified School District board member and acting chairman of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council. He fears the resentment and social schisms that could result from rising real estate prices keeping some out of the market.
“The gap between the haves and the have-nots has gotten worse in Southern California,” he said. “Home ownership is the key to keeping the community stable. . . . I think the gulf is still wide enough that something could set it off.”
Toni O'Donnell, a member of the Wilmington Neighborhood Council, said she was surprised to hear that so many in the survey believe more riots may happen.
“I haven't really heard or really observed anything that would indicate a riot was coming along,” she said. “I see the continued mixture of different people from different backgrounds coming into this area and I haven't really seen anything to indicate people aren't getting along.”
Still, O'Donnell conceded that no African-Americans are active in the Wilmington Neighborhood Council. And that lack of interaction concerns retired school Superintendent Fred Kennedy, 78, the African-American owner of a San Pedro driving school.
“Our chances (of another riot) are lessened when there's a lot of communication across racial lines,” he said. “We may not be communicating as much as we should, particularly with the diversity we have in our society. We see each other, but do we talk to each other?”