Though I liked the message, I didn't like the tone of this article. Blacks are not the only group targeted for power plants and dumps - it happens to all minorities and mid-to-low income people. And it's not just whites in the suburbs, especially in LA.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson even neglected to mention the power plant in South Gate, which was stopped with community pressure. SG is largely Latino.
Also, in LA, there are few zip codes left where African Americans make up the plurality, much less the majority, so the very concept of a "black neighborhood" is changing, even eroding.
Now, as weird as it may sound, it happens all the time. There used to be Japanese American neighborhoods. Then, WWII dispersed these, and new, less cohesive neighborhoods were developed. Then, finally, as the ethnic group dispersed even more, there came to be only JA streets, and a network of community centers.
As African Americans in LA moves from being the most economically abused minority (this unfortunate mantle is being handed over to Latinos) the conditions are set for the continued erosion of the "black neighborhood".
What is needed is for a coalition of like minded people from all parts of greater Los Angeles to gather and monitor events affecting the ecosystem as a whole.
Socio/Economic boundaries separate our energy and decrease the potential for positive growth in our communities. It is past the time to unite, starting today, we can make up for the system's inbred divisiveness.