Talking the Talk

by Vachelle McFarland

LAPD Police Chief William J. Bratton, LAUSD School Board Vice President Jose Huizar, and Councilwoman Jan Perry (D-9th District) were the featured speakers at the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) board meeting held April 1, 2003.


Their presence drew a socially diverse crowd of about 250 out on a cool, clear Tuesday evening to hear and discuss issues relating to the ongoing redevelopment downtown L.A.

The meeting was moderated by DLANC President Doug Wance and held within the spotless cool-beige confines of the Union Rescue Mission’s pentangle-shaped chapel located at 545 South San Pedro Street. Issues of community interest included homeless concerns, crime and narcotics, and Central City redevelopment. Other panelists included LAUSD Police Commander Larry Manion and LAPD Chief of Central Bureau Gary Brennan.

The social, economic, and cultural issues surrounding redevelopment and their impact on local residents has been a hot topic for a number of years. But in the end, the expectation of an engaging dialogue between public officials and community members fell short in the eyes of some. The 30-minute address was said to be disappointingly light on substance and content by several attendees who cited topics of concern that rarely rose above the mundane and parochial.


The first speaker was Jose Huizar. He briefly spoke of “educational justice” and “shared responsibility” between the local community and the school district before segueing into his introduction of the new Chief of Police.


The Boston-bred Bratton quickly established his three main priorities as head of the L.A.P.D.: 1. Crime and disorder. 2. Anti-terrorist detection and prevention. 3. Implementation of the Consent Decree as part of a reform package stemming from the Rampart scandal. He characterized the lower downtown area as “one of the worst skid rows in America”

and used the South End of Boston as a successful example of social engineering and peaceful coexistence between rich and poor residents.

“We are engaged in a great experiment,” he said. And with “seven to eight-thousand new housing units coming online in the next year” he considered “this a time of great opportunities; a time of great challenge.”


In dealing with the problem of homelessness Chief Bratton stated that his department would focus on the “behavior of individuals while being mindful of [their] condition.”


After a delay of some fifteen minutes, Councilwoman Perry finally arrived and DLANC President Wance introduced her by stating that “she understands downtown is an economic engine that drives the entire city.” A rather intriguing statement in light of the fact that in 1997 the Community Redevelopment Agency applied the same phrase in describing Hollywood’s development of a project-wide entertainment district.


Ms. Perry’s address began her remarks by extolling the virtues of email communication between her and her constituents. “I can talk to so many people by email everyday. . . It enables me to do my job better [and] it lets me know if I’m way off base.” She gave her email address as jperry@lacity.org, and ended with a promise to provide automated toilet facilities for the residents of Central City East.


In terms of redevelopment issues she spoke of “building housing for people with special needs” but declined to elaborate as to what constituted “special needs,” and when, where and how this housing would be built. Also, Perry received applause from the audience when she revealed her plan to bring a Ralph’s supermarket to the area of 9th and Flower as part of the “Loft Development Project.” She predicted that much of the hiring for this venture would be from within the community.

Afterward the floor was opened for questions and public comment. The first speaker was Ms. Maria Varela, a two-year resident of the Hayward Hotel on West 6th Street. She stated her concern with gentrification and displacement that affects local poor residents negatively. Drug addiction within the downtown community was another issue with which she

felt distress. However, no one on the panel provided a response and the next speaker was immediately called up.


Tom Guidan, a resident of the Arts District, expressed frustration with the lack of response to his community’s input concerning crime from folks living under the 4th Street Bridge as a result of past skid row sweeps by police, instituted by Jan Perry and Chief Bratton. He also complained about the intrusion of Hollywood location filming in his neighborhood and questioned the wisdom of building a new local police station in Little Tokyo near railroad lines.

Jan Perry gave an apologetic response to Guidan that shifted responsibility for a lack of local input about the new police headquarters to the Chief Legislative Analyst. However, she stated that in the future, the city will request input from the community concerning the new police building. Chief Bratton was asked to respond to the crime issue but deferred it and all related questions to Central Bureau Chief Brennan.

Brennan noted that violent crime in the Central City was down 10 percent, which he called significant. He said that the primary contributors to crime were the encampment areas and that the LAPD had undertaken efforts to clean it up. He admitted that most folks living in encampments simply moved from Towne Avenue, San Julian Street, and Industrial Street to under the 4th Street Bridge. But that was simply another problem to “attack” in what he termed “this business of community policing.”

Finally, Jan Perry waffled through her verbal chastisement of downtown location film shooting. Her response simply underscored the difficulty of placing community concerns ahead of large business interests.

The next speaker was Steve Diaz, a resident of the Frontier Hotel on West 5th Street, which, in recent months, has been embroiled in a number of legal and civic matters including a very sweeping injunction issued by the City Attorney’s office that have hotel residents living

under near-fortress conditions. His apprehension echoed those of Maria Varela’s; namely, the possible displacement of tenants due to a fear of closure of the hotel. He strongly urged Ms. Perry to not brush aside his misgivings as she did with Ms.Varela and answer not only for his benefit but also for that of the entire audience.

Perry gave a response that satisfied no one. “[The] Frontier has been a difficult and challenging problem for many, many years,” she said. “I don’t make apologies for trying to protect people from those would prey upon them,” she added, in deference to the mishandling of police action against innocent residents. “If you know me, you know I will use any opportunity to improve downtown for the better. . . That’s my own moral code.”

Finally, Randall Turner, a skid row resident, struck a chord with much of the audience. “We have to strike a balance,” he insisted. “We have to understand a change is coming!” Speaking with the zeal of a country preacher, he urged a realistic appraisal of the conditions Central City residents of all income levels are faced with and sought a reconciliation of opposing interests. The attending crowd responded with murmurs of approval and applause. He also wondered why San Julian Street appeared to “an area of containment” by the police for the local underclass.

On a deeper level, Turner’s remarks echoed a sentiment that downtown redevelopment often harbored vestiges of class warfare; a struggle between rich and poor not to be solved diplomatically but “attacked” logistically; up heaving the lives of the poor and the disadvantaged like so much collateral damage in its wake.

In the end, many question remained unanswered:

1. What would Central City East look like once redevelopment is complete?

2. Where do the homeless fit in the larger scheme of things? Would they, in fact, be swept east of the L.A. River, into another jurisdiction, to become someone else’s problem?

3. How would the needs of poor famies and children be addressed?

4. What will be done to/for/about the concentration of mentally ill, substance-addicted and/or functionally illiterate that populate the area? Would upscale residents really expect to mesh seamlessly with those they (literally) look down upon from their lofts and high-rise homes?

It was suggested that a panel of academics, community activists, business people, and labor union representatives would have brought greater insight and more depth to the debate.

In the end, a disgruntled local resident wryly commented, “If this was in store for April’s Fool’s, what could we expect for Halloween? A trick or a treat?”