The Revolution Will Be Televised- over and over. Apologies to G S-H. Scott-Heron wrote those words in 1970, in response to the Watts Riots. Watts: what locals really mean by "South Central." (LA) That revolution was televised - I watched from the bubble of Orange County - I think the second black family was moving into Costa Mesa as I was moving to LA
By 1970, I was living in the Crenshaw District -a 'transitioning' neighborhood. According to the local herstorians , the area had earlier been the Jewish (ghetto) neighborhood. In the '40s and '50, when the black middle class was being born out of the post WWII boom, and wanted to buy a home, the Jews were the only homeowners who would sell to "them." My friends in the 'hood were young, middle class black families, and a sprinkling of much older black ladies who had been "in service" for years, and saved their money. Bought homes while they were still "living in" with the white folk further north in L.A.
One of my two best friends was a young(er than me) Afro-American, R, who'd recently returned from 4 years in Germany, running the NORAD Computer for the U.S.Army on 4 hits of acid a day. He was a twin, adopted by Ms. F (older lady retired from 'live in' service). Their white mother (quickie with a black guy) basically abandoned them with Ms. F, as she cared for them. R radicalized me, informed me, told me about all the tanks parked in the LA riverbed under the bridge crossing I 10 CA 60 heading into East LA and Whittier, took me to see the new sewer pipes then being installed under Venice Blvd. Which was kind of the demarcation line between the Fairfax and Crenshaw districts. Look, the pipes are huge! Big enough to accommodate those tanks. I adopted the Black Power mantra. 'They' were coming to get 'us.' And my roomie, L, even younger than I (smh) who got pulled over for "no rear tail light illumination" and lots of similar bs, repeatedly. If we went to the store together, we got stopped. "What are you doing here?" to me, inevitably so fuckin inevitable - whatever car I was driving (I transitioned in that time frame from an old, salesman blue basic Ford to a Barracuda with a racing stripe -I was young, too) With girls I worked with, with old ladies, whatever, if they were black, we got stopped. "What are you doing here?" This was early '70s LA. I still have my "Free Angela" button.
By 1991, I lived in Pacoima, last part of actual City of LA before City of San Fernando. It was LAPD Foothill District. Pretty far to the East of me were the 'black neighborhoods'. Where I was: entirely Hipanic, mostly Mexican. Homeowners, business owners. It was great. It was the last year before I sold my taxi (physically and ephemerally -car + LA City Permit) . My neighbor turned out to be a mechanic - out of his garage - State License on the wall, shelves full of Official Shop Manuals.
The auto parts store around the corner was owned by an uncle, his two nephews, and his daughter. The guy who rebuilt alternators, also around the corner, On San Fernando Rd. - the father and son who owned the radiator shop (son and my #2 son became good friends) Further up SF Rd, twin brothers who owned the tire and alignment shop. Almost heaven if you OWN a taxi. Really, IT owns you. So, In between the tire shop and the radiator shop, Rodney King finally got stopped after a highspeed chase. ("We like to discourage them from running from us." * ) The guy in the apartment across the street, with the brand new camera he wanted to test drive.
Every sentient being in the area saw that video a thousand times.
Three months after that, a Korean lady storekeeper shot and killed a 15 year old girl. We saw that on video a bunch of times, and then when a white (female) judge gave her probation, we saw it again, in eyeball etching memory strokes. Read all about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots
On April 29, 1992, I was in my Subaru (decals stripped, no longer a "taxi" I'd sold it,ta da!!) driving home from West LA to Pacoima, I hear the verdict from Simi Valley - all 4 of the cops that did the beating have been acquitted. My immediate reaction was to hurry home and den up. Then I turned on the TV 71st and Normandy.
On the second day, as the mayhem was moving toward Hollywood my crazy taxi driver friend, D showed up at my house, driving his cab, with a pillowcase full of bound up twenty's. He was a compulsive saver, ready for Armageddon, and I had seen this stash previously at his place once. He was just going to drive the cab to Santa Barbara for a day or so and pay his lease for the whole time. But he was afraid to go alone with all that cash, so could he stash it at my place (nothing to loot in my 'hood- more on that later) for a couple of days, behind two big dogs and very friendly, brown neighbors?
That proved to be optimistic - oh D came back in two days, but there was a bit of, um, dust in the 'hood. The chain market and the K Mart down the way were looted: people were filmed coming out of them carrying diapers and milk. Day three survival technique. All the local Korean corner stores, who hired all their assistants from the neighborhood, had two or three hefty Vatos just casually hanging around outside. No trouble here. The AM//PM, owned and solely operated by an extended Mid-Eastern family, got one small lit bottle of gasoline. That was it, but afaik, the furthest out the uprising went. My #1 son, then 28, had perfected his "these are not the 'droids you're looking for" manner and force. He had friends who owned spiffy boutiques on Melrose. He patrolled there. The heavy looting had extended to big box stores on Sunset Blvd. by then. I was petrified.
But it was all televised. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't remember the extent to which Korea Town was truly a war zone. This documentary seared my soul - I was there - but not - I hope these photogs won a Pulitzer. ABC should, surely for the graduate education in the big question all the white folks ask: WHY?
The Marches now are prime time fodder. Nothing better than when the batshit crazy inciters stir up some shit. (more here on that) Of course, the (coming?) revolution will be televised - already some Red states are working on laws to make protesting a felony. Is that Martial Music I hear?
blasted linky no link so:
* quote from a cop, another story, another time.
(credit TV Guide Listings)
Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992
9:00 PM on ABC, 2 hr 2017
A look at the decade leading up to the L.A. riots of 1992. This documentary examines the era's racial tensions, the rise of gangs, the crack epidemic and the efforts of the LAPD to clamp down on the violence.
