Source: wavenewspapers.com
July 13, 2005 Author: KEVIN HERRERA
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..."Nearly 60 percent of African Americans fail to graduate from high school.
One of the more sobering statistics contained in the report stated that 32 percent of black males born in Los Angeles in 2001 are likely to spend some time in prison, compared to 17 percent of Latinos and 6 percent of white men. "
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LOS ANGELES — The lives of most African Americans here are dismal and have not changed much since the 1965 Watts riots, according to a study released by the local chapters of the Urban League and the United Way.
Black Angelenos are at the bottom of the barrel in almost every aspect of life, suffering from a lack of affordable health care and housing, poor graduation rates and high levels of unemployment that threaten the survival of the family structure, the report said.
Entitled “The State of Black Los Angeles,†the report, which was released yesterday and is available online at www.unitedwayla.org, found that African Americans participate in the electoral process and the military more than any other ethnic group studied — the lone positive note — but are still far behind whites, Asians and Latinos in terms of their quality of life.
“The state of black Los Angeles does not look good and it’s getting worse,†said David Horne, Ph.D., a political science professor and the former director of Pan-African Studies at Cal State Northridge, who is concerned about the lack of leadership training for black youth. “I just don’t think we get it. We think we’ve overcome or that we’ve won something, but the reality is, it is a very frightening time for black folk not just in Los Angeles, but in all urban communities across the nation. We have become complacent in the struggle, with our greatest danger seeming to be ourselves.â€Â
Elected officials, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with business leaders and LAPD Chief William Bratton, pledged Wednesday morning to work diligently on building a diverse coalition to address the issue of equality and will endorse such measures as establishing “livable wage†jobs, promoting educational and job training programs in prisons, developing affordable options for small businesses to provide health care for employee and creating more park land. They pledged also to work on building quality grocery stores to help blacks live healthier lives, fostering more economic development along the Crenshaw Corridor, advocating for college preparatory courses for all students, promoting more after-school programs, holding judges accountable for harsh sentences and increasing home ownership through a Crenshaw Housing Trust Fund.
The goals seem out of reach considering not much has improved in the last 40 years, and there are those who are skeptical about the report’s future impact and effectiveness in mobilizing people to go out into the community and make change.
“My concern is these things are always released in privileged environments, corporate America with folks who are affluent and not affected by this, so in truth we have to make sure this piece is more widespread,†said Anthony Samad, a local author, professor and moderator of the Black Issues Forum.
Those with the power to make change said they will not let the report fade away, but instead will use it as a tool to monitor their progress over the next five years.
“This is a city with a very diverse population but also very divergent in terms of economics,†Villaraigosa said, comparing the state of Los Angeles to Charles Dickens’ novel “A Tale of Two Cities,†which spoke of the harsh living conditions of the lower class in France that helped spark the bloody French Revolution. “I see this [report] as a call to action and I accept the challenge that I have been given because we are all in this boat together.â€Â
Villaraigosa said he hopes to promote a fair inclusionary zoning ordinance to create more affordable housing, as well as promoting more green technologies and creating jobs in the inner city, while using his bully pulpit to help reform education and raise graduation rates.
The overall California High School Exit Exam passing rate in 2002 was 28 percent for blacks, compared to 30 percent for Latinos, 65 percent for whites and 70 percent for Asians. Nearly 60 percent of African Americans fail to graduate from high school.
One of the more sobering statistics contained in the report stated that 32 percent of black males born in Los Angeles in 2001 are likely to spend some time in prison, compared to 17 percent of Latinos and 6 percent of white men.
Blacks here are also twice as likely as other groups to be victims of violent crime and a hate crime.
“That is often a wedge issue that is used by the right wing to argue in favor of more harsh sentences and severe punishment for blacks,†said Jody Armour, law professor at USC, who has studied race bias in the courts as well as disproportionate sentencing for blacks and Latinos.
“Those advocating harsher sentences say it is good for the black community to support these sentences because they are more than likely the victims of these crimes. But what is breeding higher criminal activity is nothing genetic or innate, but rather poverty and bad education and poor health care; all of the blights that face urban America.
“People trapped in desperate situations will inevitably turn to desperate measures and will turn to those who are closest at hand and to those who are most vulnerable, meaning those in their neighborhoods. Simply locking people up will not do the trick. There can be no Band-Aid solution to the problem. Poverty breeds crime, so we need to start there,†Armour added.
One solution is job creation.
Bratton said he is committed to increasing the number of African Americans in law enforcement. Blacks currently represent 13.7 percent of sworn officers in the LAPD and 10.2 percent in the county Sheriff’s Department. Blacks represent about 10 percent of the general population here.
“Police officers must be of the community,†said Bratton, who believes public safety is the key to improving the quality of life.
“You cannot have housing of value without security,†he added. “You cannot have good health with thousands being murdered on the streets. You cannot have an education if you are afraid to go to school. Public safety is first and foremost so all of these other things can occur. But in saying that, we must have a partnership with the community and make sure that officers do not break the law to enforce the law.â€Â
Another statistic that caught the attention of those reviewing the report was one dealing with “driving while black.†According to the study, black drivers are stopped by officers here at a rate almost double the national average. Blacks and Latinos are searched by the LAPD four times more often than whites or Asians, yet only 38 percent of African Americans are found to have illegal items, compared to 65 percent of Latinos, 55 percent of whites, and 54 percent of Asians.
The report states that African Americans have the lowest score on the “Equality Index,†a measurement scale based on 150 elements in six categories: economics, housing, health, education, criminal justice and civic engagement.
Blacks have a score of 69, with Latinos not far ahead at 71. Asians and whites are at the top of the index with scores of 98 and 100, respectively. The index was created by analyzing data — from preschool enrollment to mortgage rates — and interviews with thousands of Angelenos.
In the area of health, blacks have the highest overall death rate and are three times more likely to suffer from homicide and HIV/AIDS.
Child obesity is also higher for blacks and Latinos, which corresponds to higher diabetes rates.
“One in every three black babies born today is destined to become a diabetic,†said Dr. Robert Ross with the California Endowment. “To reverse the trend, we must transform neighborhoods into places where our children have safe places to play and exercise and have access to more than just fast food.â€Â
John Mack, recently retired president of the Los Angeles Urban League, said the organization has already established groups that are working with the report to identify strategies that are attainable and will continue to do so throughout the year.
While the report dealt specifically with African Americans, the authors said it is important for every one to become involved. Quoting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the authors wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.â€Â
The State of Black Los Angeles: Dismal? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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