Parts of Los Angeles erupted in flames 25 years ago this week. The causes were varied, but the results were geographic. Planners and community development efforts tried to help, but their effects have been lost in the wind.
"In the days immediately after the riots, some people felt that Los Angeles needed fresh leadership and ideas. Their impulse was to privatize the project of community redevelopment. This belief may been particularly strong in Los Angeles, where government is perceived to be weak and business to be resolute and wise."
"No sooner had Rebuild LA formed than it ran into a problem: How would this city-building be done, exactly? What projects should they, in fact, undertake? Based on what policy? No one ever figured it out. Despite good intentions and some nice gestures, Rebuild LA quickly turned into one more poverty agency in search of projects, 'partners' and funding, and companies that had pledged either money or initiatives seemed to shrivel up."
"Momentum to repair the city faded when the sense of crisis diminished. When the Northridge earthquake hit two years later, followed by the immensely entertaining O.J. Simpson murder trial, Angelenos found something else to focus on. While there were some individual success stories from the CRA and Rebuild LA, it’s hard to assess what lasting good was done. A recent released report from UCLA, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the unrest, reports that economic conditions in South Central, if anything, have worsened slightly."
Read the full story: The Los Angeles Riots after 25 Years
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