The following letter to Peter Jennings was originally posted
at Davey
D’s Hip Hop Daily News.
Dear Mr. Peter Jennings:
I just finished watching the Prime
Time TV special you hosted on ABC last night [June 3]. It
was with great anticipation that I tuned in especially after hearing
all the provocative commercials on local radio stations and seeing
the enticing ads on TV. The subject matter of gang violence and
police brutality are realities many of us who live in certain
communities have to deal with first hand. As was pointed out in
your program there aren’t too many people in LA who have not been
impacted by the police and the gangs.
With all that being said, I have to say as a California resident
and a fellow journalist, I was disappointed, and in many respects,
angered by what I saw on your show. I felt the show was unbalanced
in what was shown or in this case, not shown. I kept asking
myself as I watched, where are the community leaders who strived
for years and in some cases, even lost the lives of loved
ones to try and bring about peace in these troubled areas? Why
was there no mention of the historic gang truce that was forged
in South Central in the aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King uprisings?
How come you guys didn’t have people like former NFL great Jim
Brown and members from his organization Amer-I-Can or former
gang members like Bo
Taylor and members from his organization Unity One? Bo can
heard each week on Reality Talk (KKBT). These individuals have
been in the forefront of dealing with the challenge of eradicating
gang violence.
Where was urban peacemaker Nane
Alejandrez of Barrios Unidos? You could’ve reached out to
him as well as actor/activist Harry
Belafonte who was just on Air America Radio talking about
the work he has been doing with Barrios Unidos and other organizations
to help LA gangs set up legitimate businesses. He even took a
number of them to Africa. I would've liked to have heard how LA
police Chief Bratton and the LAPD were doing with their interactions
with those community leaders. After all, Chief Bratton kept repeating
over and over that the police can not do this alone.
Why didn’t Prime Time interview Minister Tony
Muhammed of the Nation of Islam? The NOI has a long history
of working with gangs in LA. Many of their members have grown
from gang life thanks to their tireless efforts. Last year they
were helping organize a 100,000
Man March in LA to help spark change. How has LAPD fared in
working with the NOI?
There are dozens of other people that should have and could have
been included in your report including former gang member Twilight
Bey who has been featured in numerous documentaries and was the
inspiration and main focus for Anna Deavere Smith’s book and
PBS TV special, “Twilight
Los Angeles.”
You could’ve gotten former gang member Bone who was both a consultant
and shown in the movie “Training Day.” Actor/ Rapper Ice T, rapper
Kam, record exec Micheal Conception, Alex Sanchez of Homies
Unidos, author Louis Rodriguez, former Senator Tom Hayden,
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, activist Fidel Rodriguez of Divine
Forces Radio or activist Najee Ali of Project
Islamic Hope, all could’ve been in the piece. The list goes
on. The names of these community folks are well known. How were
they overlooked by ABC Prime Time?
One profound statement that you made in your report was that the
police are in the community some of the time, but the gangs are
there all of the time. I would venture to say that scores of these
unsung heroes and sheroes are also in the community all of the
time. Many of them have been putting in work day in and day out
trying to end gang violence while simultaneously dealing with
a notorious, out of control police department, which is seen
by many as the root cause for many of the flare-ups and increased
frictions and hostilities between gangs. The significant role
they play in fueling gang tensions is an issue Prime Time touched
upon and then skirted over, especially when you spoke about the
Rampart
Scandal.
I understand that the Prime Time special was about the Los Angeles
Police Department with the main focus being on the new chief,
William Bratton. I clearly understand that you can’t fit everything
in one show. As a radio talk show host I frequently will do shows
where I direct all my attention on one side of the story so that
perspective can be shared uninterrupted. Perhaps in some respects
it was good to get an unfettered perspective from the Los Angeles
police. We got to see and hear exactly what they’re going through
and how they’re dealing with a harsh situation.
As Chief Bratton stated his goal was to try and heal the huge
rift and mistrust that exists between the police department and
the Black and Brown communities of South Central LA. Part of that
healing comes with dialogue. He got to share that with you and
the rest of the country during your one hour special. But now
I think as a seasoned journalist who many of us look up to, you
have the challenge and responsibility to bring to light those
other perspectives that were missing from your Prime Time report.
You spent a year working with the LAPD. I hope you take a year
to spend time with some of the aforementioned organizations and
individuals so you can convey to the country their hardships,
challenges and success stories. Perhaps their tireless efforts
can be a clarion call for those who had no idea that such activities
were going on. This is extremely important since ABC is getting
ready to do a similar special focusing on the NYPD.
It would be a shame to leave viewers who have never been to Los
Angeles, with the false perspective that the only ones putting
their necks on the line to end poverty, oppression and violence
in the community is the police. It would also be a shame to
not
squarely address the full extent of police corruption in South
Central LA and similar communities and how it systematically
undermines
ongoing efforts to bring about positive change.
In closing, I’m including a number of links for you and your producers
to pursue so hopefully you can start putting together a compelling
Prime Time Special that focuses on the challenges facing the community.
Sincerely,
Davey D
Columnist San Jose Mercury News
Source Magazine
KPFA Radio
Amer-I-Can
http://www.amer-i-can.org/
Barrios Unidos
http://www.barriosunidos.org/
Bo Taylor, Unity One
http://www.junction-city.com/localheroes/unityone.asp
The LA Uprising: 10 Years Later,
DaveyD.com
http://www.daveyd.com/FullArticles/articleN1076.asp
All HipHop.com
http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=3127
Theory/Practice, News & Letters
http://www.newsandletters.org/Issues/1998/March/3-98ess.htm
LA Weekly, Crips and Bloods Unite
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/99/33/news-ehrenreich.php
Tom Hayden, “Homies Were Burning Alive”
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18843
Upfront Productions
http://www.upfrontproductions.com/
Divine Forces Radio
http://www.divineforces.org/
Davey D can be contacted at [email protected]
