21 November, 2008
City of Tolerance or Tokenism?
In the 1970s and 1980s, Los Angeles had a Black mayor, Tom Bradley. A product of the LAPD, some of us figured that a Black mayor might help mitigate or reduce the levels of racism and abuse visited on the citizens of Los Angeles, especially the Black citizenry, by the LAPD. The legacy of Darryl Gates, the DARE program, and Rodney King’s beating cured our delusions.
A generation later, a broad coalition of Latinos, Democrats, activists, and wishful thinkers elected the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa. Aside from his record where the new mayor: (1) tried to usurp power and violate the State Constitution by taking over the school system – and its budget; (2) has both squandered political capital and disavowed the idea that he has commonsense by pushing for three miles of underground train-track costing billions of dollars in lieu of more and better busses; and (3) has sought to criminalize association via indiscriminate injunctions against gangs, people still had hope that Villaraigosa would be more than another impotent who would stand aside when police oppressed people of color.
Do As I Say or Not
Are we surprised then that on May 1, 2007, when thousands of Latinos across LA, throughout Southern California, and the nation would join together, march and talk about rights for immigrants and workers, Villaraigosa would be in El Salvador, preaching both capitalism and “advising” the Salvadorans on how to control their LA-based gangs. (In regards to the Mara Salvatrucha, perhaps Villaraigosa might confess that trade and globalization is not always good).
And while the “mouse” was away, the cats in riot gear came out to play. The police force that originated SWAT teams and military-style training (i.e. kill and maim first, keep the peace and ask questions later), was in force and raided a public park – commando style. How uncanny is it for a city which still has roller skaters to also have a MacArthur Park. MacArthur Park is that title of the song made famous by the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer. In the song, MacArthur Park is a metaphor for social unrest of Vietnam, race riots, COINTELPRO and the struggles for freedom and tolerance of “hippies,” homosexuals, American Indians and others. Once voted the worst Top-40 song of all-time, given the recent acts of LAPD, it is time to revisit the words to MacArthur Park, when the thick green icing is flowing down. I have taken the liberty to update the lyrics.
***
May Day was never about fear
Just to celebrate our lives
But cops won’t give us a chance
MacArthur’s Park is screaming from the shots
All the sweet baton blows, flowing down
Cops in riot gear saw a march
I don’t think the crowd can take it
‘Cause their rights don’t let them make it
No those Mexicans won’t never march again
I recall the camera crews
And the kids
On the ground and running scared
Tear-stained mothers clutch tender babies
And the Uniforms beating heads in the breeze
MacArthur's Park is bleeding after dark
And the feet of Riot Cops stomping down
Someone saw them beat us and the pain
I didn't think that LA would do it
But they got power, they abuse it
And Telemundo has it all on film …
John Calvin Jones(Top)
(Top)
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