Thousands of people are expected to gather Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots, with events including a community festival and a teach-in.
Civil rights leaders are expected to gather at the flashpoint of the riots — Florence and Normandie avenues — for a 9 a.m. moment of silence a discussion about the events of April 29, 1992.
“This will be a landmark look at the before, during and aftermath of the L.A. riots from civil rights leaders and area residents and those who were in the streets,” said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable. “The 25-second Moment of Silence and Speak Out will be an unprecedented community testament to the cause of racial justice and change in L.A. and beyond.”
At the same intersection, a coalition of groups will come together for a rally, march and “Future Fest” community festival. The event is being held with the theme “South LA is the Future: A Community Vision for a healthy and just future for Los Angeles.”
The group will gather at 11 a.m. at Florence and Normandie then march to 81st Street and Vermont Avenue for the afternoon community festival.
“This march will hopefully serve as a reminder to our community of where we’ve come from but also a reminder of where we need to be going as a people,” said the Rev. K.W. Tulloss of National Action Network.
At 6 p.m., Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, will take part in a “teach-in” and vigil to mark the anniversary.
The event will include a discussion focusing on recovery efforts over the past 25 years. Also expected to participate are ABC7 news anchor Marc Brown, union leader Maria Elena Durazo, Peter Ong of the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and Peter Hong, director of Strategic Initiatives at Cal State Los Angeles.
Ezra Edelman, producer/director of the documentary “O.J.: Made in America,” is also expected to attend.
The discussion at 1999 W. Adams Blvd. will be followed by a 7:30 p.m. candlelight vigil.
In other areas:
— Korean Churches for Community Development will host a 2 p.m. reception and commemorative service at Oriental Mission Church, 424 N. Western Ave. The service is expected to include 1,200 business, community and faith leaders from various ethic communities “to remember the series of injustices” that led to the riots and to “reaffirm our shared values in hopes of never letting it happen again.”
— At 11 a.m., First AME Church and the Korean Federation of Los Angeles will join forces for a unity event. The event will be held at the First AME Church Allen House Gardents, 2249 S. Harvard Blvd.
— Beginning at noon, Lynwood Union Gallery, 3780 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will present an exhibit titled “L.A. Riots: Lynwood. The Riots Changed A Lot of Communities. This is OUR Story.” The event will include the premiere screening of a documentary titled “We Used to Go to Clark’s Drugs: Lynwood During the L.A. Riots,” featuring interviews with residents, community leaders and business owners.
“We have new generations growing up not knowing about the 1992 L.A. riots, and why they happened, let along how they affected Lynwood,” said Rowland Becerra, chair of the gallery’s board of directors. “It’s important to remember, not to judge, but to shed light on a piece of our history that changed our community forever.”
—City News Service