Great Expectations
What happened to the much anticipated "Tookie riots"? I answer that in my latest piece for The Orange County Register:
I heard about Gov. Schwarzenegger's decision not to grant clemency to Tookie Williams while driving through the epicenter of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. As a caller to a talk-radio program expressed her fear that the news would spark similar violence and unrest, I feared the effects of her words far more than the decision to execute a convicted murderer.
As an elementary school teacher in South Los Angeles, I spend a great deal of time in a largely black neighborhood. I still remember my very first drive to work several years ago. I seemed to be entering a different country as I left the elegant surroundings of Pacific Palisades and made my way into the dreary environs of Watts. This was not just a physical journey. My emotions were taking an odyssey of their own.
Staring at so many decrepit buildings, vagrants and police cars was difficult. I felt guilty. Guilty for having such a blessed life. For never being in need of any material thing. For the legacy of slavery and racism. I felt sad, too. Sad for the people who had to live in such a hopeless and scary environment. For the people who feared being killed in a drive-by shooting. For the children being "raised" by drug addicts.
I hope you'll fill out the free registration and read the whole thing.
I heard about Gov. Schwarzenegger's decision not to grant clemency to Tookie Williams while driving through the epicenter of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. As a caller to a talk-radio program expressed her fear that the news would spark similar violence and unrest, I feared the effects of her words far more than the decision to execute a convicted murderer.
As an elementary school teacher in South Los Angeles, I spend a great deal of time in a largely black neighborhood. I still remember my very first drive to work several years ago. I seemed to be entering a different country as I left the elegant surroundings of Pacific Palisades and made my way into the dreary environs of Watts. This was not just a physical journey. My emotions were taking an odyssey of their own.
Staring at so many decrepit buildings, vagrants and police cars was difficult. I felt guilty. Guilty for having such a blessed life. For never being in need of any material thing. For the legacy of slavery and racism. I felt sad, too. Sad for the people who had to live in such a hopeless and scary environment. For the people who feared being killed in a drive-by shooting. For the children being "raised" by drug addicts.
I hope you'll fill out the free registration and read the whole thing.
posted by Aaron Hanscom | 10:38 AM
1 Comments:
Aaron, sounds like liberal guilt. Welcome to the club.
Seriously: How about John Roberts and Barak Obama -- put 'em in any order you want -- in '08?
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