Black and Latino Bodies Politic at War in Lynwood, Los Angeles

The long awaited LA Times article on the state of affairs between Latinos and Blacks in Los Angeles is out and it confirms what many have known all along. Racial enmity is tearing at the city’s seams. The limited distribution of resources has made the two groups fight with each other while leaving structural inequalities for both intact.

Blogger coverage: “L.A. is going to blow again, and its not going to be pretty, a race riot that will make the ones of the 60s look like a day in Disneyland Park.”

Lynwood:
1990

Population: 61,945

Latino: 69%

Black: 22%

Other: 9%

—

2007

Population: 72,426

Latino: 87%

Black: 9%

Other: 4%

Los Angeles Times to Cut "La Cucaracha" from its Strips Line-up

Portrait of Rubén Salazar by Rupert Garcia
© 1979 Rupert Garcia All rights reserved

Lalo Alcaraz is pissed off, and with good reason. His popular comic strip “La Cucaracha” got the axe despite the fact that good ol’ “Blondie,” “Mallard Fillmore,” and the like will still be appearing in the LA Times. Seems like the Chicago administrators of the Times decided that Raza didn’t need Raza comics though they’re hoping that sales will pick up once Latino readers are enticed to buying the paper on a daily basis. Yeah, it seems like a contradiction to me too but these guys seem to think they know what Angelinos want. The LA Times, surprisingly enough, was one of the few papers to cover Raza politics with Raza reporters and editors. Rubén Salazar was one of the few syndicated Raza columnists for the paper in the 1970s who provided respectful and knowledgeable coverage of Latino politics until he was killed my the LA Police (but that’s a whole other story). Not that one needs to be “Raza” to be knowledgeable and respectful of Latino affairs; just that nobody else was covering these issues at the time. So much for home ownership of the paper….

I circulate Lalo’s letter below for your perusal:

From: Lalo Alcaraz
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 08:35:57 -0800 (PST)
To: xxxxx
Subject: LA CUCARACHA CUT FROM LA TIMES- HELP POR FAVOR

Dear friends

My daily comic strip, La Cucaracha has been CUT from the LA TIMES, without so much as an explanation. Can you please help bring to their attention that perhaps Los Angeles, with its majority Raza population might need at least ONE THING in the newspaper to show kids and grownups that represents a large part of Los Angeles in the paper? I’m thinking “Blondie” isn’t really reflective of Los Angeles.

If you email them, please cc me at xxxxxxx@yahoo.com

Please contact:
Los Angeles Times Readers’ Representative Office
E-mail: readers.rep@latimes.com
Telephone message line: (877) 554-4000
Fax: (213) 237-3535
Postal mail: 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

Gracias
Lalo Alcaraz