LA Riots in Retrospect

In many ways, my engagement of the public in politics began in the years leading towards the LA Riots. Considering the candidacy of Bernard Parks has taken me back to some of the things I wrote as Boohab in relation to those days.

Since I see myself more and more as part of a conservative movement in both a public and personal context, I need to review my prior statements and perspectives in order to see what has changed and why. I think the matter of the Riot is specially deserving of review no matter what, but also since I was engaged head to head with David Horowitz I think it can also illustrate the difference and distance between black and white neoconservatives over contemporary issues involving race.

So I will be posting here some verbatims of me as Boohab, and see how well they stand up.

I don't think it's beneficial to think about the accuracy of the aim of the looting, torching, shooting ragers. those who riot best, riot. those who lobby best, lobby.

what is important is to recognize the disposition of political forces in the aftermath. to consign this matter to the police as merely a crime wave is to foreclose the possibility of a transformative politics of the ragers. yet this was the status quo of the racist stereotypes against south central and east los angeles, and this is precisely what horowitz has done. such is the justification for the lapd being one of the most advanced paramilitary police forces in the world. is there any reason to believe horowitz' dismissive majoritarian position might be moderated by intelligent or (heaven forbid) compassionate consideration? well, not if you are preoccupied with maoist history and the love affairs of opera singers.

so instead of engaging (which would probably have been very easy, considering salon's recent article on maxine) on a level of political negotiation, we witness crude and egregious examples as par for the course.

this does not bode well for the future expansion of democratic politics in the united states. there are generations and geographies for which adequate political representation has never been achieved. where the practice of voting and speaking out is the experience of defeat after defeat. where human rights issues become 'special interest' issues. where people don't expect suspects to be brought to trial - merely shot in the street. where people are suspects for just being alive.

my experience tells me that the fire next time will be put out by next wednesday. american society and politics absolutely crushes such political dissent even before it gets the opportunity to become political. and as long as americans can distance themselves, with haughty indifference from the truths of these matters, hiding behind the thin blue line of police force rather than engaging in constructive political engagement, then as malcolm x said "as long as those ingredients, explosive ingredients exist, you are going to have the potential for explosion on your hands".

I was clearly concerned with the ability of blackfolks to engage successfully in political matters of their utmost concern - of which the death of suspects is clearly a top priority. And while the logic of law and order is always clear, there has been a political disenfranchisement of African Americans. I mean this in the context of the ability for black elected officials to get beyond the rhetoric of dismissal and actually handle business.

Maxine Waters, because she never took any crap from anyone, is a perfect example of this kind of disenfranchisement. Despite the fact that she is the top dog in South Central and everybody wants to get in their two cents about South Central, few people in the public are prepared to get past her image, so she and more consequently the desires of her constituents are dismissed.