What do you remember most?
I remember how the news portrayed the riots as complete chaos, but for a young Black boy, there was a different reality. For the first time in my life, I remember feeling safe. During the riots, gangs were not fighting each other, so we didn’t have to fear drive by shootings. Thieves were looting stores, so we didn’t have to fear ‘stick-up kids’. For those few days, there was no beef between Blacks and Latinos, so we were not afraid of venturing into different neighborhoods. Most significantly, there was NO LAPD presence in the entire community. So for the first time, a young Black or Latino man could walk around the streets without fear of being arrested or murdered by police. To this day, I have never felt peace or safety like I did during those few days.
- John Calvin Byrd III
If you want to share your story, please do! You can call us and leave a message at 877-789-8355 or fill out our survey. Thanks to the Public Insight Network for helping us connect with the community.
muito bom..!