Racial and Ethnic Tensions in American Communities Poverty, Inequality and Discrimination
Executive Summary and Transcript of Hearing held before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in L.A., CA, June 15-17, 1993. Unsettling episodes beginning with and emanating from the beating of Rodney King, a black man, by several white L.A.P.D. officers in March 1991, confirmed the prior opinion of the Commission that the tensions between racial and ethnic groups in L.A. required attention. During the 1993 hearing, the Commission concentrated on 3 topical areas: (a) the administration of justice--relating to police practices and policies; (b) economic development--pertaining to unemployment, the L.A. Transportation System, job training and small business initiatives; and (c) the portrayals or projections of minorities through the television industry in both news and entertainment production. This report includes a summary of key points made by the witnesses who testified before the Commission during its 1993 hearing; this hearing prompted the Commission to return to L.A. in Sept. in 1996 to examine the resurgence of racial and ethnic tensions within and between local law enforce3ment and the communities it serves.