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08/11/2005:

"Residents say little has altered in 40 years since riots tore apart Watts"

'This is where it all began," says Tommy Jacquette, extending a lanky arm in the direction of the run-down two-storey apartment block on the corner of Avalon Boulevard and 116th Street.

He is pointing to the spot in Watts, a district of Los Angeles, where 40 years ago, on August 11 1965, a young African-American named Marquette Fry was arrested along with his brother and mother, sparking the worst rioting ever seen in the US. When it ended six days later, 34 people were dead and 1,000 injured. An estimated 50,000 people took part in the disturbances, eventually brought under control by 22,500 police supported by almost 14,000 members of the National Guard. The cost of the disturbances was estimated at $50-100m.

..."It's like the land where time stood still," says Mr Hutchinson. "In 40 years, what the hell [has] changed? If anything, it could be worse. Forty years ago I don't remember bars on homes. Despite the poverty and the segregation, I do remember a more tranquil, peaceful community. I hope 40 years from now we don't stand on this same corner saying nothing has changed."

"Not much has changed," says Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope, a Watts community group. "There are cosmetic changes but the solution is to help those in poverty have meaningful employment, healthcare and quality of life. Until that happens, there could be a riot here at any time."
Full: guardian.co.uk