Participants marching in the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. Photograph by Peter Pettus.

April 01, 2013

Dear editor,

As a long-time civil rights advocate, I am appalled at the way the rights that we fought for are being violated by the City of Inglewood. I marched for freedom of inclusion of all people, particularly those of color. I marched with Dr. King in 1964 to get the Voters’ Rights bill signed that gave Negroes the right to vote, and yet I see so much voter suppression in our city. We have a mayor and two other members of the council who control what gets out to the public by editing the city council meeting tapes. The tapes of the meetings are to stay intact from gavel to gavel. The mayor should not take out what he doesn’t want the public to hear. We marched for freedom of speech, and to have members of the council whose salaries we pay violate the public’s right to express their concerns. It defeats the purpose of the whole movement.

The express purpose for the council meetings are to report to the residents on issues that show the progress of the city; however, the mayor acts as though the city is his own private corporation. The mayor and two members of the city council suppress at every opportunity the right of the citizens to receive information on the actions of the council, causing anger and frustration on the part of the residents.

Sincerely, Lynette Lewis, Inglewood United Democratic Club

• • •
 

Dear editor,

At the March 19 city council meeting, James T. Butts used his “kill switch” to turn off the microphone while two community activists were speaking during the public comment portion of meeting.

Butts, obviously angered by criticism of his tyrannical tactics, chose to violate the First Amendment rights of well- known community activist Ethel Austin and Inglewood Democratic Club President Lynette Lewis, and refused to allow their comments to be heard.
Along with stomping on citizens constitutional rights, Butts again violated the Brown Act in abusing the color of his authority to unlawfully shut down the voice of citizens.

The video footage can be seen at

If you go to YouTube. com, type in “City of Inglewood” then search for the March 19, 2013 city council meeting, you’ll find it.
People need to know that nothing will stop Butts from trampling on all of our Constitutional rights if his flunky and fellow cop from Alex
Padilla is elected to the city council for District 2.

Ethel Austin

• • •
Dear editor and residents of Inglewood,

The April 2 municipal campaign—in particular the city council seats—has turned into on of the most vicious and nasty campaigns in recent memory.

The blatant lies and clandestine, misleading information, put out by way of campaign materials and none other than Inglewood city hall, Inglewood Today and the new candidates running for office is nothing less than dreadful. The citizens of Inglewood can only blame themselves for our once-beautiful city’s deterioration. When the people refuse to become involved in the politics that governs their community, which allows those with ulterior motives to move unhindered, then they run the risk of what we are experiencing today.
Such a city will continue to be governed by inferior representation, unless we all stand up to this gross corruption.

Aldene Sligh
• • •


(Editor’s note: Editing of city council meetings to be broadcast to the public is a clear violation of CA Brown Act laws. It is the responsibility of the city attorney to investigate and prosecute such violations. Failing that, it is the duty of the L.A. County D.A.’s office—in particular the Public Integrity Division—to investigate and prosecute city attorneys who fail to pursue such crimes.)

March 15, 2013

Dear editor,

Let me begin by saying Morningside Park is not North Inglewood nor is it located in the north part of the city. As far as location goes, I suppose you’d call it east Inglewood, but it not about location, it’s about style and we have our own unique chic.

Most of the residents have lived here for decades and we share a tremendous amount of pride in our little community; the Avenues—Christmas lights, block clubs; Darby Park—the walking clubs, day camps, exercise groups; the Community Center— community policing, town hall meetings; Gated communities—Briarwood, Carlton Square. We also are home to Morningside Park Post Office and for many years Morningside Park Library.

Sadly, our library closed when former City Councilman Danny Tabor vacated his seat to run for mayor. There were several runoff elections, this left us with no council person to look out for our best interests and we suffered this loss. We’re going to fight to get it back though.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Morningside Park Chronicle to the community. We have virtually no coverage of our events, activities, politics, businesses, or fabulous citizens. It’s as if we are invisible.
Now at last our voices will be heard and everyone will know who we are!

-Jan Williams A proud Morningside Park resident

Dear editor,

Sorry, but if anything I’ve learned about anything Ridley-Thomas, is that it’s all for the sake of his career.

I’ve commented before about Inglewood needing vi- sion. I know it has vision, just the wrong ones are al- ways on the top—things like the Library operating with fewer hours, a Senior Center that has not seen the light of day in over a decade, a major landmark like Holly- wood Park razed by bulldozers simply to make more private community homes.
There is just so much that isn’t going right with the city’s direction. I I’m grateful that Madison Square Garden Inc. is stepping up to the plate to at least preserve the Forum. At least someone out there gets it and sees the potential. But things like the Fox Theater on Market Street, or heck, even the 5th Ave theater that is slowly deteriorating like a mummy in a tomb, are quite telling for why the city still needs so much more. When was the last time they put up the lights during the Christmas season on the street lamp poles?
If they can’t do the little things, what happens when it comes to the big things?

-EMan DX, Inglewood

Dear editor,

We receive your publication and I enjoy it very much. Thanks for doing what you do! We need it!
Inglewood Baseball is having an Alumni Baseball Game on April 21 at Sentinel Field.
It’s the Green and White Classic Baseball Alumni Game. The date is Sunday, April 21 at 11:00 a.m.
The game starts at 1:00 p.m. Sentinel Field is on the corner of Hillcrest and Inglewood Avenue.

We hope to have community vendors, a DJ, face- painting, raffles and a BBQ. This is our second year; last year we had a great time and the Alumni was defeated by the current baseball team. It is a fund-raiser for the base- ball team we had alumni from 1978 to 2011. I am the coach’s wife and the General Manager for the team; I keep the fellas on the straight and narrow and do the organizing. Let me know what else you will need.

Could you tell me how we can place it in the MPC?

-Monique Cathey, Inglewood CA
• • •

Dear editor,

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-mailer-

March 01, 2013

Dear Teka-Lark Fleming and Gerald Morales,
Thank you so much for your interest in interviewing me and including my national anthem in your February edition. I am so honored and for- ever grateful!
Gerald Morales is a wonderful interviewer!
-Crystal Chavis
• • •
Dear editor, Hard hitting news is what
we need. We get nothing on TV that tells the real story. Please don’t listen to those people.
The public needs to hear the truth no matter what.
-Divinity Warmsley
• • •
Dear editor, Re: Bill Overton’s book—
Yes! I have documented and continue to document the bias of mainstream media, meaning white-owned media toward black people and other people of color.

Make sure you attend this photo exhibit where I will be speaking to the issue of main- stream medias biased report- ing on events involving black and other people of color, and the difficulty minority owned media has being able to document equally news coverage of an event even when the news event is about people of color.
-Haywood Galbreath

“My Choice of Weapons” is Mr. Galbreath’s photo exhibit, which will show at the Museum of African American Art, 4005 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles. It opens April 24.

December 10, 2012

Dear editor,

I was so pleased to see the article concerning the AVID Program at Inglewood High.
I was fortunate to work with four of these students in Inglewood’s Free Summer Lunch Program last summer. These students are everything we want our young people to be. They were responsible (didn’t miss one day of 11 weeks of service), were on time, took responsibility, and saw ways to make lunch service at their sites better and implemented their concepts.

I can’t rave enough about Avid students and their wonderful teacher/advisor, Yanick Clay. I’m hopeful that I will have more AVID students for the program next summer.

Please: more articles about IUSD and our young people. Education has been overlooked for far too long.

-Anne La Rose

December 10, 2012

Hello,

I just thought maybe you would like to let the Arbor Village Co. founders know that slapping stickers on public and private property is not good for business. In fact, it goes against everything they claim to be against. I’ve personally had to remove quite a few of these stickers. Great job Arbor Village Co.: rep your neighborhood by trashing it.

As a city employee and resident of District 3 (Arbor Village), these kinds of things disgust me.

-A lifelong Arbor Village resident