Then in a follow up question, 42% of whites thought LA's economy to be very shaky compared to 64% of blacks, 51% of Latinos, and 36% of Asians. The Times also stated that residents are far more likely to identify economic gains as the best antidote to further rioting than they were last spring. Economic problems seem to be drawn along racial lines in Los Angeles and many minorities feel neglected by the government. The riots arose out of the frustration of minorities being overlooked and not properly represented. The riots were "the voice of the unheard" in America crying out due to the lack of services and government responsiveness to the people (Waters). Economic amends by the government have to be made in order to repair the problems in LA. Congresswoman Maxine Waters feels that the "young men (and women in South Central) have been dropped off America's agenda and need to be dealt with." Peter Sellars made a very valid point about south central and the rest of LA in terms of the need of repairing its problems. He commented that, "We all live in the same housestart a fire in the basement and nobody's gonna be left on the top floorshutting your door in your room (to escape the problem) doesn't help, in fact you have a stronger chance of getting incinerated." America has to acknowledge the problems in South Central or we will all be brought down in the end. He went on to make the analogy that America is too cheap to replace burnt out light bulbs (in areas such as South Central) and replace them with brighter ones. Another huge cause of the riots was the rift that has become common knowledge for years between minorities and Los Angeles police. Both the McCone and Webster Commissions also attributed the riots in part "on the poor relationship between police and citizens, particularly minorities." Twenty-seven years ago the McCone Commission reported, "The bitter criticism we have heard evidences a deep and long-standing sch...
