Civic Leaders, Celebrities Rap Drugs at Rallies

Inner-city community leaders in Los Angeles went on the offensive over the weekend against the pervasive drug problem, denouncing substance abuse at three separate rallies.

The largest of the gatherings amounted to a children’s crusade Saturday as hundreds of youngsters and their parents marched along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, chanting slogans such as “You’re Insane If You Use Cocaine� and “Say Nope to Dope!� The march and subsequent rally at Jackie Robinson Stadium were part of the “Back to School With a Clear Head� campaign.

The rally--which featured several celebrities and sports figures and was sponsored by local businesses and churches--attracted more than 500 people. At the same time, an estimated 300 people gathered for a “We Care� anti-drug rally at Will Rogers Park near Watts. And on Friday night, West 50th Street residents protested drug abuse with a candlelight vigil.

“We’re dealing with a problem bigger than life itself,� Los Angeles Raiders safety Mike Davis told the people gathered at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Saturday. “It’s causing the genocide of the youth of America. And the way to stop it is at the community level.�

The rallies come at a time when drug abuse is being blamed for contributing to an escalation in gang-related crime throughout Los Angeles. Police report that gang-related crime was up by 20% for the first six months of 1986 compared to the first six months of 1985. Gang-related homicides rose by 31% for the same period this year, from 68 last year to 89 this year.

Community leaders say the drug problem has grown so severe that the police alone can not handle it. Speakers at the rallies encouraged residents to report drug activity to police and discourage drug use among juveniles.

In a separate interview, Los Angeles Police Lt. Michael Melton, head of the south bureau narcotics task force, said rock cocaine, or “crack,� the most popular of the drugs, is being widely sold on the streets of Los Angeles.

“There are 40 locations that are hot-spot areas for cocaine in the Southwest area alone,� Melton said. “Some areas have three or four dealers on every corner.�

Melton said that many dealers evade police by using children as fronts. He said it is nearly impossible for some inner-city children to avoid coming in contact with drug pushers.

15% Arrested Are Juveniles

“In a five-block walk home from school there’s a good chance that they are seeing it,� Melton said. “About 15% of the people arrested by (the police task force) are juveniles.�

These realities have caused concern among community leaders. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn said it is imperative that the Watts community fight drugs. And Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley kicked off the “Back to School With a Clear Head� campaign by telling the children that “you kids are the first wave of California’s drug-free generation.�

Those same children, many of them wearing colorful anti-drug T-shirts, waved their banners high and chanted in unison as they marched around the track at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

One of the marchers, 12-year-old Kevin Body, said he would never use drugs.

“I know a few people who are using drugs because of pressure from their friends, but I would never do it,� Body said. “My father would kill me if I got involved.�

Gwen Rogers, 16, and Carla Rogers, 14, also ruled out drug use, but added that about half of their school mates smoke marijuana.

Deanna Chevalier, the head of the Parents War on Drugs and a sponsor of the rally, said parents are partly to blame for the drug-abuse problem. “I don’t think the parents are teaching their kids about drugs,� Chevalier said. “These kids need support. This rally is beautiful today, but it will be nothing tomorrow unless parents do something about it.�