Summer Festivals: Are the Parties Over? : THE WATTS FESTIVAL

One began as a celebration of L.A.’s cultural diversity, the other as a commemoration of lives lost in a bloody chapter of the city’s history. But both the Street Scene and the Watts Festival shared a vision: a peaceful gathering of humanity. Now, clouds hang over both events. The mayor, citing incidents of violence, wants to abolish the Street Scene--but the City Council isn’t so sure. And the Watts Festival is being canceled for the second straight year--a victim of organizational problems and troubled finances--but promoters promise a comeback. Here are two reports on the status of these Los Angeles summer festivals.

The annual Watts Summer Festival has been called off--for the second year in a row--this time because of problems in obtaining the necessary permits to hold the event on time.

After being denied a permit in August because not enough notice was given to public safety agencies and because questions arose about liability insurance, the event’s organizers said they considered postponing the event until this month.

But now they have chosen instead to wait until next year, festival chairman Truman Jacques said Tuesday. This will allow organizers a chance to regroup for a better-organized event, as well as maintain the traditional August date commemorating those who died in the 1965 Watts Riot, he said.

Although the festival has been on shaky ground for several years, plagued by organizational and money problems, gang violence and dwindling attendance, some of those involved in past festivals expressed guarded optimism that under Jacques’ direction, and with the backing of Supervisor Kenneth Hahn’s office, the festival may regain its former popularity.

More Support Needed

“Under proper management and with proper safeguards, there is an average chance that the festival could go on,” said Hahn spokesman James Cleaver. But this would require the support of a broad cross-section of the community, something the event has not enjoyed for several years, Cleaver said.

Jacques, a religious talk show host on KCBS-TV who was named festival chairman last May, said he plans to draw on a broad cross-section of black entertainers and professionals in Los Angeles, “to come back and give us some time.” Jacques said he has been involved with earlier festivals as a master of ceremonies, but not as an organizer.

Festival organizers also plan to draw on the participation of residents near Will Rogers Memorial Park--the traditional site of the festival--who in the past have protested the festival, complaining of the threat of violence from neighborhood gangs drawn to the event. In 1982, authorities closed the festival down a day early due to gang disturbances.

Cleaver said that, through the intercession of black community leaders, Hahn agreed this year to allow the festival to return to the park and to forgive a $10,000 debt to the county that the festival had incurred over the years for use of the facility.

In past years, the county had denied them use of the park because of the unpaid debt and, as a result, event organizers were forced to hold it on a vacant lot on Imperial Highway. Last year, organizers blamed the county’s continued unwillingness to allow them use of the park for the cancellation of the festival.

‘No Animosity’

“There’s no animosity, no one to blame” for this year’s canceled festival, Jacques added. “Our thrust will be to involve more people next year for a bigger and better event than ever.”

Recalling the festival’s heyday during the late 1960s and early 70s, when thousands were drawn by such top-name entertainers as Stevie Wonder and Isaac Hayes, Jacques said that it remains “incumbent upon those of us who were there (at the time of the riot) to bring these things up again and remind the world that this is something that happened to us. We do not wish to forget.”

Jacques added that the lessons of the violence that marred the Los Angeles Street Scene this year have not been lost on the Watts festival organizers. He said the organizers plan to take precautions at their future festival by shutting down before dark and by careful selection of musical groups.