Church Picketed Over School Plan

About 30 people peacefully picketed Los Angeles’ oldest black church Sunday to protest the pastor’s support of a school board decision to demolish 64 modest homes in the South-Central area for a new school.

The protester--many of them homeowners whose houses are threatened--decided to picket the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in the midcity area after the Rev. Cecil L. Murray appeared before the Los Angeles Board of Education two weeks ago to support the destruction of homes to pave the way for a new elementary school on West 47th Street, just off Main Street.

“I’m not against education, but I am against the taking of homes,” said Norris Strong, 80, who said her two-bedroom home is threatened. “Where am I going to go when they tear down my house?”

Another resident, Rosemary Diosdado, said Murray’s support of the board’s 4-3 vote was particularly galling, because his church, founded in the 1880s, is about five miles away from the proposed elementary school and its mostly upscale membership is unaffected by it.

The school board plans to build eight new schools in South-Central Los Angeles, where the dropout rate is way above the citywide average.

Murray said he was willing to meet with the protesters, but he was unwilling to back away from his support for new schools.

“The community is in dire need (of new schools) . . . and some residents might have to make a sacrifice for the larger community,” Murray said.