Criticism, Yes; Self-Destructiveness, No

In the months to come, Los Angeles will be on trial in more ways than one. Four police officers in the so-called Rodney King trial will face a federal jury and three defendants in the so-called Reginald Denny case will face a state jury. But looming even larger than those verdicts is the question of Los Angeles and whether this city will acquit itself of the charge--or at least the suspicion--that it no longer works.

That was not a wholly unwarranted allegation a year ago. If city government was working, it was hard to tell. The police chief and the mayor weren’t on speaking terms--an unimaginable and deplorable situation. And even though the King videotape had been seen around the world and had upset many people, the city was lost in a sort of dreamland, ill-prepared for what followed and inept at almost every turn. On the night the riots broke out the police chief was attending a cocktail party.

Since then some important elements have changed. There is a new police chief and the Los Angeles Police Department is suddenly alive and moving forward with neighborhood-sensitive community policing while at the same time brandishing the big anti-riot stick. Gov. Pete Wilson has galvanized the state National Guard into action, and its preparation and training exercises have been well-publicized for all to see. City Hall has put together a network of street-level organizers who are working the neighborhoods to keep the peace.

In contrast to last year, this year Los Angeles might be susceptible to the criticism that it is over-prepared for possible civil disorder and that the public displays of force are more provocative than precautionary. Maybe. But if one has to choose between today’s heightened awareness and the incomprehensible somnambulation prior to the April-May riots, what’s the choice?

The real danger for Los Angeles is not over-preparation but self-destructiveness. Searching self-criticism is useful and needed. But we Angelenos become our own worst enemy if we constantly emphasize shortcomings. Los Angeles has problems, but the basic problems here vary little from those in Detroit, Miami or New York. That’s why President Clinton, with all he has to do, must also be the first President since Lyndon B. Johnson to develop a comprehensive and caring national urban policy.

Los Angeles has serious economic worries right now--but so does much of the world. In fact, many economists believe that no U.S. economic recovery can exclude Southern California; and others fervently believe that no genuine national recovery can happen unless California helps lead it.

Los Angeles has got to become more optimistic about itself. There are good reasons to believe that calm will prevail. So think positive, keep working and be alert to the fact that only a very fine line divides healthy self-criticism from unhealthy self-destructiveness.