Crowd Protests Times Coverage

Waving American flags and placards in English and Spanish, several hundred people Saturday circled The Times’ offices in downtown Los Angeles, protesting the newspaper’s coverage of Latinos and calling for readers to boycott the paper.

Demonstrators complained about stories on possible conflicts of interest involving Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre and on noncitizens improperly voting in the Orange County congressional election in which Democratic newcomer Loretta Sanchez ousted Republican Robert Dornan. Protesters also complained that Times crime coverage vilifies Latino youths and called for a boycott of The Times and its advertisers.

“L.A. Times, stop putting us down!” Father Juan Santillan, pastor of Maria Auxiliadora Roman Catholic Church in Lincoln Heights, shouted to the crowd--which LAPD Sgt. Gene Lewis estimated at about 500--outside Times Mirror Square. “Stop crushing our community!”

In a statement, Times Editor and Executive Vice President Shelby Coffey III replied that The Times is “especially proud of the broad and growing coverage of the many Latino communities in our area that we’ve provided in recent years. We examine carefully and fairly the many diverse communities that comprise Los Angeles. We understand that one faction or another may not always be pleased with the results, but we will continue to examine all aspects of our complex area.”