Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged Black and Latino Angelenos to resolve their differences constructively after a dispute over a Latino-led running event planned for Leimert Park escalated into racial hostility online.
“Los Angeles is strongest when we listen to one another, treat every community with respect and work through our differences constructively,” Bass said in a statement she shared on Facebook.
Barrio Athletics, a grassroots fitness organization founded by South Central Los Angeles native Henry Gallardo, planned a 5K for Sept. 6. Participants were initially scheduled to meet in Leimert Park before running along Crenshaw Boulevard. In a promotional video,an organizer said the group would “take over the streets of Leimert Park.”
The language drew objections from Black residents and community leaders, who said organizers had not adequately consulted local stakeholders. They were also concerned that the gathering, which included plans for a DJ and vendors, would disrupt the Leimert Park Sunday Marketplace and other scheduled activities.
Leimert Park is widely regarded as the cultural heart of Black Los Angeles. Its weekly marketplace, food vendors and drum circle have long provided an economic and cultural gathering place for Black residents. That history, compounded with lingering concerns about gentrification and the city’s declining Black population, intensified sensitivity to the event’s promotion.
“This is a historic Black district which we fought for and built up, its arts district, its cultural hub,” KBLA radio host Dominique DiPrima told a local L.A. news station.
“You’re saying that you’re going to “take over” is sort of like the last stand for Black LA is problematic.”
In another widely circulated video, a woman warned organizers, “We don’t want you to come into Africa Town,” adding that they would be “met with resistance from the Black community.” A separate Black social media user suggested, “We should call ICE,” drawing condemnation amid federal immigration enforcement concerns affecting Latino communities.
Barrio Athletics said it did not condone “racism, violence or hate.” Black and Latino community organizers later joined the group for what local L.A. radio station KJLH described as a “tough but necessary conversation.”
KJLH posted a video of the discussion.
Following “careful conversation with community leaders,” Barrio Athletics relocated the run to Elysian Park “to respect Leimert Park and the surrounding community.”
Bass denied claims that she had ordered the move, saying she had not known about the dispute before its resolution.
“Bringing people across racial, cultural and neighborhood lines together has been the foundation of my life’s work,” Bass said, “and it continues to guide how I lead this city today.”
The post Blacks and Latinos Clash Over LA’s Barrio Run; Mayor Karen Bass Calls for Dialogue Across Racial, Neighborhood Lines appeared first on BlackPressUSA.
