As South Los Angeles safety and environmental justice concerns focusing on the proposed Expo Light Rail Line continue to gain more attention, Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks suggests critics “stop wasting other people's time.”
The comment, directed to the leader of the Citizen’s Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line, was delivered after a scheduled Sunday afternoon event with Mr. Parks at Transfiguration Church. It reveals a growing concern among community leaders that the region's elected leaders are uninterested in addressing an issue that has prompted petitions, protests and lawsuits.
The proposed Expo Line is planned to travel from Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, and perhaps, eventually, to Santa Monica.
Why Expo Is Dangerous
The close proximity of schools to the light rail line, street-level railroad crossings (known as “at-grade,” and other environmental impact issues have rallied South L.A. neighborhood and child advocacy organizations, who claim the Expo Line design through their community is more dangerous than the MTA’s Blue Line. With 88 deaths and more than 792 accidents, the Blue Line is the deadliest and most accident-prone light rail line in the country.
As a rail transit advocate and co-chair of my local Neighborhood Council, I have been spearheading an effort to increase community awareness and to pressure politicians into addressing the issue.
Following the scheduled event, I attempted to ask Mr. Parks how community concerns could be addressed by his office. Mr. Parks responded, “Just because you don’t like the line, you should stop wasting other people’s time because you have a concern about it.”
Community Reaction
Last Wednesday, I outlined the community’s view of the Expo Line problems at a community forum at Dorsey High School attended by over 150 local residents, educators, students, and alumni.
LAUSD School Board Member Marguerite LaMotte and the area’s other local City Councilman, Herb Wesson, spoke to the group, and they took questions.
Mr. Parks, who is on the MTA Board was invited, but the seat with his nameplate remained empty the entire night.
My powerpoint presentation at the forum titled, “Expo Line: The Inconvenient Truths,” highlighted the 1998 MTA study that identified the major causes of the Blue Line accidents, which showed that MTA is repeating the same mistakes with the Expo Line.
Culver City’s Problem
I also pointed to negotiations that led to Culver City having no at-grade crossings in their city, as well as the 1992 MTA Environmental Impact Report that showed it was feasible to construct a less expensive overpass across the Figueroa and Exposition intersection at USC, where the Expo Authority is currently constructing a $40 million underpass.
I called the preferential design environmental racism. “That money…could have gone for grade separations in South L.A.,” I told the crowd.
This was Ms. LaMotte’s response: “When I hear something like ‘environmental racism,’ and I'm fighting social injustices at the schools everyday, I get a little bit bothered.”
The LaMotte Promise
Then, with Mr. Wesson, the Expo Line Construction Authority Vice Chair, looking on, and to a standing ovation from the audience, the School Board member announced she was going to introduce a resolution opposing the primarily street-level design of Expo Light Rail Line and support, instead, a subterranean alignment.
Just feet from a planned Expo Line crossing where 1,500 students cross every day, the lifetime educator exclaimed, “You can’t put a dollar sign on the [lives of] students at Foshay and the students at Dorsey.”
At that same community meeting, Mr. Wesson indicated he would not introduce a similar measure through the City Council.
“I could stand up and down at every Expo meeting and say ‘I don't want this’ or ‘I’m not against that’,” he said, “and guess what's going to happen? I’m going to be the only vote.”
The audience was vocally critical of Mr. Wesson's explanation.
How to Make It Happen
“I would ask you to go to your colleagues, the Karen Basses, the Mark Ridley-Thomases, the Bernie Parks, and Jan Perry, Yvonne Burke and say that united this cannot happen,” said Save Leimert Neighborhood Coalition leader Lark Galloway-Gilliam.
Yesterday’s statement by Mr. Parks has some community leaders re-evaluating their criticism.
We were skeptical when he said he’d be the only vote. But, based on Mr. Parks’ statement Sunday, Mr. Wesson's comment might have been disappointingly honest.
‘Arrogant and Impotent’
I just don’t understand how our elected officials can be so arrogant and so impotent on issues as important as the safety of children and environmental racism. If they can’t stand up on this, why are they in office?
Ms. LaMotte’s resolution will be presented at the next LAUSD Safety Committee meeting in early November. If passed it would then be considered by the entire School Board.
Video of LaMotte’s speech, Mr. Wesson’s response and Mr. Parks’ statement are available at www.FixExpo.org
Damien Goodmon can be reached by email at dg@fixexpo.org
