Hello, Neighbors:
I am Opal Young, the president of the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Homeowners' Coalition. But I send this good news as an individual who has been a resident of the Baldwin Vista area for 49 years.
Last Wednesday, the Commission responsible for redrawing the City Council redistricting lines voted 15 to 5 to hear the consensus of our community and place all of the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw-Leimert Park community in one Council district.
This is a major victory for our community, a cause for celebration.
For at least 40 years our Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw-Leimert Park community has been divided between Council districts. It has made the challenge of improving our neighborhoods unnecessarily more difficult than need be. But because our community came together, showed up in force a week ago last Saturday at the hearing at West Angeles church, spoke for unity and refused to be fooled by selfish political interests that seek to keep our community divided, we were heard. We have been united.
This is the power of our community:
When we speak, our voices are heard.
Because you spoke up:
• Baldwin Vista is now united instead of divided between two Council districts.
• All of Leimert Park, including Leimert Park Village, is united in one Council district.
• Baldwin Village is now united.
• Crenshaw Manor is now united.
• No longer will one side of Crenshaw Boulevard be in one Council district,while the other side of Crenshaw is another Council district.
Now we, the entire Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw-Leimert Park community, are together in one Council district. Also, just as important, with the new lines we are ensured that: a) we have two strong black seats on the City Council long after term-limits push Bernard Parks and Herb Wesson off the Council; and b) African-Americans remain competitive in a third seat (Council District 9, currently represented by Jan Perry).
The Redistricting Commission voted to place us all in Council District 10 (Herb Wesson’s), where almost 60 percent of the city residents in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw-Leimert Park community currently reside. Those of us in Wesson's district have a good working relationship with his office. Now he is the president of the City Council. With his powerful position should come increased expectations from our community and for our community. And now because we are united and no longer divided, our ability to hold City Hall accountable is strengthened.
This is a major battle victory for our community, but the war is not over. The same forces that argued that we should remain divided will continue their antics as the Redistricting Commission finalizes their report this week and when the matter goes to City Council for final adoption.
We must stay strong and keep requesting we remain in one district.
Unity and strength will continue to define our community spirit.
Activist/journalist Damien Goodmon comments:
I make it a point not to disagree with Opal when she is right. For all the criticism (some legitimate and others not so much) of the Redistricting Commission and its process, the bottom line is they have recommended our Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw-Leimert Park community being united in one Council district for the first time maybe ever. That's something worthy of applause and worth fighting for. Stay tuned.
Mr. Goodmon may be contacted at damienwg@gmail.com
