Dennis RomeroWe like Jon Stewart, and he can bring levity and clarity to almost any headline. But we have to wonder if the notorious MacArthur Park is the best place for his Oct. 30 election season “Rally To Restore Sanity.”
After all, in 2007, a few journalists were trampled by cops there during the infamous May Day melee. Just this past summer, not far away, protesters clashed with police over the fatal officer-involved shooting of a day laborer with a knife at West Sixth Street and South Union Avenue. And, despite its revitalization, it's still a place to score heroin, low-grade weed and fake driver's licenses.
Is L.A. putting on its best face for Stewart's national followers?
MacArthur Park: A good place to restore sanity?
Commenter du jour Lynnea Urania says the rally could be an opportunity to show that the park in one of the country's densest, most immigrant-populated communities has turned a corner:
“If [Stewart and company] speak Spanish they may yet bring sanity through laughter…or start a riot for being a riot. MacArthur Park should be thankful for the opportunity to present an image of sanity after its image being tarnished in recent media coverage…even if it be through comedy.”
Good venue for this or not?
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