L.A. WeeklyNO SYMPATHY FOR A DEVIL
There is no doubt that prosecutors in Kern County took the action they did
because of who Mr. Scott is and not just what he did [“No
Escape for an O.G.,” January 30–February 5]. Mr. Scott is a convicted murderer
and an admitted drug dealer. He boasts of being part of the group who began
the L.A. riots. He uses his gang affiliation to get the media’s attention. Despite
being unable to adequately support the children he already has, he continues
to procreate with apparent abandon. His wife had reported being the victim of
spousal abuse on his part, and witnesses supported her initial statement. Not
surprisingly, she recanted, as most domestic-violence victims do. During that
event he was reported to have been in possession of a firearm, a sure prison
term for an ex-con.
These behaviors represent all the things that have been ruining South-Central L.A. for the last 30 years — gangs, murder, drugs, recidivist criminal behavior, irresponsible parenting, firearms violations, and domestic crimes against women. All these things are on Mr. Scott’s résumé. By so blatantly fawning over him, your reporter forgot this bigger picture. Mr. Scott is a predator and an opportunist.
Now Scott whines and acts as if his murder conviction and past lifestyle should not be taken into account! Do he, and your reporter, forget the scores of people with damaged lives he has left in his wake? He has demonstrated a high likelihood of victimizing others in the future.
Scott broke the law in Kern County. The prosecutor lawfully and reasonably used his discretion to maximize the prosecution against Scott. That’s the way it goes if you’re an ex-con! Congratulations to Kern County for doing what it can to dissuade him from wanting to live in their county!
Wherever he ends up, Scott would be well-served to try and completely obey the law. He should expect no less than the most aggressive prosecution when he violates it again.
—Steve Endom
Hermosa Beach
FINKE OFF, ACADEMY
Having left good old L.A. for the Central Coast — beautiful
but ugh at the same time — I miss L.A. Weekly. Your writing brought
it all back to me. I freakin’ love your Oscar picks [Deadline
Hollywood, “The Dwarf Got Dissed,” January 30–February 5] and nonpicks,
and the rational reasons that you give for your choices. The Academy sucks,
but your writing is stellar and right on the money.
—Alisa McGeorge
Arroyo Grande
I don’t question any of the facts in Nikki Finke’s article about the Oscars, but they’re delivered in a spew of hatred such as I’ve seldom encountered in an article on Hollywood. If Finke really despises business Hollywood as much as her columns in general seem to indicate — this one in particular — why is she writing about it? If she had any hope for its rehabilitation, I’d expect her vituperation to be sweetened with at least a dash of patience. Otherwise, what’s the point?
—Gene Bivins
Silver Lake
A MOTHER’S LAMENT
I am the mother of Terrell Sherrills. I want to thank you for the article
that you wrote pertaining to my child [“Murdered
Dreams,” January 23–29]. There is so much I would like to share. There is
so much I know I need to express, but the words are all scrambled up. I’m searching
for the good in all this tragedy. It wasn’t just my loss or his father’s or
his sisters’ and only brother’s; it’s society’s loss. That’s why I feel my silence
doesn’t go unheard. Thank you once again for hearing my silence.
—Lanoah Staten
West Monroe, Louisiana
DISORGANIZED DEMOCRATS
Rarely have I read someone so clearly articulate the systemic problems of
the Democratic Party and its factionalized supporters [Dissonance:
“Left Out,” January 30–February 5]. By nattering on at each other about
beside-the-point issues such as who believed there were weapons of mass destruction
or why their rivals did or did not support the war, Democrats are once again
missing the opportunity to simply hold Bush accountable as commander in chief
for the entire Iraq debacle. Democrats need to forget the minutiae and simply
ask the American people to decide if they like the way the war is playing out,
and if they don’t, please vote for the Democrat whose ideas they like best.
All this infighting has loser stink all over it, and nobody wants to vote for
a loser.
—Tony Blass
Winnetka
TOO FAST FOR JUSTICE
Jeffrey Anderson’s article “Fast
Justice” [January 30–February 5] was an exercise in spin and ignorance.
Commissioner Kelly’s statement went on to say, “We have not spoken with the
officer yet and an investigation has to be conducted.” The second half of the
statement was conveniently left out of Anderson’s article.
The investigation will probably show that the officer had an involuntary discharge and never meant to fire. Involuntary discharges are an ugly part of police work, but they do occur. An ugly act of the media is their attempts to turn use-of-force incidents into racial incidents. When an officer has an involuntary discharge and accidentally shoots a member of his own race or another cop, the media show no interest.
—George Demetriou
Lindenhurst, New York
Anderson responds: The portion of Commissioner Kelly’s statement you refer to occurred during Q&A at his initial press conference, according to an NYPD spokesman. At press time for our story, the commissioner’s office, when reached for comment, did not repeat his statement. L.A. Weekly’s story makes no reference to the race or ethnicity of either Timothy Stansbury Jr. or Officer Richard Neri.‰
WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS?
I read your reply to the disgruntled woman who was offended
by the waiter at Valentino’s, and I just want to say I thought it was really
good [“Ask Mr. Gold,”
January 30–February 5]. You were diplomatic, but addressed her issue. I
remember when people started calling me ma’am, and I was surprised, but hey,
we all grow up! Personally, I think her reaction to the situation was a little
too precious, and she just may be married to herself.
Also, I grew up here in L.A. in the ’60s and ’70s and have watched the amazing transformation that this city has been through. I remember when the Valley was basically white-bread. You do such a great job describing all the different ethnic foods and cultures that spring from this huge melting pot. I always enjoy your reviews!
—Valerie Farnum
Sherman Oaks
The Canterbury Tale
I just want to write a quick note to say thanks for printing “Old
Rottenhat” [January 23–29]. It’s great to see the “Canterbury scene” getting
a positive reappraisal after decades of guilt by association. (Can’t blame these
guys for ELP, can we?) Especially nice that most of them are still around to
enjoy the resurgence, and they’re still making great music on their own terms.
Good job as always by John Payne!
—Richard Derrick
San Pedro
ENUF SAID
What the hell? In Ron Stringer’s article “Fire
and Tarnation” [January 23–29], he refers to filmmaker Jonathan Caouette’s
“rather too early exposure to Colored Girls Who Have Committed Suicide.”
The fact that such an inaccurate title reference made it to print exposes the
writer’s laziness or ignorance of the significance of Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.
Sometimes too-early exposure is better than no exposure at all. Tighten it up,
yo.
—Brett Collins
Toledo, Ohio
CORRECTIONS
Due to production errors, passages from two articles
were missing in last week’s paper. Howard Blume’s article on the South Carolina
primary was missing a large section in the middle. To read the complete story,
go to www.laweekly.com/ink/04/11/news-blume.php.
In addition, the bottom of last week’s “Triple Echo” column, by John Payne,
got cut off. The complete text is available at www.laweekly.com/ink/04/11/triple-payne.php.
Clarification
In the article “Cracking
the Clubbing Code: K-town After Dark” [February 6-12], the L.A. Weekly
reported, “Asian party promoters like ON Productions and Limelight are hosting
parties at Gotham Hall in Santa Monica, at Cinespace or the Key Club, so the
scene is getting more dispersed.” Limelight has held events at Cinespace as
well as such clubs as the Ivar, and ON Productions has hosted events at Garden
of Eden, Pig ’n Whistle and other venues. A third company, Visionshock Entertainment,
has hosted parties at the Key Club, Gotham Hall and Cinespace, among other night
spots.
In the same article, Le Privé was identified as the biggest club in Los Angeles. It actually ranks second, behind Circus Disco Nightclub.
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