*The California Post put an inflammatory spin on the controversy over Barrio Athletics’ proposed 5K in Leimert Park with this headline: “Historically black LA neighborhood explodes with racism claims and forces Latino run club to move event.”
That framing badly distorts what many of us who opposed the event were actually saying.
The objections I heard and raised were not about Latinos holding a fitness event in a historically Black neighborhood. They centered on whether organizers had adequately consulted the community, whether required permits and fees had been addressed, and what a large event scheduled for Sunday — Leimert Park’s busiest business day — could mean for established Black vendors already working to make a living there.
Those are legitimate community concerns, not evidence of anti-Hispanic racism.
Leimert Park is a historic African American business, residential and cultural district. Black Angelenos have worked for decades to preserve its identity, showcase its culture and support Black-owned businesses. That history matters when an organization proposes bringing a major event into the neighborhood.
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The issue was not whether Latino runners should be welcome in Leimert Park. It was whether the people who work, sell and gather there every week had been adequately consulted about an event that could directly affect them.
Barrio Athletics ultimately moved its Sept. 6 gathering to Elysian Park after what the organization described as “careful conversation with community leaders,” saying the decision was made “to respect Leimert Park and the surrounding community.”
There are serious conversations to be had about Black-Latino relations in Los Angeles. But reducing this dispute to a charge of anti-Hispanic racism ignores the legitimate concerns that merchants and community members raised about consultation, cultural space and economic impact. That may make for a provocative headline. It does not tell the whole story.
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MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: UPDATE: Leimert Park 5K Moves to Elysian Park After Backlash from Black LA Community Leaders
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