This was a weeknight in the middle of spring football practice, so Carroll couldn't stay as long as he often does. He began climbing into the back seat of the Camry, looking as if he wished he could stay longer.
"Hey Pete, Pete," came a chorus of voices. "Come back real soon!"
"Just keep getting after it," he replied. "I'll be back."
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Last month in this space I wrote about Jamiel Shaw, an L.A. High football star whose bright future was snuffed out in a drive-by shooting. I pledged to do a bit more reporting about the intersection of sport and the inner city and asked readers to get involved in our troubled neighborhoods -- by tutoring, supporting charities, maybe pressing politicians for change. Most of all, I argued, we need to care more, even about people in gangs. They can change. We can help them.
After he read what I'd written, Pete Carroll invited me to come with him to the 'hood. Now, I'm not recommending that you do as he does, putting yourself in harm's way for the cause. But next time you consider whether you should get involved, or whether your efforts would be worth it, think of this column and Carroll down at Jordan Downs. (You can also find out more about his foundation by visiting abetterla.com.)
If the USC coach -- wealthy, famous, dealing with off-the-charts job pressure -- can find a way to help calm the violence that plagues this city, any of us can.
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Kurt Streeter can be reached at kurt.streeter@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Streeter, go to latimes.com/streeter.
