Black Community

Going door to door in Watts on Wednesday, Linda Davis had no trouble persuading registered Democrats that they should vote against Proposition 54, the initiative on Tuesday's ballot that would bar the state from collecting most kinds of racial information. But when it came to urging a no vote on the recall, the precinct walker from the African American Voter REP Project ran into a lot of Arnold Schwarzenegger fans and plenty of anger at Gov. Gray Davis. "Get him out now!"

The phone calls to the headquarters of Parents of Watts, a small community resource center in Southeast Los Angeles, were different this week. Along with the pleas from battered women needing a place to stay and suicidal teen-agers seeking help, many of the calls were from the curious, wanting to know how to get tickets to see Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who is scheduled to speak tonight at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

They come for the contagious gospel choir, the rollicking sermons and preacher's booming voice, rippling over the pews. At Santa Ana's Second Baptist Church, parishioners also come for the comfortable haven created by the faces that surround them--African American faces. "There is something uniquely special," said the Rev. John McReynolds, "about being with my people on a Sunday in worship."

Your headline ("School Forfeits Game Over Fear of Gang Violence") shows clearly the tragic legacy left to us by the liberal ethic of unbridled individual rights and unacknowledged individual responsibility. Liberals should ponder this headline as they try to figure out why the black community is beginning to see its salvation in conservative family values. A small part of the answer is displayed in your headlines "Public Barred From Sheriff's Dept. Inquiry" and "Gay Activists Demand Inquiry Into Alleged Beatings by Police" (Oct.

I commend KCAL for the broadcast of "Legacy of a Movement." It was a joy to see he youth of our black leaders together and sharing their views about the black community. There should be more shows just like these on TV. A. Gardner, Los Angeles

The current controversy between the black community and the Los Angeles Police Department is being tainted by a tactic on the part of those from the black community who are speaking out in the name of the black community at rallies and press conferences. These people can't bash Police Chief Daryl Gates with one hand and coddle Mayor Tom Bradley with the other. That is beyond fairness and propriety. It is unfair to hold Gates accountable and not hold Bradley accountable. After all, Bradley appoints the Police Commission, not Gates.