Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center

When Marcia Choo became director of the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center two years ago, she thought she would be raising money and winning support for the small organization that helps people resolve conflicts--landlord-tenant disputes, delinquent bills--outside of court.

When Marcia Choo became director of the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center two years ago, she thought she would be raising money and winning support for the small organization that helps people resolve conflicts--landlord-tenant disputes, delinquent bills--outside of court.

State Sen. Art Torres' message at the First AME Church (Oct. 12) was timely and much needed. We all must heed the call to stand on common ground. Being mindful and respectful of various perspectives, we must end ethnic tension. His proposal for a multicultural research institute brings us closer to ending racial hostility. As one committed to improving race relations in our city, I appreciate a more systemic approach to race relations beyond reactive discourse. It is about time we deal with multiculturalism in a substantive framework to create the human relations infrastructure we so desperately need.

Entertainer Barbra Streisand on Monday boosted to $102,500 the sum her personal foundation has donated to area charities working to develop long-term solutions for urban problems in Los Angeles. Grants totaling $52,500 were awarded Monday to the Urban League, the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Southern California chapter, the Estelle Van Meter Multipurpose Center, Community Youth Gang Services, Drew Economic Development Corp.

A Northridge resident who resolves conflicts professionally was appointed to a four-year term on the state's Library Board this week. Lowenthal, 45, was named to the 13-member board that adopts and regulates library policies. Her nomination was supported by Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks) and his predecessor, Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles). Lowenthal runs her own arbitration and mediation services business.

How do you deal with a neighbor whose dog barks all night long? Encourage teen-agers next door to turn the volume down on their stereos? Stop neighbors from parking their RV in front of your house? There are ways to resolve such differences without going to court. City and county departments, including law enforcement officers, handle the most common neighborhood complaints: litter, abandoned cars, zoning violations and planning enforcement.

Too often when a marriage fails, the two partners lament that they loved each other but "love was not enough." The statement points out the obvious fact that good intentions alone cannot sustain a relationship. Los Angeles' Black-Korean Alliance had lots of good intentions; unfortunately, that clearly was not enough to enable it to survive.

A character in a Robert Frost poem thought good fences made good neighbors. Nowadays, with people living closer together, maybe soundproofing would help too. And for those still unable to stay away from each other's throats, there are an increasing number of mediation programs, which may be the best solution of all. These programs certainly deserve to be better known and more widely used.

In February, 1991, after a Compton police officer killed two Samoan brothers while investigating a domestic disturbance, Samoan tribal Chief Tua'au Pele Faletogo knew he had to act fast. Samoans were "getting ready to burn down Compton," said Faletogo, who summoned other matais , or chiefs, for an emergency meeting. The chiefs faced a dilemma: How could they demand justice for what the Samoan community perceived as a grave affront without inciting more violence?

In Los Angeles, a city with one of the world's most diverse populations, disputes between people from different cultures are common. Sometimes the disputes are relatively minor, such as arguments between renters and landlords. Sometimes the disputes turn into ugly physical confrontations. "There's a lot of conflict in this city between people of different languages and different ethnic backgrounds ...

The Black-Korean Alliance, the city's oldest organization dedicated to easing tensions between the two ethnic groups, has disbanded because members decided the group's focus on dialogue was not enough to improve relationships. The alliance of about 30 community groups broke up last month, about six years after it formed with the aid of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission.