Long Burn

On this day in 1967

On this day in 1967, in the wake of urban rioting, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of the violence. The same day, black militant H. Rap Brown said violence was ''as American as cherry pie.''

He's right of course, riots and race riots have a long history in the US. We were living in LA during the Rodney King rioting. We stayed inside for two days and watched the city erupt on TV. The air smelled of smoke and there was gunfire nearby. The climate changed after that, in grocery stores or parks, its hard to describe.

What the world needs is a way to channel the undeniable anger and frustration that exists into momentum to build something better!

posted by Matt_J @ 9:13 AM