Korean and African-American Relations: Integrating the Symbolic with the Structural

LaTasha Harlins and Soon Ja Du: These two individuals became symbolic figures for the plight of African Americans and Koreans. One a merchant, the other a customer, their fatal confrontation has helped shape the state of relations between the Korean and African-American communities of South Central Los Angeles for some time to come. Their relationship is a metaphor for the unequal class positions of the two communities. But. why is it that these symbols take on meaning for others outside the physical boundaries of the particular geographic region or across the class boundaries within the communities they represent

Multiple publics and public policy in a Los Angeles gang war

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 218-230).An analytical concept of multiple publics is presented and applied to a case study of a gang conflict in Venice, California during 1993-1994. The concept of multiple publics is based on the assumption that individuals have many identities that vary in salience or relevance across situations. Publics represent groups based on the shared salience of identity group boundaries in a particular situation. Each public shares a unique interpretive lens through which they read events, actions and information. The composition and constellation of publics can change as situations change or are reframed. Over ten-month period, what was commonly referred to as a "gang war" broke out between two predominantly Latino gangs and one African-American gang. Seventeen people were killed and over 50 were injured. Of those killed, less than one-third were claimed as members the rival gangs in conflict. This gang-generated conflict led to racial tensions and polarization within the larger geographic neighborhood. An examination of the conflict through the lens of multiple publics reveals a series of shifts in the major line of cleavage over time-from persons to families to gangs to race and back to gangs. Shifts in the major line of cleavage represented changes in the relative salience of identity group boundaries among the many individuals involved or affected by the war. With each shift during its escalation, the intensity of conflict grew while the size of constituencies and publics were enlarged. Conversely, changing conditions and appeals to alternative identities led to shifts in salient group boundaries that opened opportunities for peace negotiations between two of the three gangs in conflict. The analysis of multiple publics in the case study shows four practices that may be useful in addressing similar conflicts. They are described as: 1) mapping multiple publics and multiple identities, 2) seeing from the lens of multiple publics, 3) reframing situations and opening dialogue, and 4) situationally identifying moral communities to which one is obliged.by Karen Nora Umemoto.Ph.D

The Paradox of Dispersal: Ethnic Continuity and Community Development Among Japanese Americans in Little Tokyo

This article talks about the formation of communities and its implications. Little Tokyo is pointed out as an example of a community borne out as a result of a segregationist US society. During World War II there was a dramatic decline in the construction of Little Tokyo since Japanese people were put into interment camps. There is a dramatic shift of the function of Little Tokyo before the war and after the war. Post-WW II demonstrates“paradox dispersal” because as the ethnic population was no longer heavily concentrated in one area the historic Little Tokyo communities assumed a new importance as they are regarded as a symbol ethnic identity and community. The power struggle in the community is part of a broader political, economic, and cultural issue. Three forces are responsible for shaping the history of community development in Little Tokyo: Japanese corporations, the region’s elite development regimes, and local Japanese American organizations. Post WW II “urban renewal” opened the door to Japanese corporate capital. This policy is discussed insofar as it influences the community. By late 1980s Japanese Americans were able to shape the Little Tokyo development as they gain more economic power. The ‘recreation center’ controversy is discussed

Policy Recommendations to Prevent Youth Violence and Substance Abuse and Foster Positive Youth Development among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Adolescents

Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders represent diverse groups with unique histories and rich cultural traditions. They also confront significant challenges in health and education, experiencing disproportionally higher rates of violence and substance abuse. Policy recommendations regarding youth delinquency, substance abuse, and positive development include: (1) application of a socio-ecological approach; (2) utilization of a positive youth development and restorative approach; (3) development of culturally based interventions; (4) the building of capacity for youth-serving organizations; (5) development and strengthening of collaborations; (6) juvenile justice reforms; and (7) encouragement of research that disaggregates ethnic groups and gives greater consideration to community perspectives

A Profile of Race-bias Hate Crimes in Los Angeles County

Heralded as the model multicultural global city of the future in the 1980s, Los Angeles was suddenly seen as the hotbed of civil unrest in 1992. This shift in image, whether accurate or not, has prompted many to wonder what has taken place in Los Angeles over the past twenty years in regards to the problem of racial conflict. Hate crime reports provide one source of data that is regularly collected over time and is also location specific. Though these data are problematic, hate incidents are an extremely useful measure as part of a fuller study of race relations. This paper provides a profile of the problem of hate crime in Los Angeles County using hate crime data collected between 1994 and 1997. Geographic information systems (GIS) technology is used to identify clusters. We then analyze clusters to develop a profile of race-bias hate crimes for the county. We conclude with a discussion of the use of hate crime data in the study of racial conflict and outline directions for future research

Tension at the nexus of the global and local: culture, property, and marine aquaculture in Hawai`i

Technological development in open-ocean mariculture has opened up the possibility of a new growth industry for Hawai`i, yet its introduction has not been without controversy. Marine aquaculture requires changes in property institutions that govern the ocean space, a key resource for marine aquaculture. This paper examines initial opposition to ocean leasing as a way of understanding the contradictory technical and societal demands of a technological project. We incorporate insights from agrofood studies that emphasize the importance of building networks if the industry is to succeed within the globalized food systems. We argue that comprehensive and synthetic analysis at the 'front end' of a technological project is critical to identify strategic issues that need to be addressed; and that insights from planning literature bring in potential tools for organizing actions to negotiate the tension and to (re)contextualize a technological project such as this.

Management of Migraine-Associated Vestibulocochlear Disorders.

Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder that frequently coexists with different vestibular and cochlear symptoms (sudden hearing loss, tinnitus, otalgia, aural fullness, hyperacusis, dizziness, imbalance, and vertigo) and disorders (recurrent benign positional vertigo, persistent postural perceptual dizziness, mal de debarquement, and Menières disease). Despite evidence of an epidemiological association and similar pathophysiology between migraine and these vestibulocochlear disorders, patients suffering from migraine-related symptoms are usually underdiagnosed and undertreated. Current migraine treatment options have shown success in treating vestibulocochlear symptoms. Lifestyle and dietary modifications (reducing stress, restful sleep, avoiding migraine dietary triggers, and avoiding starvation and dehydration) and supplements (vitamin B2 and magnesium) offer effective first-line treatments. Treatment with migraine prophylactic medications such as tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., nortriptyline), anticonvulsants (e.g., topiramate), and calcium channel blockers (e.g., verapamil) is implemented when lifestyle and dietary modifications are not sufficient in improving a patients symptoms. We have included an algorithm that outlines a suggested approach for addressing these symptoms, taking into account our clinical observations. Greater recognition and understanding of migraine and its related vestibular and cochlear symptoms are needed to ensure the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of affected patients