> and ended up in an area where we
> appeared to be the only white people for miles around >
              &
"Humans in groups do things to other human groups that as individuals they
would not do to another individual."


Thanks for the above two lovely reminders of a special day in the mid-60's
when my young wife and I made our architectural pilgrimage to see Watts
Towers.   Unfamiliar with LA, and having been camping on the road from
Arizona for a couple of days with no radio in the car, we simply took the
correct exit off the freeway early early one morning as we neared Watts, and
drove in toward the towers.   Along the streets we noticed several burned
out buildings and then a big burned Safeway still smoking a little.   "They
seem to have a lot of fires in this neighbourhood" said Shelia.   There were
also many road barricades loosely collected at street intersections, looking
a lot like our town when there is going to be a parade.   There were few
people and no moving cars anywhere.   We seemed to be the only car driving
the streets that early.   The neighbourhood people at the Towers were very
quiet and uncommunicative but not exactly hostile, collecting our mandatory
donation for the Children's Art Program and letting us look around.   Then,
as we began to drive back toward the freeway, our stupid little car stalled
at a stop sign and wouldn't start due to a dead battery.   A group of four
very large Black men with very big grins and mischievous bright eyes
approached, asking "Have you got a problem - Ho, Ho, Ho!"   We just smiled
our naive smiles and told them what was wrong.  They immediately pushed us
down the street to jump start the car along with a lot of laughing.   They
could have carried us to the freeway (or a back alley) just as easily.   Big
happy waves and shouts between us all as we drove away.   That night we
stopped to visit an Aunt and Uncle in San Luis Obispo, and were asked what
we had done that day.   They turned pale when we said we had been to see the
Watts Towers that morning.   It seems that the night before was the big
Watts riot.   We must have been the first Whities in there the next morning!

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