Interesting word that, pundit. It's from colonial India when native surveyors walked carefully practised, methodical strides with pocketed counters ( precursors to the clik beads of today)so Britain could expand Kipling's 'White Man's Burden.'

Sadly, the modern bearers of this name seem to walk only behind gated communities with no less noble objectives. My family are multi generation Angelenos, one ancestor Corporal Patrick Kavanaugh having escaped the mass execution of San Patricio gringos in Mexico City. My grandfather told me " gates are for livestock and rich people hiding something in the bedroom."

I was blessed with a family who's business could take us to Fairfax and a kosher deli meal one day, or my first Haircut in Watts with my grandfather under the scissors of a former Tuskeegee airman who splashed Dragon Noir aftershave on me and put an extra bubblegum in my pocket 'for later' and probably starting my first notions of a PSK mentality.I had to have racism forced on me in all those black studies classes in the 60s and early 70s. I've had black people tell me I sometimes display black mannerisms and people ask me if I'm Jewish.

The two 'riots' ( I suppose other people have uprisings or civil disobediance) are probably the most manipulated social events in recent history.Somehow I have no more problem ( no more than the other law abiding black residents) going into Watts than I did Oakland while stationed in nieghboring Alameda.

It's ironic beyond comment. We had 'zoot suit' riots between young mexicans and navy personel in WW2 that become subject of plays. Watts becomes this DARK foreboding place gated community pundits don't drive through to baseball games in Chavez Ravine, another ethnic community destroyed along with targeted black communities for the freeways.I would point out the last major riot connected to a presidential election was in Chicago,perpetuated by a yippie who went on to elected office in California and married a movie star.

You want a practise run for real civil unrest? Drop by my local Starbucks. This trophy bride went berzerk because some lemon wedge thingy was dropped from the menu.I was so truamatised, I still unfairly racially profile every trophy bride around here in their Panzer grenadier SUVs as homicidal nut cases."Those people, that other guy" are like that, you know?