Congressman Becerra: Fifty Years After Watts Riots, Jobs And Justice Still Key to Prosperity

Statement

Today, Congressman Xavier Becerra (CA-34), Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, released the following statement recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Watts Riots in Los Angeles:

"As we look back at the tumultuous events that transpired in Los Angeles during the summer of 1965, the lessons of that era still ring true. Give a man a job, give a community a chance and give justice to all and you plant the seeds of prosperity for a nation.

After visiting Los Angeles that year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. remarked that the riots "grew out of the depths of despair which afflict a people who see no way out of their economic dilemma."

This year, the City and County of Los Angeles took the right step by voting to increase the minimum wage for hundreds of thousands of workers to $15 an hour. President Obama made affordable healthcare a reality for millions of previously uninsured Americans. And there is a growing effort to reform our criminal justice system which tilts against men of color. At the same time, the Voting Rights Act is a shell of what it used to be. We saw another death in Ferguson, Missouri, and many Americans still do not believe that America believes that "Black lives matter!"

We have work to do, the fight continues. But, in the end, we must believe that we will put jobs and justice within reach of all Americans."

Source