| (Sept. 6, 2020, 6:50 p.m.) -- There was always a poignancy in my younger years for Labor Day because it was a signal that the eternal frolic of summer would be ending and the institutional orderliness of school would be commencing.
It was like that for me for 17 years until, finally, happily, I completed my college regimen and went out into the work force where I somehow endured for more than 50 years of the joyful ups, anguished downs and routine in betweeens that are endemic to employment. But this Labor Day feels different to me than all the others because I've never lived in the midst of a Pandemic and never lived in the midst of a California governor shutting down thousands and thousands of businesses and never lived in the midst of so many people being unemployed and never lived in the midst of so many companies, dining establishments, small firms, etc., permanently closing their doors and never lived in the midst of so much protesting, so much rioting, so much looting, so much divisiveness riveting our country. Judging by how all the daily disruptions are being covered by so much of the American media, I'm frankly surprised those aggrieved personages involved in them aren't clamoring to depart this country for such beacons of justice and fair play as North Korea, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and other such enlightened garden spots. Yet, it's an unalloyed fact that human beings throughout the planet still clamor daily to emigrate to this country, despite its lengthy list of sins committed across its existence according to those determined, angry folk now sowing a charnel house level of chaos and disorder and destruction in so many cities throughout America. This Labor Day feels different to me because I know it's a federally-mandated day to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of American workers. Yet, I'm enveloped in a sense of sadness because a lot of people who toiled tirelessly in their own enterprises in these parts saw their efforts horribly violated that awful, horrifying Memorial Day evening -- May 31st, 2020 -- of ignominy in downtown Long Beach when the city's illustrious mayor, the Honorable Robert Garcia, had his police department stand down until the damage had already been done to the 214 businesses that wound up being looted. Scroll down for further. |
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| There is so much lingering heartache in the wake of this tragedy that could have been avoided had only the Long Beach police chief, Mr. Robert Luna, been more alert, prepared and defiant and had only Mr. Garcia been more concerned about the welfare of his city than about his political career.
So, on this bittersweet Labor Day, I think of those unfortunate souls who suffered so badly for no plausible reason other than the sheer incompetence of top city officials who blithely march on with their pitiful leadership with proposed budget cuts that further will weaken the already undermanned LB police department by stripping it of 50 officers. I think of Mr. Co Doung, a Vietnam immigrant who with his wife and family members built his Beach Jewelry Center into a thriving success, only for it to be totally destroyed by looters as, according to Mr. Doung, his pleas for help were ignored by nearby policemen watching the disaster unfold. I think of Terry Antonelli, who had done so much for the LB cops at charitable functions across the years and yet his famous Italian eatery, the iconic L'Opera, was ransacked for more than a half hour as a group of LB gendarmes stood in a solemn trance less than 100 yards away at Pine and Broadway. Naturally, Mr. Antonelli has never heard from Mr. Garcia. Mr. Antonelli is rebuilding at a cost approximating $1 million, but Taco Beach's Kevin Vance has had enough and won't be reopening, and I'm sure a lot of other beleaguered looting victims will understandably follow suit. I mean, when so much of the American media chooses to ignore the rampant pillaging now convulsing our country and when Vicky Osterwell is treated with respect in several national interviews including one with NPR -- she's written a book titled In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action -- why would anyone want to invest his or her life savings into a business venture? And, even if you're fortunate enough to have a place not looted, there's always a chance the governor of the state you live in -- well, like our very own caring, empathetic and politically neutral Gavin Newsom -- will decide to lock down your business even though it makes no Coronavirus sense, as is so often the case these weird days much to the disgust of every restaurant proprietor and saloonkeeper and gym owner in Long Beach. . .
Incidentally, Tommy O'Toole, a senior at Wilson who plays basketball and baseball and should get into acting, has joined the O'Toole gondola legacy, as he's developed into a top-notch gondolier this summer to the enhancement of his bank account and pride of his father. . . Viewpoints and op-eds on LBREPORT.com are proudly those of their bylined authors but not necessarily those of LBREPORT.com or our advertisers. We welcome our readers' comments/opinions 24/7 via Facebook and moderate length letters and longer-form op-ed pieces submitted to us at mail@LBReport.com.
Previously by Mr. Krikorian:
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