Black Construction Workers (1992 News Report)

A morning protest by more than 50 people at a central Los Angeles construction site prompted a general contractor Wednesday to agree to hire more black workers in the rebuilding of a riot-devastated retail complex. Brotherhood Crusade Director Danny Bakewell, who led the demonstration at the work site at Venice Boulevard and Western Avenue, said that officers of Nagel Construction Co. had told him they intend to hire black subcontractors to work on the project. "The message we're trying to send is that our people, African-Americans, have to feel confident that we can be empowered by using our numbers and not by using violence," Bakewell said as he drove off to a meeting with officers of the construction firm late Wednesday afternoon. David Nagel, president of the firm, was unavailable for comment on Bakewell's announcement. But a spokeswoman for the company confirmed that Nagel was meeting with Bakewell and was "expecting to resolve all the issues." The contractor's decision to use black subcontractors came after the firm had already hired two black carpenters earlier this week in response to pressure from another group. Ron Radke, an on-site supervisor for Nagel, said that the two men were hired after the firm was approached by people who identified themselves as officials of the "Black Fund." Radke characterized the earlier negotiation as "delicate," adding that at times during the meeting, Nagel officials felt intimidated. "It got loud and pretty vocal at times," he said. The two black carpenters, Mark Fletcher and Ray Perry, said they were grateful to have work at all. Fletcher said he had not worked for several months; Perry added that he had lacked steady work for more than four years. "I think these kinds of protests are totally necessary," Fletcher said. Construction site protests have become a familiar feature in South Los Angeles and other parts of the city in the months since the April riots. Launched by Bakewell as a public pressure device to secure more jobs for black workers, the tactic has been taken up by other activist groups in recent weeks. One attempt by another coalition to shut down a work site at Vernon Avenue and Main Street erupted briefly into violence. The contractor at the site has claimed that protesters threatened workers and caused $2,500 in damage. Bakewell, whose group was not involved in the Vernon and Main incident, has tried to distance himself from the violence. But he also has said that such actions will result when contractors fail to respond positively to more peaceful agitation for black employment.