[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1447-E1448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE IN RECOGNITION OF THE WEEKLY DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY 
     NEWSPAPER, THE GARMENT & CITIZEN, AND ITS FOUNDER, EDITOR AND 
                       PUBLISHER, JERRY SULLIVAN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 28, 2010

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Los 
Angeles Garment & Citizen newspaper in Downtown Los Angeles, which, 
after 10 years in publication, is closing its doors this month.
  With a weekly circulation of 10,000, the Garment & Citizen covered 
Downtown and the adjacent areas of Echo Park, Angeleno Heights, 
Silverlake, Westlake, Pico-Union, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Arts 
District and portions of south Los Angeles.
  As the member of Congress who represents Downtown, I know the closure 
of this free weekly will leave a void. Jerry Sullivan, the paper's 
founder, editor and publisher, started the Garment & Citizen in 2000 to 
report Downtown area news and events that were not being reported 
elsewhere.
  Every week, one could always count on Jerry to run news items that 
directly related to the diverse readership he served. The articles 
heralded the achievements of Downtown students, workers, families and 
businesses, and provided a vehicle for residents to share a wide range 
of viewpoints.
  I also salute the paper's contributors. They include John Fish, 
Roberto Porras, Sam Hassan, Rick Ness, J.C. Choe, Raby Savage, Eugene 
Yi, and Elias Cruz, among others. As Jerry says, they all served the 
Garment & Citizen and the community with great skill and dedication.
  I wish Jerry well as he pursues new endeavors. While the Echo Park 
resident will no longer hang his notorious fedora in the office of the 
Garment & Citizen, all of us here in the U.S. House of Representatives 
will continue to have a unique connection to Jerry. We have the 
privilege of working closely with one of Jerry's eight siblings, John 
Sullivan, who has served as House Parliamentarian since May 2004. Upon 
learning of this tribute, John said of his brother, ``It is impossible 
for me to overstate how proud I am to be Jerry's brother, and I know I 
can say the same for each of our brothers and sisters.''
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in thanking 
Jerry and his team for their accomplishments and success in publishing 
the Garment & Citizen. To fully tell the story of the newspaper, I 
would like to submit into the congressional record Jerry's own 
reflections. They clearly reveal his passion and commitment to the news 
industry and Los Angeles' culturally rich Downtown neighborhoods that 
he and I both know well, love and celebrate.

                              What Worked

 (By Jerry Sullivan, Editor & Publisher, Los Angeles Garment & Citizen)

       ``A lot of famous folks have said that they wouldn't change 
     a thing if they had it all to do over again.
       I don't think any of them ever had to shut down a community 
     newspaper.
       I would change some things if I had it to do over again.
       I'd make some changes--apply the lessons of experience--
     because whatever I did as the founder and editor and 
     publisher of the Los Angeles Garment & Citizen didn't get the 
     newspaper through these historically tough economic times.
       I can carry the weight of that outcome because--while I 
     would make some changes if I had it all to do over--there are 
     so many things that I would make sure to do again.
       I would again keep my eyes and my mind wide open in order 
     to give the community the coverage it deserves.
       I'd still tell everyone's truth--not just this niche or 
     that demographic group. I'd keep striving to tell the stories 
     of the entire community, and to explain how and why this 
     segment or demographic group matters to the other.
       I'd continue to acknowledge the fact that readers are 
     smart.
       I'd keep giving advertisers credit for their roles as 
     members of the community.
       I'd always do my best to hold both readers and advertisers 
     accountable for their actions as community members.
       I'd keep assuming that immigrants are part of our American 
     culture--whether they've obtained citizenship or remain 
     uncertain about taking that step.
       I'd still speak truth to power in plain language.
       I'd still keep a civil tone in all matters.
       I'd still receive whoever found their way to my office, and 
     listen to their story even if their only point is to let 
     someone know that they weren't always in the shape they're in 
     today.
       I'd continue to make ideas the heart of reporting.
       I'd keep in mind that important and even great ideas can 
     come from unexpected sources buried deep in conversations.
       I'd keep the Letters to the Editor section as a truly open 
     forum for all voices and viewpoints in the community.
       I'd continue to laud police officers for the job they do so 
     well the vast majority of the time.
       I'd keep calling police officers to task--and give others 
     the opportunity to do so--on matters of public concern.
       I'd continue to make space for the poets who happen to wash 
     dishes or manufacture garments on their day jobs.
       I'd keep reminding longtime, hard-pressed Downtown 
     residents that property owners have a right to build lofts--
     and young, upscale tenants have a right to move into them.
       I'd still tell developers and young, upscale tenants that a 
     community existed Downtown long before anyone built any 
     lofts--and remind them that all communities deserve respect.
       I'd keep telling the folks in Echo Park about the Lions 
     Club.
       I'd continue to highlight the success stories of youngsters 
     in Westlake and Pico-Union.
       I'd keep mentioning Angeleno Heights at every legitimate 
     opportunity.
       I'd always expect the unexpected in Chinatown.
       I'd still keep some space reserved on deadline for late-
     breaking news on the latest community cause in Little Tokyo.
       I'd keep asking why suffering has such a comfortable home 
     on Skid Row.
       I'd remember to always respect my elders on Bunker Hill.
       I'd continue to appreciate the artists of the Arts 
     District.
       I'd continue to learn from the contentious culture of the 
     Fashion District.
       I'd keep marveling at the blend of old and new ways in the 
     Jewelry District.
       I'd still highlight folks who work hard and choose decency 
     every day as the Local Heroes of our society.
       There are many more things I would do again, because the 
     Garment & Citizen earned some great victories. Our coverage 
     has mattered. We saved taxpayers money. We gave credit where 
     it was due to the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, 
     and workers and business owners who make our city work. We 
     added valuable insights, criticisms and plaudits to the 
     public debate.
       The Garment & Citizen served with honor and distinct style. 
     We developed a voice that reached our readers and earned a 
     strong and unique connection with their lives. We reached 
     rich, poor, working-class and middle-class individuals and 
     families. We reached across ethnic and racial and religious 
     lines. We reached them all--and called them a community.
       The Garment & Citizen will disappear but the community 
     shall remain.
       It's now up to others to serve this community with the 
     comprehension, courage, and clarity that's called for by the 
     guarantee of freedom of the press that we enjoy under the 1st 
     Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
       The Garment & Citizen has demonstrated that it can be done.
       Our fate also shows that it could be done better.
       I will look upon the next effort with interest.
           Respectfully,
                                                   Jerry Sullivan.

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