    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [May 18, 1993]
    [Pages 702-703]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Community in South Central Los Angeles
    May 18, 1993

        Thank you. Can Ron Brown shoot a jump shot or what? But I had a good
    team. I want to tell you, first of all, how happy I am to be here with
    the Secretary of Commerce and how proud I am of the people who made the
    Playground a reality. I want everybody in America to know that there are
    people here is Los Angeles who believe that we can bring business to
    this area, we can put people to work, we can make things work, if you
    have the help you need and the support you need to bring this area back.
        And I want you know that one of the things that we're working on in
    Washington is a law that we call empowerment zones that will help to get
    more people to invest in businesses like this by giving them special
    incentives to put people back to work where people live. You look at all
    the people that live up and down these streets. They're a great economic
    resource. They have the opportunity to spend their money if they have
    stores here to spend it on. They have the opportunity to support
    cleaning up these neighborhoods and support it. That's what you can do.
    I know you can do it.
        And I wanted to come here today not just to have a little fun with a
    basketball, although I did, but to say to you and to all of America:
    We're going to have to rebuild this country from the grassroots up, with
    people who want to work and are trying to work but who are going to get
    a hand up. And that's what this program is all about. We want to create
    all kinds of opportunities like this not only in Los Angeles but in
    other cities just like this. We can do it. What we've got to do is to
    make available money and give people the incentives who have their money
    to spend it here. This is an incredible untapped resource for America.
    If everybody in this country who wanted a job had one, we wouldn't have
    half the problems we've got today.
        So when we leave here, Ron Brown and I are going back to Washington
    to go back to work to try to pass an economic program that will put you
    back to work. And we need your support. We need your support, but it's
    going to be a lot easier to be able to go back and say I've been there.
    I've been there time and time and time again, and I know the people
    there are willing to work hard and play by the rules if they just have a
    chance to succeed. These children's future depends upon our being able
    to bring these communities back. I'm going to do my best, and I need
    your help to do it.
        Thank you, and God bless you all.
        I just want to say one more thing. You asked me about a lot of
    issues. We could talk about them, but I want to say one more thing. I
    spent

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    a lot of time in Los Angeles, and I came out here to south central L.A.
    a long time before I ever ran for President, and sat down and met with
    community leaders before I was ever a candidate, before I ever thought
    I'd come back here. And I just want to tell you that I believe that we
    can do this, but we've got to do it from the grassroots up. I can pass
    all the laws in the world in Washington. And I would be remiss if I
    didn't recognize all these local leaders that are here, your State
    senators, county supervisors, and others that are here, and Mike Woo,
    our candidate for mayor who's here, and all these things.
        And one of you said, ``What about drugs?'' And somebody said, what
    about something else? Let me tell you just one thing--we don't have time
    to talk about all of this, but when we start this program I told you
    about--it's called empowerment zones--the way you can get access to
    these kind of incentives is that the people at the grassroots level have
    to put together a plan and say, ``Here's what we're going to do.'' And
    it's not just enough to say, ``We want all these incentives.'' You have
    to show how if we give you more police officers, you'll put them on the
    blocks and use them to help deal with the drug problem. You have to show
    how you're going to make the schools better if we give you more money to
    do that.
        So, we're going to deal with all these issues, but you're going to
    have to say how you would deal with them. That's the way we're going to
    work it out: a new partnership where you control your destiny and we
    help you. Instead of telling you what to do, you're going to say what
    you want to do, and we're going to try to help you. And you'll be able
    to deal with drugs, with education, with a whole range of issues, but it
    all starts with finding people who will provide jobs. That's where we're
    going to begin.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:10 p.m. at the Playground, an athletic
    wear store.