July 12, 2018 

City News Service 

 

 

Community leaders, elected officials, dignitaries, family and friends packed a Los Angeles church today to bid farewell to John Mack, a longtime Southland civil-rights leader hailed for shaping the future of the community and fostering relations between residents and police.

 

 

 

Mack, 81, died June 21 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Mack served as president of the Los Angeles Urban League from 1969 until his retirement in2005, when he was named president of the Board of Police Commissioners of the Los Angeles Police Department.

 

Mack also co-founded Los Angeles Black Leadership Coalition on Education in 1977 and was later appointed vice president of the United Way Corporation of Council Executives.

 

 

“To the Mack family, God bless you,” LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said during the funeral service at West Angeles Church of God in Christ. “My heart is ripped by this and I know when I look around the room ... all of us feel the same thing. All of us feel like we’ve touched greatness and it left us too early. Even though John lived a full life beyond compare, all of us feel that we personally were cheated by not having more time with him.”

 

 


 

Former LAPD Chief Bill Bratton and incoming Chief Michel Moore were also among those speaking at the service, along with Mayor Eric Garcetti and former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

 

 

“This nation of Los Angeles has been built by many people,” Garcetti said. “This is one of our founding fathers. ... Racial justice, economic opportunity, procedural equity for all people — how do you feel that? How do you build it? This man was a great carpenter. This man was a great builder of Los Angeles and is one of the founding fathers of the new Los Angeles.”

 

 

Garcetti said Mack helped unite the city, and “now it is up to us to make sure that we keep walking together.”

 

 

Former Laker Magic Johnson, now the team’s president of basketball operations, hailed Mack’s contributions to the Los Angeles community.

 

 

“John was there to share every special moment of my life, but also the tough times too,” Johnson said. “When I announced HIV, he cried like a baby. I remember that like it was yesterday. But he was right there with me.

 

 

“... We really had a lot of good times. So, as I’m sad, but I’m happy. I’m happy because John left his mark on this city,” he said.

 

 

 

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said that when he learned of Mack’s death, he contacted his predecessors who had worked closely with Mack, and they all said he ran “the model Urban League affiliate.”

 

 

 

“To a person, they described the man who, if he had chosen, would have been the CEO of a Fortune 500 company,” Morial said. “If he had chosen, he could have been the mayor of Los Angeles. And I dare say if he had chosen, he could have been Obama before Obama.

 

 

“You see ... what he represented was this generation,” he said.

 

 

“This generation born in the segregated South. I think when his mom and dad named him John Wesley Mack, after the great Methodist leader who was also an abolitionist, they marked him for destiny.

 

 

“... We today hold him up for the difference he has made in the lives of the Urban League movement and in the life of the people of Los Angeles,” he said. “But I want to underscore this fact — John Mack was a great father. John Mack was a great grandfather.”

Category: Community

July 05, 2018 

By Cora Jackson-Fossett 

Staff Writer

 

After a yearlong absence, the Rev. Fred Price, Jr., will return July 1, as the lead pastor of the famed Crenshaw Christian Center (CCC).

 

He resigned as spiritual leader of the international ministry in June 2017 citing “serious personal misjudgments” as the reason. While CCC continued to thrive under founders Apostle Frederick and Dr. Betty Price, many anxiously wondered when or if Price Jr. would reappear.

 

Clearly, his reemergence is welcomed by CCC members, who responded with wild applause and shouts of joy upon hearing the announcement on June 17, that Price Jr. would resume pastoral leadership.

 

“Our church can’t wait until he comes back,” said Dr. Betty Price.  “They are so excited that they don’t know what to do.  They really clapped hard when we reported that he would be back.  They love their little pastor!”

 

The overwhelming love expressed by the congregation, along with his family, both comforted, encouraged and strengthened Price Jr. during his absence, which he referred to last year as “a period of restoration” that included “attending service every Sunday for the next year so that I can hear the Word and be restored in order to fulfill the call of my life to ministry.”

 

Expounding further on Price Jr.’s restoration, Dr. Betty said, “He’s always been great in the Word – he just has that kind of head – but his personal things he needed to work on.  He just wanted to take the time to take care of himself and do something to build himself back up.  He just wants to be right in all of his ways.  He’s done all of the things that he felt he needed to do to get correction for himself.” 

 

Comparing the Christian life as a type of warfare, Dr. Betty noted that when people have been injured in war, a key part of the restoration process is taking the time to heal.

 

“If person gets hurt in the Army, you can’t [keep fighting] and you’re hurt.  You’ve got to off the battlefield until you are healed. You can live the best life you can, but if you get hurt, you stop awhile and get your life back together and that’s what he (Price Jr.) feels like he’s done now,” she said.

 

Health and strength will be among the attributes needed as Price Jr. resumes the helm of CCC, a worldwide ministry headquartered on 32 acres in the city’s Vermont Knolls district. Founded in 1973 by his father, Apostle Price, the church boasts thousands of members, multiple schools, the massive Faithdome sanctuary and CCC New York.  Also, millions of followers are exposed to the ministry through books, radio, TV, live streaming and social media.

 

With his return as pastor, Price Jr. plans to expand his father’s legacy by renewing emphasis on taking CCC to the next level.  “I see this ministry as a hub and epicenter for the surrounding community which I’d like to engage more than Crenshaw Christian Center ever engaged,” he said in a 2017 L.A. Sentinel interview, where he shared his vision for creating disciples of Christ, utilizing and maximizing technology to its fullest, and building bridges among millennials, baby boomers and Latinos.

 

And those plans haven’t changed, according to Dr. Betty, who insisted, “Yes, he will focus on those areas because he definitely believes in that for the church and that’s what the church should interested in.”

 

Believing the congregation and community will embrace Price Jr.’s return, she added, “A lot of people love him, so his return is a blessing!” 

 

Crenshaw Christian Center is located at 7901 S. Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. To learn more, visit: www.crenshawchristiancenter.net.

Category: Community

July 05, 2018 

City News Service  

 

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors renewed a $10,000 reward today in hopes of tracking down 31 Beretta and Glock pistols, believed to be police service weapons and stolen from a vault in Compton’s old City Hall.

 

The county money matches an identical offer from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, putting the total reward at $20,000.

 

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas recommended extending the offer, which was set to expire Sunday, saying that getting guns off the street is a county priority.

 

In March 2017, Compton officials discovered a stash of nearly 200 firearms in a vault in the old city building at 600 N. Alameda St., stored there by the long-disbanded Compton Police Depart­ment. The weapons were turned over to — and inventoried by — the sheriff's Department. But when deputies returned in August to move the guns to a new location, 31 .40-caliber pistols were missing.

 

The ATF is handling the investigation.

 

The Sheriff’s Department took over law enforcement duties in Compton in 2000.

 

Ridley-Thomas urged anyone with information to call the ATF's Long Beach office at (818) 265-3760 or the bureau's toll free number at (800) ATF- GUNS (283-4867).

Category: Community

July 05, 2018 

By Cora Jackson-Fossett 

Staff Writer 

 

When it comes to John Wesley Mack, the opinion is unanimous.  Civil rights legend, social justice warrior, and groundbreaking public servant are words that illustrated his life and career.

 

As president of the Los Angeles Urban League, Mack fought tirelessly for economic equity for African Americans and escorted then-President George W. Bush around South L.A. in the aftermath of the 1992 civil unrest. 

 

While serving as president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, he spearheaded a range of LAPD advancements to improve the relationship between the agency and minorities.

 

In the area of community development, Mack was at the forefront of advocating for renovations of blighted neighborhoods including leading the effort to transform the Crenshaw Boulevard corridor.

 

His array of unselfish actions on behalf of others came to close with his passing at the age of 81.  Expressing their sentiments, Mack’s family released a statement announcing his death on June 21, “surrounded by loved ones.”

 

Describing Mack as “a visionary leader and bedrock of the African American community,” the family statement highlighted his service as president of the Los Angeles Urban League, president of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and life trustee for Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

 

“His distinctive ability to inspire others and build bridges between diverse communities was also shared in his work as co-founder of the L.A. Black Leadership Coalition on Education, vice president of the United Way Corporation of Council Executives, fellow-in-residence at Harvard University and on the Board of Directors of the Weingart Foundation. A lifetime civil rights leader and longtime member of Holman United Methodist Church, his service has been honored by numerous organizations,” the statement read.

 

The announcement was signed by Mack’s son and daughter-in-law, Anthony and Teresa Mack; his daughters, Deborah Mack and Andria Mack; his grandchildren, Anthony II, Gabriel and Gianna Mack; and his sister, Ruth Gray.  His wife, Harriett, passed away in 2016.

 

A celebration of his life will be held on Tuesday, July 10, at 11 a.m., at West Angeles Church of God in Christ, North Campus, 3045 S. Crenshaw Blvd., in Los Angeles.

 

As Los Angeles mourned Mack’s death, many people reflected on his tremendous impact on the city.

 

“As a civil rights warrior, police commission president, and ally to all who love freedom and fairness, John made history with a fierce determination to pursue justice, an unshakable commitment to equality, and an unbreakable bond with the community he worked tirelessly to uplift every day of his remarkable life,” said L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

 

L.A. Sentinel Executive Publisher/CEO Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., worked closely with Mack for decades on a variety of issues affecting South Los Angeles.  Recalling Mack’s tenacity, Bakewell said, “John Mack was a true friend.  Not only were we very good friends on a personal level, but we were friends in the struggle for what was right and just in our community. 

 

“During my time as president of the Brotherhood Crusade and his tenure as president of the Urban League, we collaborated to make sure that our people were always represented with passion and a commitment for a better community over personal benefit.  With his passing, our community has lost one of the greatest civil rights leaders and community activists in the history of Los Angeles, if not the country,” declared Bakewell, who also serves chairman of the board of the Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade.

 

L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, a confidant and collaborator of Mack’s for nearly 40 years, noted, “He burnished a distinguished legacy of public service, fathering not one, but two generations of civic leaders. Ever the idealist and visionary, he refused to let institution racism, police misconduct, interethnic strife and the challenges of metropolitan politics impede his quest for civil rights, justice and progress. His work bettered the lives of so many people in Los Angeles and beyond.”

 

A native of Kingstree, South Carolina, Mack was born January 6, 1937 to Abram Mack, a Methodist minister and Ruth Juanita Mack, a school teacher.  Delving into civil rights issues as a young man, Mack served as president of the local NAACP chapter as a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State College. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1958 and later earned a Master’s degree at Clark Atlanta University.

 

Relocating to California, Mack worked at Camarillo State Mental Hospital in Oxnard, and then served a four-year stint as executive director of Urban League in Flint, Michigan.  In 1969, he returned to Southern California as executive director of the Los Angeles Urban League, a position he held until retiring in 2005.

 

Mack’s expertise was often sought by the political leadership of L.A., as demonstrated by his service on the L.A. Police Commission from 2005 to 2013, and subsequent appointment to the Los Angeles Planning Commission. Last month, Garcetti consulted with Mack when considering the selection of a new LAPD chief and Mack voiced his support for the successful candidate, Michel Moore, due to Moore’s experience with “community policing” and commitment to “eradicating racism and brutality within the LAPD.”

 

Commenting on Mack’s legacy, U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass said, “There was perhaps no bigger leader in the fight for civil rights in Los Angeles than John.  He was a calming and unifying leader when our city needed it most.

 

“John was also a mentor. I will always be grateful for his advice throughout my time in both Sacramento and Washington. But it wasn’t just me that John helped, his mentorship transcended generations of leaders and activists in our city. His assistance helped shape a new generation of Black and Brown leaders in Los Angeles committed to fighting for ideals he held dear,” stressed Bass.

 

“We are his legacy. John’s vision and his dreams live in each of us continuing his fight, our fight, for a better Los Angeles and an empowered Black community.”

 

Michael A. Lawson, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League expressed comparable thoughts about Mack, calling him “a towering figure of national significance in the fight for equality and economic empowerment for Black people.”

 

Lawson added, “John was one of the best at converting good intentions – of CEOs, city officials, civic leaders – into good results that helped his people climb the economic ladder. Because of him, thousands of people got opportunities that led to careers; he helped stabilize Los Angeles when it was on the verge of catastrophe; and he inspired generations of leaders who carry on the work he started and did so well.

 

“He’ll be remembered for a lot of things: his kindness and generosity, on one hand, and his uncompromising ferocity in fighting for the civil rights and economic prosperity for the underserved communities of Los Angeles,” Lawson said.

 

Offering a similar tribute, Charisse Bremond-Weaver, president and CEO of the Brotherhood Crusade, observed, “John Mack was one of the greatest treasures that blessed this city with his leadership and service. He set the standard for us all.  He was a mentor and friend. As I continue to serve my community, I pray that I can uplift and serve in the manner he served.”

Category: Community

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