Remarks to the Community in South Central Los Angeles

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 grass roots 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 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 grass roots 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 grass roots 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 drag 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.