Los Angeles Garment & Citizen, Commentary, Jerry Sullivan, Posted: Jul 25, 2010

 Editors note: The July 23 issue of the Los Angeles Garment & Citizen is the last for the community newspaper that has served downtown L.A. and surrounding areas for the past 10 years. Founder Jerry Sullivan said weak advertising revenue made it impossible to continue the standard of journalism that the paper has become known for since its March 2000 debut. Here, Sullivan— who continues as group editor of the NAM project LABeez.org—talks about what he learned from his years at the Garment & Citizen.

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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 fell short on getting 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 readers as well as 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 are sometimes buried deep in conversations with unexpected sources.

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 in 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 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
Editor & Publisher
Los Angeles Garment & Citizen

This column will be submitted into the Congressional Record by 34th District U.S. Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard. A reading of this column by Sullivan is scheduled for the radio show "Off-Ramp" on 89.3-KPCC, which will air at 12 noon (Pacific) on Saturday, July 24, and again at 7 p.m. (Pacific) on Sunday, July 25.


Jerry Sullivan is editor of the L.A. Garment & Citizen.