Leimert Park 5K Ignites Racial Backlash Over Unpermitted 3.1-Mile Event
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 11
Leimert Park 5K Ignites Racial Backlash Over Unpermitted 3.1-Mile Event
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 11
Summary
A planned 5K in Leimert Park set off a social media firestorm after Barrio Athletics, a predominantly Latino South Los Angeles run club, announced the event without completing the neighborhood permit and consultation process.
That omission hit a nerve in a historic Black neighborhood already anxious about gentrification, with residents fearing disruption to the weekly farmers market and encroachment on a revered community space.
A Black activist group that often opposes park events and promotes anti-immigrant views helped drive the backlash, which then spread through blogs and podcasts.
Online commentary escalated into open racial hostility, with some posts using slurs against Black residents and others urging people to report participants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.