Clinton hoops it up for economy // Presses his plan in L.A.

Adam Nagourney

05/19/1993

USA Today

FINAL

Page 04A

LOS ANGELES - At the afternoon sun burned down on a basketball court in this

city's south central district, President Clinton Tuesday stripped off his tie, rolled

up his sleeves and put on a pair of white high-top basketball sneakers.

The president, after a moment's thought, decided upon four neighborhood kids to

engage in a quick and sweaty game of half-court basketball against a team led by

Commerce Secretary Ron Brown.

Clinton began his day with a jog along the beach, but two things were unusual

about this display of presidential sportsmanship.

The basketball court was behind a sneaker shop ringed by rolls of barbed wire.

And the store had a sign that proclaimed it was the only black-owned authorized

Nike and Reebok dealer, the kind of signs black store owners put up last year to

dissuade rioters.

One year after a sober then-candidate Clinton toured the fresh remnants of the

south central riot, the president returned for an hour-long visit to this

still-devastated area.

But unlike last year's visit, this one was dominated not by speeches or promises

or tours of rubble, but by a rowdy basketball game with elementary school

students and a quick pitch for support for his economic plan.

"These children's future depends on our bringing these communities back,"

Clinton said, sweating, breathless and grinning after a game in which he made

one out of three shots.

"I'm going to need your help to do it," he said.

Clinton's visit to south central - five blocks from the corner of Florence and

Normandie, the heart of some of the worst rioting - marked the end of two days

of virtual campaigning in New Mexico and California.

Although he received a generally good response at the events, the president ran

into hecklers.

They disrupted a carefully staged outdoor discussion at Los Angeles Valley

Community College, yelling at the president, "No new taxes" and "You broke

your promise."

Clinton quickly responded: "We tried it their way for 12 years; look where it got

us. You know what the no-new-taxes crowd did for 12 years? They cut taxes on

the rich, raised taxes on the middle class and ran the country into a ditch."

"The free-lunch crowd had their chance," Clinton said to applause. "I'm telling

you there is no free lunch."

Clinton also continued to leave little doubt of how much he ties California's

economic future to his political future. He pledged to spend more money on

border patrols, an issue of increasing concern here.

And he toured with Brown, his Commerce secretary, who he has given the task

of coming up with a plan to resuscitate the state's economy.

"We can't turn this country's economy around unless we lift California up,"

Clinton said.

The crowd at the basketball court seemed impressed.

Willie Smith, a property manager, got Clinton to autograph a photo of his new

grandson. "I'll give it to him when he's older (and) tell him it's the president who

helped build L.A.," he said. "I'm so happy, I feel like crying."

William Richard, an auto mechanic, said: "This is the first time I've ever seen a

president come to a problem neighborhood and roll up his sleeves and play with

kids. It's a nice gesture. I think he's true to his word. . . . He's for the people."

Contributing: Jonathan T. Lovitt

EAR PHOTO,color,Bob Gailbraith,AP; PHOTO,b/w,Dennis Cook,AP