Policies That Will Help Rebuild America’s Cities : Government: The downward spiral begins the moment someone believes that he or she doesn’t matter. Some policies have sent this message.

WASHINGTON — As Angelenos begin to rebuild riot-torn neighborhoods, all Americans must begin rebuilding America’s social policies. Detailed, one- size-fits-all “solutions” crafted in the 1960s obviously can’t cope with the challenges of the 1990s.

In Los Angeles, we all have seen the horrible toll of rioters’ violence. I have seen the failures of old urban policies in the windows of tidy houses where iron bars try to hold a hostile world at bay. But I also have seen people reach out and begin rebuilding a city--rebuilding lives.

Most observers agree that urban decay stems from several sources: the disintegration of the family; a breakdown of fundamental moral values; disrespect for institutions such as police, churches and schools; increased drug use, and widespread cynicism about the future. In some cities, the gang has become the focal point of many young lives.

The downward spiral in our cities begins the moment someone believes that he or she doesn’t matter. Over the years, some government policies have sent this message, seizing responsibility and respect from low-income Americans and handing power to bureaucrats, contractors and others who administer social programs.

Perverse incentives embedded in our policies insidiously hurt our poor. Today, welfare recipients may live in publicly owned apartments, but cannot own them. If they save too much money, the government cuts their aid. If they make too much money--but not enough to escape the pull of the inner city, the government cuts their aid. If they marry and work, the government cuts their aid.

At the same time, the system rewards single mothers who have children and enables some people to “make” more by staying on welfare than by holding a steady, low-paying job.

For three years, I have asked Congress to pass measures that encourage virtuous behavior, punish irresponsible behavior and help people acquire the basics for independent, dignified lives. My trips to Los Angeles have left me more convinced than ever that we must act now.

Think about what it takes to rebuild a neighborhood. You need peace. You can’t plant seeds of hope on urban battlefields. You must protect lives and property. During my trip in early May, Lois Hill told me that she can’t send her grandchildren to a local playground because it’s just too dangerous. That’s not right. We must punish criminals who terrorize our cities, so law-abiding citizens can enjoy the simple joys that come when you have faith in yourself and hope for your future.

At the same time, we must help our poor break free. A free future begins with property. When people own their homes, they look at themselves and their communities much differently. They have a stake in the future. Ownership can turn a housing project into a neighborhood.

Next, business: You must establish a solid business base. L.A. officials estimate that the city will need to create 57,000 jobs to revive South Los Angeles. Make-work jobs won’t do: We need good jobs, jobs around which people can make plans and build futures.

Finally, we must educate our children well--through good schools and sensible vocational training.

I have proposed initiatives that respond to each of these needs--Weed and Seed, to weed criminals out of neighborhoods and plant seeds of hope and prosperity; Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere (HOPE), to turn public-housing residents into property owners; Enterprize Zones, to reward businesses that set down roots in poor communities, and to train young people for the future--the America 2000 Education Strategy, Job Training 2000 and the Youth Apprenticeship Act. These initiatives represent a revolution in federal urban policy. They shift focus from the bureaucrat to the individual. They draw upon experience, common sense and traditional values.

As ambitious as our federal agenda may be, government can’t do everything--and it shouldn’t try. A city is no stronger than its neighborhoods. Angelenos will have to rebuild their city block-by-block, community-by-community--and they will.

You don’t need a federal grant to do the things that make a real difference--teaching your children to distinguish right from wrong, volunteering at local schools, looking out for neighbors, taking a stand against drugs and violence. It has become trendy to argue that traditional values embody the corruptions of bygone eras and cultures, and thus lack legitimacy. That’s just wrong. These values make us who we are.

When I visited the sheriff’s Youth Athletic League in Lynwood, I saw these values at work. There, a Korean merchant rents out an old Montgomery Ward auto center for $1 a year. Police officers train kids in sports and other activities. It works: Armando Islas, a Harvard graduate and surgeon, once belonged to a South L.A. gang. But a youth center and a good school helped him believe in the American Dream. Today, he gives his time and effort at Lynwood.

I have seen values triumph elsewhere--with the 100 Black Men, in Lou Dantzler’s Challengers Boys and Girls Club, and in dozens of other places where good people, with no prompting from Washington, give children a chance to live full and fulfilling lives.

But we must do more. In riots and protests we have seen stark evidence that Americans have not overcome prejudice and hatred. Each day, subtle cues appear: suspicious looks, uneasy body language, jarring jokes.

When people cross a street to avoid a person of another color, they commit what Joseph Heller, in a different context, has called “quiet violence.” When clerks look with suspicion upon people of color, they commit quiet violence. When activists glibly deride those who disagree with them as “racists,” they commit quiet violence. And when people rush to judgment because a person is black or Korean or Latino or white, they commit quiet violence. These acts threaten to turn us into a nation of wary strangers. If we want to begin the work of reconciliation we must confront quiet violence.

We also must face up to an uncomfortable fact. Lawlessness, dissatisfaction and alienation have become increasingly prevalent in some communities. Police face terrible hazards in performing their duties--but get criticized for doing their jobs. That cannot continue. We must restore trust in our fundamental institutions, especially our justice system.

I will do whatever it takes to address today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges. In Los Angeles, our task force has cut through red tape and gotten needed assistance moving. Gov. Pete Wilson, Mayor Tom Bradley and Peter V. Ueberroth have joined me in a bipartisan effort to seek Congress’ help in passing much-needed reforms.

We have a chance to complete a revolution we should have completed long ago--a revolution to replace inflexible bureaucracy with flexible and effective government services; a revolution to create an urban policy that brings real jobs, real hope and real peace to our cities. We should make good on this opportunity--each one of us.

We can build a New America. We need to let traditional values and contemporary experience guide; and we must restore the fundamentals of a good life: safe streets, effective schools, neighbors who care and government that works.