Well put, Todd Kushigemachi. I live in L.A. and I have formally studied race relations and I have lived through institutional and direct racism and this film is a sorry attempt at examining racism and discrimination. The fact that Matt Dillon’s character finds redemption so easily, even at the expense of spouting all-too-common stereotypical ideas was the bane of this badly made, ultra melodramatic film. The only saving graces are Don Cheadle’s performance and the humanization of the Latino characters—a humanization rarely seen but much needed in the media. Although I completely agree with published criticisms of the film by Jeff Chang and LA Times film critic Ken Turran in that the film fails to delve into the institutionalized nature of racism, I will give the film some credit for at very least jolting some people into realizing that racism is indeed a widespread problem. Now if only someone could make a good, modern day, mainstream movie about class issues…