George H.W. Bush: “That's a very important statement, Dr. Yang. Let me say this, that we had a very interesting meeting with some mayors…”

“That's a very important statement, Dr. Yang. Let me say this, that we had a very interesting meeting with some mayors here. One of them was the Mayor of Ingleside. The Mayor of Ingleside told us that he had led that community, church leaders, ethnic group leaders, whatever, long before the riots started. He'd had meetings with Korean business people or civic leaders or church leaders, meeting with black leaders, Afro-America leaders, and then the elected officials in the community. You see, I am convinced that when you live close in--your second point is right on target--that it is going to have to be the local communities. The Federal Government can set a tone: no discrimination, rule out bigotry, hatred, and all of that. But to practice it, it's going to have to be done by getting across these lines and by leaders-- and you and I are saying the same thing--with the churches in the lead, city governments being responsive, to get across these cultural boundaries. And I salute you for what you've done. I was in E.V. Hill's church this morning. There were some Korean pastors there. And my emphasis was one on the essentiality of strengthening the American family. In your community, it is my perception that you have strong family values. I think you are blessed with the strength in family values. You've got to share with whoever is open-minded enough to listen. And religious leaders, I think, can do a lot. I'm not trying to avoid responsibility from the Federal Government, but I really think it's something that can't be legislated. This is something that really has to happen, come from the heart, and has to happen through what I think you're obviously trying to do in your church. And yes, it is longer range. But we can't give up on it. And it is not just the Korean community or the black community; there are others who feel the same sense of anguish and hurt. We haven't talked about Hispanics here. But I think your point is very valid. [A participant asked about law enforcement measures after the departure of National Guard units.]”