Luis Javier Rodriguez

Today I completed another strong week as honorary co-host with Dominique DiPrima, host of the “Front Page” talk radio show on KJLH-FM, 102.3 in Los Angeles. Dominique invites me every once in a while to be an honorary co-host. It’s always a privilege when I can do this—although it’s quite early in the morning (the show airs from 4:30 AM until 6 AM). This week we had guests like Dr. David Horn, Jasmyne Channick, Coach Erich Nall (Coach E), and Dolores Chavez. On the phones Dr. Glen Ellis joined us as well as Michael Richardson, the father of missing 24-year-old student Mitrice Richardson. Topics included health and spirituality, the necessity of the arts in our communities, health care reform, the killing of an honor student in Chicago, the death of a 4-month child by gang bullets in Van Nuys, and others. The story of Mitrice Richardson is particularly alarming—she’s been missing fifteen days after being released by the Malibu-Lost Hills sheriff’s station in the middle of the night with no car (it had been impounded), no buses running, no cell phone, and no money. A former beauty queen and a 4.0 student, she allegedly was talking incoherently and had failed to pay a dinner bill at a nearby restaurant. Police impounded her car when they claimed to have found small amounts of marijuana. Beyond that, according to her father Michael Richardson, police reports are missing information and in some cases contradictory. I understand Sheriff Lee Baca is cooperating and that now more media attention is being brought to bear on this case. But for too long this was one of those buried stories. I pray that Mitrice is found safe and sound—and that truly substantial changes begin to happen at the Malibu-Lost Hills sheriff’s station so no father or mother ever has to undergo this kind of ordeal. For more information go to www.kjlhradio.com Tomorrow at 1 PM, I will be reading with other Latino writers in the “Latinos in Lotusland” anthology reading at Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural. Visit www.tiachucha.com for more information. c/s