democrat maxine waters, the african-american congressional representative of south central los angeles, said that the events in l.a. constituted a "rebellion" or "insurrection", caused by the underlying reality of poverty and despair existing in the inner city. this state of affairs, she asserted, were brought about by a government that had all but abandoned the poor and failed to help compensate for the loss of local jobs, and by the institutional discrimination encountered by racial minorities, especially at the hands of the police and financial institutions.