A CHILD'S WORDS OF WISDOM - POSTED FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE.

Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY 

Hate and intolerance took it on the chin Wednesday, knocked on their keesters by a couple of hundred school kids.

The ringleader was Michael Medina, an 11-year-old fifth-grader at Reseda Elementary School. Great kid. Packed a heck of a punch.

Check it out when you're driving west on Sherman Way through Reseda. When you get to the Carl's Jr. at the corner of Geyser Avenue, look up and enjoy the kid's work.

It's a billboard bearing the slogan ``Don't See Color - See People,'' illustrated with five stick figures.

``One is a person in a wheelchair and another is leaning on a cane,'' Mike told me Wednesday morning as his billboard was unveiled to the public.

``One's a little person, one's poor, and one is different colors,'' he said. ``I thought of my brother when I was drawing them. He gave me the inspiration and idea.''

The inspiration and idea became a message that went up on a billboard Wednesday, a message strong enough to knock hate and intolerance on their keesters.

The kid had taken home one of the fliers that LAPD Officer Patti Waters dropped off at school in January. Waters was making the rounds at 30 elementary schools in the West Valley, trying to get fifth- and sixth- graders interested in a coloring contest sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Department.

``They want us to draw an anti-hate picture to help teach people to be nice to each other and not look at people differently,'' Mike told his parents, Gilbert and Hilda Medina.

Looking at people differently - that's what strangers occasionally did with Mike's younger brother, Gabriel, who had spinal meningitis as a baby and was left blind in one eye and deaf in one ear.

Looking at people differently - like what happened at school to some of his best friends who had disabilities.

``People shouldn't look at other people as messed up or something,'' Mike told his parents. ``They should just look at them as people.''

He was right, Gilbert and Hilda told their son. Absolutely right. Now, go draw those feelings.

``My son's always been color-blind, always looking to make friends with the kids in school who didn't have many friends,'' Hilda said.

``I think he learned it from his father, who makes friends with everyone. We've taught our four children that there is already too much hate in the world, so go out and make friends instead.''

When it came time to pick the winning entry to mount on the billboard space, which ClearChannel Outdoor Co. was donating to the LAPD, the decision was tougher than anyone had imagined, said Ellie Vargas, a member of the West Valley Area Hate Crime Alliance - a citizen group helping local police combat hate crimes.

``We had more than 200 kids enter, and there were so many great drawings that carried the message we wanted to get out to the community,'' she said.

Joseph Quinonez of Garden Grove Elementary placed second and Jennifer Hernandez of Bertrand Elementary placed third, both winning tickets to Six Flags California's Magic Mountain.

The winner was Michael Medina.

``They called a special assembly, and I was sitting out there with the rest of the school when my name was called,'' Mike said.

``I got scared. I thought I was in trouble or something. That's when they told me I had won.''

Yeah, it felt pretty good for the boy standing up there on stage, having all the teachers and students clapping. It also felt pretty good Wednesday morning, when workmen standing on a scaffold dropped the tarp covering the billboard and everyone driving along Sherman Way got to see his anti-hate message.

Don't see color - see people.

``Sometimes kids are a lot wiser than adults when it comes to telling people how we should live our lives,'' said LAPD Deputy Chief Ronald Bergmann, who was on hand for the ceremonies.

When it came time for Capt. James Cansler, commanding officer of West Valley, to hand Mike a plaque, a $100 scholarship, and, more important, tickets to Magic Mountain, the loudest cheer in the crowd came from the source of Mike's inspiration and idea.

``Hey, remember who's your favorite brother,'' yelled Gabriel Medina, the younger brother who'd helped inspire Mike's message, a message strong enough to knock hate and intolerance on their keesters.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Two workers drop a protective tarp Wednesday from the winning design for an anti-hate campaign sponsored by the L.A. Police Department. The large stick-figure drawing by 11-year-old Michael Medina is posted on Sherman Way.

(2) Reseda Elementary fifth-grader Michael Medina drew the winning design in a coloring contest sponsored by the L.A. Police Department.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer