EDITORIAL BEYOND THE TRAGEDY.

AS Democrats and reporters flock to Los Angeles, they arrive at a city geared up for a celebration, basking in the glow of the national spotlight.

But it was only a year ago when that national spotlight shone so hot that it burned. Dignitaries and reporters the world over showed up on that day, too, not to document a good time, but to record a tragedy.

On Aug. 10, 1999, authorities say, Buford O'Neal Furrow Jr. killed Filipino-American postal worker Joseph Santos Ileto in Chatsworth after opening fire at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills, wounding three children and two adults.

In a city known for the Rodney King beating and trial and the attendant riots, for warring street gangs divided along ethnic lines and for O.J. Simpson's skillfully playing the race card, this hate crime was another sad reminder that assembling a diverse community and uniting it are two very different tasks.

A year later, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention, Los Angeles not only remembers the tragedies of its past, but also looks ahead to a brighter future.

Children at the North Valley Jewish Community Center commemorated the anniversary by releasing scores of butterflies, flying rainbow streamers and planting a unity tree as part of a day of remembrance. At the Chatsworth post office, employees unveiled a plaque in memory of Ileto and the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations sponsored a ``Unity over Hate'' rally at Pierce College.

And therein lies the great story that has unfolded in Los Angeles over the past year.

Rather than dividing the city, an ugly, hateful attack has inspired a beautiful show of unity, bridging cultural differences and emphasizing our shared humanity.

Unlike past tragedies, this one has brought us closer together.

That is cause to celebrate.