EDITORIAL TEN YEARS AFTER HOPE HAS SPRUNG UP OUT OF THE ASHES OF THE 1992 RIOTS.

SOUTH Central Los Angeles erupted into violence, looting and arson on an unprecedented scale 10 years ago today within hours of the acquittal of four white officers in the beating of Rodney King.

While it was the verdict that sparked the devastation that engulfed South Central for three days, two long ignored and underlying city problems fueled it: The attitude of the LAPD toward the poor and minorities and the socioeconomic decay of South Central Los Angeles.

We've come a long way since April 29, 1992. And we've got a long way to go.

The LAPD has undergone a great deal of reform, and officers on the street have a very different manner than 10 years ago. Excessive force is no longer tolerated and it was the African-American community that recently rallied to the defense of Police Chief Bernard C. Parks because he was seen as the agent of changing officer behavior toward minorities.

Even though City Hall used the Rampart scandal to justify agreeing to court-monitored federal oversight of the LAPD, the facts that eventually emerged showed that the alleged ``pattern and practice'' of civil-rights abuses was really a few bad cops like Rafael Perez and poor supervision.

Today, the LAPD is plagued by many problems, from bad morale to difficulties hiring and keeping officers. But rampant racism and tolerance of use of excessive force by officers are not among them.

Like the LAPD, South Central has also experienced a much-needed renewal. In the immediate aftermath of the riots, city, state and local government stepped forward with promises of vast financial aid and a comprehensive rebuilding program.

But those promises never panned out. And so, realizing that government couldn't be counted on to rebuild their community, many South Central residents starting working to do it themselves.

Nonprofit organizations such as Operation Hope and FAME Renaissance provided leadership and seed capital for the creation of a new economy built on small business. Magic Johnson stepped in with his cinemas, bringing jobs and the promise of hope to the community.

While South Central remains one of L.A.s' poorest areas, it's also now one of its most promising.

As the Rev. Mark Whitlock, FAME's founder and executive director put it, ``The welfare mentality must stay in the 20th century. It's now the wealth-creation mentality for the year 2002.''

The failure of government to rebuild South Central might have been the best thing that ever happened to it.

The great lesson of the L.A. riots is that ours is a world in which good can, and quite often does, spring forth from bad.

From the wreckage of thousands of looted businesses, $1 billion in damages and 54 lives lost, comes a city that is stronger, more just and better than it was before.