In 1992, when police were acquitted following the beating of Rodney King, parts of Los Angeles erupted.

People were hurt and buildings destroyed.

22 structures right here at Vermont and Manchester.

And the land stayed vacant until now.

Seed LA School, a residential high school for under-served youth, is being built right here.

It's a collaboration between LA Metro and LA County.

A family member who sits on the Seed LA board told me about this s school and I wanted you to know about it.

My guests are Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas and Phil Washington, the CEO of LA Metro.

Theank you for being here with us today.

So the idea behind this school is to get our kids ready for careers in transportation infrastructure.

We want companies all over the world to say, "Hey listen, if you want young people who understand infrastructure, go to Vermont and Manchester."

We packaged it for adoption at the Board of Supervisors and it was asserted that we will vote for this because it is good.

And how do you find these students?

The Seed School will have kids that are in the foster care system, kids who have parents that are experiencing or have experienced the justice system--oppurtunity communities.

The Department of Social Services, they are at the table, in terms of their core competencies and expertise.

The students, to whom we appeal, know something about coming up the rough side of the mountain.

That is such a powerful message for not only those students, but teachers, parents, all of us.

Th is is a national model that we are putting forward.

MRT: We're going to lay claim to a community that can be better than it ever was and much better than many people thought it could be.

Seed LA School is more than just bricks and mortar.

It's about youth, jobs, and resilence.

For PBS SoCal, I'm Bonnie Boswell.