Los Angeles celebrates

The city of Los Angeles celebrates the Lakers win of their 15th NBA title. From an editorial in the LA Times: "There's no reason to be shy about celebrating a basketball team, and how shared angst over its failures and communal joy over its triumphs knit together a geographically sprawling and socially segmented city. And knit together, too,earlier generations (marked on the court by Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, through Kareem and Magic and Shaq) with this one, giving the city a badly needed sense of place and of self.

AS fans streamed out into the city to celebrate, unscrupulous people took adavantage of the large mobs to loot and vandalize. In the photo (by Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press) two men throw a trash can at a Los Angeles Metro Rail

Yes, there was victory mayhem, and regrettably, some police officers were hurt while working to make sure the vandalism and violence didn't get out of hand. It's a mystery to most how a victory celebration can become a riot. But a Lakers victory descends on the just and the unjust, the loyal fans and -- in Police Chief William J. Bratton's fitting phrase -- the knuckleheads."

A victory parade is being planned for Wednesday, and The Los Angeles Times reports that the LA Lakers and the city will contribute about $1 million apiece for the party.