Reality of LA's 'black neighborhoods' (Los Angeles, Beverly Hills: private school, college, standard of living)

[imaterry78259]

You mean LA with all it flash and glimmers have poor black neighborhoods.

[kkcolt4]

Originally Posted by Stylez116

Yes, James T, and in this current year of 2007, most of those crime statistics are now showing that the mass majority of crime is being done by the mexicans ,illeagal or not, that are now dominating those formal African American impovrished neighborhoods...so your comment is unrelative due to the fact that the poster is talking about the success of the current, prosperous neighborhoods of the current African American community in L.A. presently now in 2007. Wake up out of the dark ages and stop trying to continue to blame crime in L.A. on blacks still, when facts and statistics clearly prove that it is now the heavy transition of mexican gangs and mexicans that are dominating the lower income neighboorhoods of L.A. such as compton/watts, inglewood, and basiclly all of east L.A. Also even local comunities such as san bernardino and riverside which results in pushing the blacks out either to blacker and cheaper cities like atlanta, detroit, and memphis, or to nicer communities in L.A. such as baldwin hills for example, they even made a new reality show on BET about it that is the black version of "the hills," lol maybe conservative types like James T, need to whatch that show sometime. African Americans are mainly moving back to Atlanta where it is cheaper for them to live and growing at a very rapid pace and they wont have to be labled as "gangbangers" due to the fact that it is the largest predominatly black and very succesful city and they can be looked at as normal middle class, tax paying, americans like any other caucasion american in this country...

Sure does feel like most of the Police resources in San Bernardino are being used by the Blacks not the Hispanics. Athough I must say the Hispanics are the 2nd place competitor.

[abstrak_tokatl]

Originally Posted by Stylez116

I never once made any racial slurrs or refferences toward any hispanic person once on this thread. Yall need to read what I said a little harder because I dont see how yall possibly felt any kinds of vibes of racism toward hispanics when I simply stated a true statement when I said that there are alot of mexican gangs (believe it or not) that are moving into the southern L.A. area and are slowly replacing areas of compton, inglewood, watts, etc that were formally domminated by black gangs in the 80's and 90's. That is a fact. Also, anyone who does not believe that East L.A. is mainly Spanish, then you are speaking out of pure ignorance and need to stop being lazy and actually take a look at the statistics on this very website that we are posting on and see for yourself that it is %96 Hispanic...I never once said there are no more blacks in L.A. as I am very aware that there are still plenty there, but if you had enough sence to actually READ what i posted earlier, I simply stated that the black population in L.A. is slowly decreasing due to the fact of inflation and the influx of all the mexican gangs that are moving in and are clashing against the black gangs. Anyone who denies this true statement obviously is not a resident of L.A. and does whatch the news almost everyday and see the on going reports of mexican/black gang wars and how they are fighting for territory over certain parts of the city. I welcome anyone to challenge what I just said with facts and not immature, old, played out stereotypical baised opinions like ive been reading in this thread about feelings towards Africans Americans lately. If you all should think anyone if a racist and bigot you should read James T post in other threads as well and easily see that he is the one that has the real obsession with race issues...

see that's the thing. You don't know your facts. It's not Mexican gangs, it's "mexican gangs." The gangs moving there are often Salvadorian. And to associate them with Mexican, IS racial.

East Lost Angeles, is predominantly Spanish speaking, but that does not equate to Mexican. Cubans speak Spanish, Mexicans, Puerto Rico, Spain, etc. To just presume that they are Mexican is a lack of understanding of what is actually going on. Hell, my Asian grocery POEPLES speak Spanish, so that is not in dispute. It's associating Mexicans with black hate crimes based on that perpetrators speak Spanish that is.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by James T

Why are there people who dress like gansters and cars that look like ganster cars in neighborhoods such as View Park? I drove through View Park about 4 months ago and it was a little frightening to see kids roaming around with baggy pants and cars with the huge lettering on the rear window, gold wheel rims, etc.

I would concur that those types of clothing "look" scary, but most youth wear those types of clothing(i.e. Gangsta) because it is considered a fashion statement in America, particular in the African-American culture, sort of how zoot suits were a fashion statement for Mexican-American youth during World War II.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

You mean LA with all it flash and glimmers have poor black neighborhoods.

Yes, LA does have poor black neighborhoods and have had them for a long time. How and where do you think the Watts riots of 1965 occured? You have poor people of every race in LA and rich people of every race in LA.

[Monumental1]

Originally Posted by Stylez116

Yes, James T, and in this current year of 2007, most of those crime statistics are now showing that the mass majority of crime is being done by the mexicans ,illeagal or not, that are now dominating those formal African American impovrished neighborhoods...so your comment is unrelative due to the fact that the poster is talking about the success of the current, prosperous neighborhoods of the current African American community in L.A. presently now in 2007. Wake up out of the dark ages and stop trying to continue to blame crime in L.A. on blacks still, when facts and statistics clearly prove that it is now the heavy transition of mexican gangs and mexicans that are dominating the lower income neighboorhoods of L.A. such as compton/watts, inglewood, and basiclly all of east L.A. Also even local comunities such as san bernardino and riverside which results in pushing the blacks out either to blacker and cheaper cities like atlanta, detroit, and memphis, or to nicer communities in L.A. such as baldwin hills for example, they even made a new reality show on BET about it that is the black version of "the hills," lol maybe conservative types like James T, need to whatch that show sometime. African Americans are mainly moving back to Atlanta where it is cheaper for them to live and growing at a very rapid pace and they wont have to be labled as "gangbangers" due to the fact that it is the largest predominatly black and very succesful city and they can be looked at as normal middle class, tax paying, americans like any other caucasion american in this country...

Great points you make. I really love L.A.

[Monumental1]

Originally Posted by proteus

The blackest neighborhoods in the LA area are now View Park, Ladera Heights, Baldwin Hills, Windsor Hills, Carson's Dominguez Hills and Altadena. Compton, Watts, South Central are now Latino neighborhoods.

So, just what is a 'black neighborhood' like in LA? More affluent than the average white neighborhood in one of the most affluent countries in the world. Somehow, perceptions of gangs and 'Colors' still linger as the sole defining aspect.

Here are some facts: Ladera Heights is 70% black and it's (only) ZIP code 90056 touts a higher per capita income than Rancho Palos Verdes' 90274.
Ladera: Livingchoices.com: Real Estate - New Homes, Homes for Sale, Apartment Rentals
Rancho Palos Verdes: Livingchoices.com: Real Estate - New Homes, Homes for Sale, Apartment Rentals
Ladera also has a lower rate of poverty. ...but perceptions and assumptions tell us otherwise. There is a lot of envy-based resentment and that always seems to come from 'below'.

More facts: Carson's 90746 covers half of the city and 5 distinct, overwhelmingly black neighborhoods. Carson borders Compton as well as Torrance. Here is the crime rate for Carson's 'black' section
Livingchoices.com: Real Estate - New Homes, Homes for Sale, Apartment Rentals
Now look at the crime rate for 90210
Livingchoices.com: Real Estate - New Homes, Homes for Sale, Apartment Rentals
Now look at the crime rate for neighboring Bixby Knolls in Long Beach
Livingchoices.com: Real Estate - New Homes, Homes for Sale, Apartment Rentals
As far as Carsonites are concerned, 'black neighborhood' means safer... overwhelmingly safer. In fact, Carson's 90746 has nearly the same crime rate as million-dollar 'white' Laguna Beach
Livingchoices.com: Real Estate - New Homes, Homes for Sale, Apartment Rentals

It's time to stop clinging to old perceptions and assumptions. It's time for black folks in LA to take as much pride in their neighborhoods as other do in their more dangerous or poorer areas.

wow. great post, and great information.

[proteus]

Originally Posted by stvincent

You are right. Plenty of lower income blacks from the west and the north are moving into Atlanta's middle class and upper middle class Black communities, destroying the public schools in those areas. I am Black and live in Atlanta and when it came time to buy a home I wanted to move to Casacde but couldn't bring myself to do it. I noticed teens driving in chevys on 22s and dressed like thugs with grillz in the area. This would be in the same communities where homes were priced in the 400s-500s (which is quite affluent considering our low standard of living). I could never figure out that phenomenon of well off Black kids dressing, talking, and acting like they were from the ghetto. I also could not understand why the schools in these affluent all Black areas performed lower then the schools in the more affluent white sections of our Metro. Now I know. The majority of these families probably come from more lower class areas of the overly expensive west and north.

I live in Vinings, a predominately white suburb of the city just west of Buckhead. My home right now is probably worth around $2 million. You made it seem as if all Black Atlantans are only middle class in comparison to those in L.A. We live in million dollar homes too. We just HAVE to live in white communities if our price range appraoches the millions whereas in L.A. you don't. Most Blacks in this price range can't imagine paying all that money for poor public schools (although most affluent residents of every race in ths town opt for private schools) or for it to look like they live in a more upscale version of the ghetto. Keep in mind that Atlanta has the second highest concentration of Blacks making over $100,000 a year. D.C. of course is number one. Not sure where L.A. ranks on that list.

Due to the large number of upper class Blacks here and the lack of a community of our own in which we can settle in, most of us opt for white communities. Our upscale white areas have more of a Black presence than anywhere in the U.S. I believe. West Buckhed(med. home value $964,000) is 15% Black. Alpharetta, Sandy Springs, and the rest of Buckhead are affluent white communities with similar percentages between 10% and 20%. Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, etc. in L.A. all have 5% or lower for the number of Black residents. Our upper class community may not be as homogeneous as Ladera Heights but it's here with more upper class Blacks than L.A. and an ever increasing population. The Black Exodus here is not occuring by accident.

Thanks for the response. I didn't mean to suggest that all or even most blacks in Atlanta are merely middle-class compared to those in LA. What I meant to convey is that the affluent black *neighborhoods* in ATL are that. I'm really not trying to be divisive because I like ATL. I'm just making a point.

LA is somewhat like Manhattan now. Most folks who can afford the average home are going to send their kids to private schools, anyhow. Whites in Hancock Park and even Bev Hills do the same.

The thing is, LA is only 10-11% black in the first place, so, to have so many nice 'hoods, it quite an accomplishment. This isn't to take away from any place else.

I agree that nice places like Cascade & Stone Mountain are getting an influx of Angelenos from ghettos.

What I'd like blacks in LA to be proud of is that the average home value in Ladera Heights' 90056 is $1 million, (zillow dot com) greater than that of mostly white Buckhead. That sheds light how things have changed.

[Slauson Rosecranz]

Ladera Heights' 90056 is $1 million, (zillow dot com) greater than that of mostly white Buckhead. That sheds light how things have changed.[/quote]


But California real estate is the most expensive in the mainland United States.
You really can't compare it with property in Georgia.

There are "ordinary" suburbs (not to say Ladera Heights is ordinary or sub-par) where property would be as expensive as Buckhead or Virginia Highlands or whatever. Property that would be considered "average" or lower middle-class in other states
is expensive just because it's in California.

BTW, L.A.'s Black population is now 9.9 per cent. At least that's what they stated in last week's USAToday article
about 'Black flight' in San Francisco.

Now what's going to be interesting is *IF* the Black population of South-Central 'bottoms out' (it's already dwindled to about 30% and still dropping) 'Black Los Angeles', so to speak, would be defined *solely* by middle-class/upper middle-class Black neighborhoods:
View Park/Windsor Hills/Ladera Heights, Fox Hills, Baldwin Hills (The Dons) and Lafayette Square.

[think.reciprocity]

Originally Posted by James T

Why are there people who dress like gansters and cars that look like ganster cars in neighborhoods such as View Park? I drove through View Park about 4 months ago and it was a little frightening to see kids roaming around with baggy pants and cars with the huge lettering on the rear window, gold wheel rims, etc.

You must be careful of the stereotypes within your own thinking. My son, who is 19, wears just the clothes you are speaking of & if he had a car it would likely have the ridiculous rims & fixings that you speak of. Unfortunately, he's greatly influenced by the images of success & "cool" in the hip hop & gangsta rap scene that he's interested in.

But, he's just another young man... father... boyfriend... son... employee... citizen... HUMAN just like your nephews, brothers, uncles, fathers, etc. He's a good kid & he's not dressing like a gangsta - just like every other teen who's into that same scene right now. He doesn't carry a gun or belong to any gang (for reasons of his own values - but also because I'd kick his a$$... lol)


The point of this thread is supposed to be that "Black Neighborhoods" are not simply the stereotype the majority holds - but increasingly so, in LA, affluent, desirable areas to live, grow, raise a family. Why can't we just let it be a discussion about that?