Question about the severeness of lackness of safety in LA (Los Angeles: apartments, to rent)

[jaypee]

Originally Posted by memphis12

Hi, thanks for your reply. Sounds like I should've been a little more detailed, though. I meant specifically downtown LA and some of the zip codes I included in the post. They don't look like complete slums, or bottom of the bottom on google maps, but obviously that can be misleading. I would like to be in the downtown area, or in the USC area, which I've heard may be pretty bad too. Again, I could handle it if it's just one of those places if you mind your business, you'll be fine, but not if it's the bottom of the bottom and the slums of LA, which I fear it may be by what I've been reading.

Let's do it this way: where's your school (USC? LACC?) and what is your housing budget?

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by memphis12

That's kind of where I got a lot of information from. I know exactly what you mean when you see something that may be so much of a total misconception that it's hard to even find a starting point to even come up with a counter argument, but I hope you can at least try. Lol. Keep in mind I'm not talking about the complete city, just certain parts such as the 90007, 90802 or 90026 area code.

I still don't know what you are talking about.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

I still don't know what you are talking about.

We must get to the bottom of this "severeness of lackness." [Hey, that would be a cool name for an album]

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

We must get to the bottom of this "severeness of lackness." [Hey, that would be a cool name for an album]

Or an excellent line from a Nigerian email scam.

[LiveByTheSun]

Severeness...of...lackness.

[the one]

the only real bad areas of downtown are the skid row streets. but you probably wont be there. other parts of downtown are perfectly fine. its also about how you look. look like a thug and get treated like a thug. meaning in downtown you will be feared, in the hood you will be targetted. most places are live and let live. in the deep hood it does get trickier. but common sense is a must where ever you go.
as for the zips. 90017 is west lake, pico-union, thats the *****hole of los angeles. once a great area, been through time times and re-emerging as a future transitional neighbor hood. in the meantime i would not move there. the other spots like 90018 are a mixed bag. there are some very nice traditional black neighborhoods in that area, but there are also some serious hoods. once you figure out where, or narrow it down, let us know and we can give you a better idea.

[nickdahammer]

The Sly Elusive Butterflies of Love.

[AnthonyCburn]

It amuses me how people can be so harsh when someone is obviously trying to get some genuine advice. I think the concerns of living in a city like LA are well-founded. As would be the concerns of living in any other major city you aren't from.


Seems as though people take it personal. Look at all the threads in this forum, and you constantly read people trashing Downtown. Doesn't seem like much of a strecth for someone who is totally unfamiliar to assume the worst until informed otherwise.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by the one

the only real bad areas of downtown are the skid row streets. but you probably wont be there. other parts of downtown are perfectly fine. its also about how you look. look like a thug and get treated like a thug. meaning in downtown you will be feared, in the hood you will be targetted. most places are live and let live. in the deep hood it does get trickier. but common sense is a must where ever you go.
as for the zips. 90017 is west lake, pico-union, thats the *****hole of los angeles. once a great area, been through time times and re-emerging as a future transitional neighbor hood. in the meantime i would not move there. the other spots like 90018 are a mixed bag. there are some very nice traditional black neighborhoods in that area, but there are also some serious hoods. once you figure out where, or narrow it down, let us know and we can give you a better idea.

90026 includes Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Historic Filipinotown (although Silver Lake is split between 3 different zip codes and EP's split between 2) ; it ranges from really great to quite sketchy and everything in between.

[nickdahammer]

I can't speak for everyone who has been 'harsh' with posters. I CAN say that it gets really old, hearing the same hackneyed misperceptions. It actually becomes rather surreal, realizing that people have such an 'out-there' view of where I live, even if that impression is fed by the media or others.

And do we take it personal? Would a NYer take such criticism of NYC personally? You betcha, far more personal than any Angeleno in my opinion. We live here, many of us have bought homes, are involved in our neighborhoods, invested big time in this place. I've said it before but it bears repeating: this City is immense, diverse, bad, good, ugly, beautiful. I could live here until I'm 100 years old and not see everything L.A. has to offer.

Giving out a pat answers and advice for such a place is just not possible. I think it's more exasperation than harshness.

Originally Posted by AnthonyCburn

It amuses me how people can be so harsh when someone is obviously trying to get some genuine advice. I think the concerns of living in a city like LA are well-founded. As would be the concerns of living in any other major city you aren't from.


Seems as though people take it personal. Look at all the threads in this forum, and you constantly read people trashing Downtown. Doesn't seem like much of a strecth for someone who is totally unfamiliar to assume the worst until informed otherwise.