Will I die in Compton?

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by Beliy Plashik

Actually New York City has less crime then Los Angeles.

Who said anything about NYC? Utica is a city in Upstate New York.

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks for posting those photos! I think its neat for people to post photos of the areas that people do not want to venture into. We have a few "bad" areas here too, but our city only has a population of about 50,000 - but we are in a metro area, with a total population of about 450,000 - which consists of 3 larger cities of about 50K-60K each and smaller surrounding suburbs. I guess the most dangerous area here would be nothing compared to some really big cities, but on the north side of downtown here, where the projects are, it can get rough, as well as downtown @ night, when alot of vagabonds come out, etc. and hang down the alleys... I used to go through old downtown @ night, but it got bad for awhile, so I had started going home on East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, rather than Central MLK JR BLVD, which is in the old downtown areas... we have actually had three murders in the metro area within 3 days. I will post photos soon.

Originally Posted by soseisthehood

YEAH, COMPTON IS NICE COMPARED TO WILMINGTON, DELAWARE or The EastCoast period (Wilmington, DE Philadelphia, PA Baltimore MD New York City, NY Trenton, NJ Newark, NJ)
but i stay not too far from compton now!

[joe80seven]

I am completly disgusted and offended by some of the ignorence posted in this forum. I just found out about this site yesterday and after reading 10 full pages of ignorence I decided to sign up and post on the topic at hand. Are some of you serious about your descriptions of this city? You speak as though is Bagdad. I am a 20 year old male African-American who has lived in many cities within the LA county, poor and middleclass. I lived in Compton and a portion of South Central L.A. that was relatively close to Compton for a total of 8 years. I was fortunate to have a mother who kept me and my two younger brothers sheltered, however I doubt that we would have gotten into much trouble being that we were young kids who only played in the yard with neighbors. I've attended schools in Compton were I had good and bad experiences. Dealt with some rough kids but got a lot out of the public education system, which I was also offered to skip a grade and join AP courses. I understand that many areas of Compton or sketchy but I really am inferriated with some of you depicting my people as savage animals. And all the years of me living in this neighborhood. I have heard gun shots (late at night) but never have I seen a gang memeber open fire on random innocents or on a blouvard of people. I don't doubt that incidents have occured where innocent people have been harmed by gang violence. But lets be real this is'nt Grand Theft Auto (video game). The Compton I know closest to Downtown Compton/Central/91 Freeway/Near Carson area has been preety safe. Wether I was driving through or walking into a shopping complex or a barber shop. Did you know that there is a really nice library next to the Compton Courthouse? There is a big shopping center also and this is all on Compton Blvd. Near Compton High. To the original poster I suggest you conduct your interview in this area. Despite what some have suggested earlier there are decent people in Compton. Did you all know about the new shopping center on Alameda built right off the 91 freeway? There's banks, Target, Best Buy, etc. You can feel safe there doing your interviews also. Every year there is a parade on Compton Blvd. for Martin Luther King's birthday where people come out to enjoy with no gang problems. So I wouldn't listen to half of these people who's idea of Comton probably stems from their opinions formulated from the 10 o'clock news back in the 80's-90's, or what they've seen or heard in a rap song. A lot of people stay in these neighborhoods not because they are poor and cannot afford to move else where. Hell there are decent places for cheap if not cheaper and somewhat more decent neigboring cities. Most of the people liveing in these areas own homes which they have lived at for years. Why should these people be terrorize and give up what they worked hard for to earn because of gangs? So lets also throw out this myth that everyone living in these neigborhoods are dirt poor. I know I've went on for awhile but I just needed to speak my peace. Also to the original poster. I don't know if you will see this message being that this thread is old, but if you do see this feel free to contact me and I will be glad to help you with your project. And please don't listen to some of these ignorent comments made by people who have obviously never stepped foot in Compton nor the county of Los Angeles.
-Joe | joe80seven@verizon.net

[Tennesseestorm]

Yeah, I agree- there are good and bad areas everywhere. Even the lowest crime areas could have things happen you would never imagine... its so crazy out there, its dangerous all over- not just south LA.

I live in NE TN, with a population of about 50,000 in our city, but 400,000 total metro in a 40 mile radius- this is normally a quiet place when compared to the monster big cities out there and this is something that is not that common around here, but we do have shootings and murders- but I do not recall one in this area in awhile of this severity. This happened this morning only about 6 miles northwest of my house and 2 miles from where I work! Four people are dead, as well as the shooter. It was later told it was a "love triangle gone awry. They said it was a gruesome scene. This is a place I drive by daily when going to and from work. This is on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. BLVD and Ash St. I am still amazed this happened.... you never know though.

From our local CBS station:
UPDATE 6:25 p.m.: Victims Named In Edgemont Towers Shooting, Suspect Allegedly Took His Life. - News - TriCities.com

From our local NBC station:
WCYB NewsCenter5

[pureid]

Not only is it a bad idea because of safety issues, but it is actually a very condescending and obnoxious proposition. A White foreigner coming into a deeply impoverished and underprivileged community to chat with some locals as though they are animals in a cage is insulting and degrading. Given that you're an Aussie, I would not expect anything different. Why don't you instead examine all of the racism that exists in your own country?

[Criss1956]

Originally Posted by pureid

Not only is it a bad idea because of safety issues, but it is actually a very condescending and obnoxious proposition. A White foreigner coming into a deeply impoverished and underprivileged community to chat with some locals as though they are animals in a cage is insulting and degrading. Given that you're an Aussie, I would not expect anything different. Why don't you instead examine all of the racism that exists in your own country?

That's right. You tells him how it is: You have to consider the safety issues. The USA is a free country, we have some bad azz POlice and a large percentage of our population is in prison. How dare a white person be so condescending and obnoxious? How can you come in to what should be a nice, safe area where we, as civilized human beings, conduct ourselves as civilized human beings. Then you insult us as though we are animals in a cage. How degrading!
I've heard that you Aussise's are very condescending, obnoxious and love to make fun of poor, impoverished, underprivileged black folk.
Yeah, that's right - tell em. You are making a good impression, to say the least! Tell him, stay in your on racist country and don't take a chance of being shot because you, as a white person, should not and are not allowed to come into a certain area of the Free United Stated of by God America. We were segregated up until the 1960s, but now, we've done moved from the back of the bus and will now pop a cap in yo azz if you are white and in our hood or if you are black and gots de wrong colors on and be in our hood.
Talk about progress!

[414Milwaukee]

Originally Posted by sdmlions

So if I drove through Compton would a gangbanger roll up and bust a cap in my a$$? Would I get car jacked or is it safe for me 2 drive through? I wanna take some photo's and do some interviews with people in the street, but I won't if my life is in danger...oh, and i'm white; but not american. Any ideas?

This is a dumb question. Why would you want to go to Compton? You just want a cool story for your friends? Obviously your trying to be hard because your location says inner city Columbus when you could just have Columbus?I can't bielive people are answering you. And for the record Columbus isn't that hard.

I hope this isn't a personal attack im just confused by sdmilions

[CESpeed]

Originally Posted by sdmlions

So if I drove through Compton would a gangbanger roll up and bust a cap in my a$$? Would I get car jacked or is it safe for me 2 drive through? I wanna take some photo's and do some interviews with people in the street, but I won't if my life is in danger...oh, and i'm white; but not american. Any ideas?

Yes. Stay out of Compton. Those of us who aren't white are scared of you. The only time White people come to Compton is to buy drugs. Please have the drug dealers come to your home and make their sales so they will leave and our children to be able to play in the street. Some us actually have jibs and are responsible citizens it's the traveling White drug buying person who makes Compton dangerous. If you weren't in Compton buying drugs, there wouldn't be drug dealers in Compton and there wouldn't be a need for gang drug wars.

Keep Compton safe! Have the drug dealers come to you!

[soxpacker]

Why would you want to do this? I think you've seen too many of those late 80s/early 90s movies (and one would be too many, btw).

And you're from Ohio? Hel-lo? Ever heard of Gary, East St. Louis and Detroit. You don't have to go to California...you dope.

[calipoppy]

It has always baffled my mind how people can speak out of ignorance regarding areas with which they have no first hand knowledge.

"Good" and "Bad" areas will always be relative terms, having different meanings for different people. Crime in LA is NOT restricted to one area over another. And there are many discrepanies related to truly accurate perceptions about "certain" areas. And, yes, I am going to blame the media for this.

In LA, the news reporting agencies(especially in the 80s and 90s) would place their news vans in lower income areas to catch the events that occurred to have the most sensationalized stories to lead their broadcasts. This did not mean that crimes weren't happening elsewhere in the city....it just wasn't being reported.

Affluent areas have many crimes that go unreported in the media because they have a larger stake in maintaining the "reputation" of their areas. They also have the media savvy to not speak to reporters when things do occur. Beverly Hills and West LA has quite a bit of crime in the area (robbery, burglary, assaults, auto theft, etc) however this will never make it to the 6 o'clock news...EVER. These areas

Santa Monica has had a few murders to occur recently (some would say that they is a serial killer undertone to the pattern) however, this is completely downplayed in the media.

There have recently been a few stabbings on and near Ventura Blvd in the Valley... these incidents have been downplayed as well. The Valley has also had an expansion of the number of illegal and Latin gangs in the last decade; not to mention the Armenian and Eastern Eurpoean gang members. Or the Russian Mafia in East Hollywood. Not to mention all of the crimes that occuring in the Inland Empire(Riverside and San Bernardino) due to the Meth Epidemic

So is there crime in Compton and other less affluent areas of greater LA, yes....is it exclusively centered in those areas, not necessarily.

I was born and raised in LA and I have been in nearly every neighborhood in Greater LA - I have had my car broken into and then stolen in affluent Rancho Palos Verdes and had my purse snatched in Beverly Hills. A friend that lives in Santa Monica has had her apt broken into (and she lives just south of Montana) On the flip side, I have parked my car on the street in South LA over a weekend and came back with no issues. Its all relative.