a Word from Compton, CA (Santa Monica: live in, dangerous, gangs)

[antredd]

I was born and raised in Compton CA. I have the birth certificate to prove it saying, birthplace Compton, CA. I was born at Dominguez Valley Hospital before they closed it in the early 80s, right off of the 91 freeway bordering North Long Beach. I went to Bursch and Tibby Elementary Schools, Davis Jurnior High school, and graduated from Compton Senior High School in 1985, and I AM PROUD TO SAY I AM FROM COMPTON.

Compton has a bad reputation that I won't argue against, but many areas of Southern California are OVERRATED and have become very similar to Compton too. Hummm let me name a few....Gardena, North Long Beach, Carson, Lynwood, Hawthorne, Paramount, Lakewood, Inglewood, and Bellflower. All of these towns at one time were predominately white, middle class, and with low crime. Today these areas have a more larger black presence, graffitti, gangs, and an influx of immigrants coming from south of the border where 3-5 families are squeezing in 500-900 sq feet homes that were originally designed for a single family, WHICH WAS THE SAME EXACT THING THAT HAPPENED TO COMPTON IN THE 70s and 80s.

Let's look at the inland empire where I live now. Corona, Fontana, Perris, Moreno Valley, Rialto, San Bernardino, Chino, Ontario, Lake Elsinore, and Victorville are areas (some highly overrated than the others) but have big gang problems very similar to Compton. Some of the unincorporated areas of Riverside County like Quail Valley, Homeland, Romoland, Mira Loma, Mead Valley just to name a few are your meth lab hubs where you would be afraid to drive through those areas during the day. But no one talks as negatively about those cities and areas of the I.E. as much as Compton because those are areas that are growing where home builders are wanting people to buy their homes.

I live in an unincorporated area of Riverside County, just north of Murrieta/Temecula area called Menifee. When I tell people where I live, they tell me how nice Menifee is. I am dumbfounded when I hear that simply because Menifee has been this lilly white area, no crime, not many minorities, and because of that people deem it nice. This is an area that has only one shopping center, and they are building a larger one west of the 215 freeway to accommodate the growth that has happened in the area. But it's an area, if I am going to keep it real, for people who can't afford Orange County, Murrieta, Temecula, and San Diego, and they hope to live there long enough for their homes to appreciate so that they can move to those nicer established areas with better schools. Also, Menifee is just 10 minutes south of Perris an inland empire area very similar to Compton with gangs, low income residents, and crime. Yet you wouldn't know it from the large 3000 sq foot new homes that they are building in that area.

What gets me too is when I tell people that I am from Compton, it's as if they feel sorry for me that I had to grow up in such a terrible place. I know people who grew up in much nicer areas and are now living in some of the worst areas. Growing up in Compton FOR ME was the best experience I could have had simply because it kept me grounded and not stuck up. Southern California is an area all about keeping up with the Jones and you are labelled by your area code and zip code, and if you don't live in the right one, some people will turn their noses up at you. How sad that there are people in other countries who would love to have a house in Compton or any area in the USA we deem the ghetto to live in since they basically live in a shack and don't have running water or even a floor to live on.

Compton has become notorious for being the city that we call the worst place to live, to go to school, and to raise a family when many similar sized cities in southern California are becoming just as bad, but WITHOUT THE NEGATIVE PUBLICITY.

Since I was raised in Compton, I was never shot, no one in my family was shot or killed, and no one was jumped into a gang. Everyone in my family graduate from Compton High School. If you have a family with strong work ethic and christian values, those are the families in Compton that appear to make it and move out of the city if they choose to do so. My dad used to own a business in Compton. My grandmother moved to Compton in 1963 where my mother and her entire family grew up and went to school. Also, my mother worked in Compton's public schools as a cook, and I taught 5th, 2nd, and 3rd grades in Compton for 8 years. I can drive through Compton at 2 am in the morning and feel just as safe as I would driving through Beverly Hills. Then again maybe I wouldn't feel safe driving through Beverly Hills at 2 am in the morning, can't be stoppped on a DWB...ha ha ha.

Many of the people who want Compton to stay ghetto, inner cityish are the ones who want to be your gangsta rappers and criminal minded people who are still caught up in that old Compton gangsta time warp. I grew up in Compton when Nutty Block, Swamps, Santana Block, Tragnew Park Crips just to name some of the gang members I attended Compton High with would fight and shoot at each other on campus when we changed classes. The reality is that you are what your environment makes you, but you can still choose to do what is right. I did and I am one SUCCESSFUL Compton statistic overlooked and overshawded by all of the negative things that people enjoy looking down upon Compton for.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by antredd

I was born and raised in Compton CA. I have the birth certificate to prove it saying, birthplace Compton, CA. I was born at Dominguez Valley Hospital before they closed it in the early 80s, right off of the 91 freeway bordering North Long Beach. I went to Bursch and Tibby Elementary Schools, DAvis Jurnior High school, and graduated from Compton High School in 1985, and I AM PROUD TO SAY I AM FROM COMPTON.

Compton has a bad reputation that I won't argue against, but many areas of Southern California are OVERRATED and have become very similar to Compton too. Hummm let me name a few....Gardena, North Long Beach, Carson, Lynwood, Paramount, Lakewood, Inglewood, and Bellflower. All of those towns at one time were predominately white, middle class, and with low crime. Now those areas have a more larger black presence, graphitti, gang, and an influx of immigrants south of the border where 3-5 families are squeezing in 500-900 sq feet homes that were originally designed for a single family, WHICH WAS THE SAME EXACT THING THAT HAPPENED TO COMPTON IN THE 70S.

Let's look at the inland empire where I live now. Corona, Fontana, Perris, Moreno Valley, Rialto, San bernardino, Chino, Ontario, Lake Elsinore, and Victorville are areas overrated but have big gang problems very similar to Compton. No one talks that negatively about those towns as much as Compton because those are areas that are growing where home builders are wanting people to buy their homes.

I live in an unincorporated area of Riverside, County, just north of Murrieta/Temecula area called Menifee. When I tell people where I live, they tell me how nice Menifee is. I am dumbfounded when I hear that simply because Menifee has been this lilly white area, no crime, not many minorities, and because of that people deem it nice. But it's an area, if I am going to keep it real, for people who can't afford Murrieta, Temecula, or San Diego yet, and they hope to live there long enough for their homes to appreciate so that they can move to those nicer established towns south of Menifee. Also, Menifee is just 10 minutes south of PErris an inland empire area very similar to Compton with gangs and high crime. Yet you wouldn't know it from the large 3000 sq foot new homes that they are building in that area.

It seems as if Compton has become notorious as the city that we call the worst place to live, to go to school, and to raise a family when many similar sized cities in the area are becoming just as bad, but WITHOUT THE NEGATIVE PUBLICITY.

Since I was raised in Compton, I was never shot, no one in my family was shot or killed, and no one was jumped into a gang. If you have a family with strong work ethic and christian values, those are the families in Compton that appear to make it and move out of the city if they choose to do so. My dad used to own a business in Compton. My mother worked in Compton's public school as a cook. I can drive through Compton at 2 am in the morning and feel just as safe as I would driving through Beverly Hills. Then again maybe I wouldn't feel safe driving through Beverly Hill at 2 am in the morning, can't be stoppped on a DWB.

Many of the people who want Compton to stay ghetto, inner cityish are the ones who want to be your gangsta rappers and criminal minded people who are still caught up in that old Compton gangsta time warp. I grew up in Compton when Nutty Block, Swamps, Santana Block, Tragnew Park Crips just to name some of the gang members I attended Compton High with would fight and shoot at each other on campus when we changed classes. The reality is that you are what your environment make you, but you can still choose to do what is right. I did and I am one SUCCESSFUL Compton statistic overlooked and overshawded by all of the negative things that people enjoy looking down upon Compton for.

who were some of your teachers at compton high? do you remember miss jenkins or mrs. sneed? how about mrs. funderburk or mrs. kemp?

[Vicman]

Will Compton get thugs from the Westside?

This article states that many L. A. street punks and city thugs are leaving the L. A. Westside and settling in Inglewood: Gangster's Paradise Lost - Los Angeles CityBeat

I wonder if Compton will get any of those bozos.

[antredd]

I remember all of those teachers, but I didn't have any of them.

I had coach Campbell for gym
Mrs. Hickman
Mr. Johnson
Mr. Bodle
Mr. Koistra
Mr. Fowler
Ms. Ryan for Spanish
Mr. Sutton
Coach McCucheon Trig and Calculus
Mrs. Danzler English

[princesspolamalu]

Originally Posted by THASPECIAL

So you can't answer the question?.....i really dont hate black people at all.....i am around more blacks being in the south.....but i just wondered why "most" younger blacks from ghetto areas wont admit they like rock or anything else but hip-hop or r&b....im not just saying that blacks are this way but most young people.....i think u misunderstood.......or maybe i typed it in a wrong way but my question was basically saying why do more innercity people have so much pier pressure to say they like one style of music....i know its not true because some of my black friends admit to liking other stuff....and there are groups coming out with a mix of rock and rap and the groups are black.....and even some artists that are black will sometimes name off names of people that they listen to in which nobody would expect that in some situations.....my question is why are youth that are in the inner cities afraid to admit amongst thier friends that they will listen to something other than rap / hip - hop / r& b ?

I dont think this has anything to do with inner city youth being too afraid to addmit to anything......Inner city youth are not exposed to any other sort of music. How can they admit to liking music they know nothing about. I am an african american in my mid 20's that loves all types of music, but I must admit I wasnt really exposed to anything else until I was older. African American youth dont watch MTV......they watch BET......They dont watch TRL....they watch106 & Park......The only white people you will find on BET are Eminem and nowadays Robin Thicke.....thats it. The youth are not to blame they dont know any better.

[THASPECIAL]

Originally Posted by princesspolamalu

I dont think this has anything to do with inner city youth being too afraid to addmit to anything......Inner city youth are not exposed to any other sort of music. How can they admit to liking music they know nothing about. I am an african american in my mid 20's that loves all types of music, but I must admit I wasnt really exposed to anything else until I was older. African American youth dont watch MTV......they watch BET......They dont watch TRL....they watch106 & Park......The only white people you will find on BET are Eminem and nowadays Robin Thicke.....thats it. The youth are not to blame they dont know any better.

I guess it does have to do with your influences growing up....you are right...but i do notice there is more pressure on kids in the innercity because they really make fun of the next kid if the next kid is listenening to something the "crowd" doesnt agree with.....there might be an arguement that would end up in a fight over a type of music so everyone gives in to the pier pressure....i know when most people like you grow up and get to experience different things in music without a crowd judging then you really start to like other things but i do see why alot of youth from the inner city are like that now......i grew up in Miami and always saw people getting picked on or getting into a fight if they didnt like hip-hop.....ect.....

[Kat Daddy]

Originally Posted by zirak_90

As I said, the facts he said was just from this site.
I have never been in Compton but still I know so many things about it like:

1. Blacks used to be majority there but hispanics are majorities nowadays

2. Even though it's dangerous today Compton was much worse during the crack epidemic with 1993 as it's peak with 90 as murder rate.

3. The city is enough safe during the days while u shouldn't even thinking of driving through there during night.

4. About 13.5% of the inhabitants are unemployed

etc.


And the biggest reason I know that he lies is because he said that there are a lot of murders while there aren't that many rapes. How can he know that there aren't many rapes unless he just checked the reports on this site? And I'm pretty sure the rape rate is much higher than the crime report says because a lot of them don't get reported. It's pretty obvious this kid just looked at the facts on this site and then says he's from Compton.

Anyway, you all may still have doubts but I guess I just can't convince you. Doesn't matter that much though, good bye!

Compton suffered through the Crack era just like any other city in the U.S. did at that time. Only it coupled Crack and gang violence like any other city in Southern California.

[NYTERYDA]

Originally Posted by Kat Daddy

Compton suffered through the Crack era just like any other city in the U.S. did at that time. Only it coupled Crack and gang violence like any other city in Southern California.

i agree for the most part, but the cpt went through hell druing the crack hey days of the 80's. the reason why is that its so much hoods in certain areas all fighting over territorys i remember going to compton alot during the late 80's and 90's and it wasnt a nice place to be in at all. come to think of it a gang of cities in south cali was grimey back in them days.

[neversaydi]

Hello,
I am working on a documentary about conflict. I have heard, but am unsure, about particular areas in Compton where people who are not from the area should not go, like the cops won't even go there. I'm looking for a place where there's an invisible line in the street, and people who are in the know won't cross it, or find consequences.

I'm not being disrespectful in any way, I totally love the honesty in your post. I think you're just the person who can help me find the real information I'm looking for, so I can narrow my search parameters.

Thanks!

[sui8ide]

I agree with all said thus far. Just remember, from small town America to HUGE cities the moral fabric of our country is shredded. We have went from no locked doors to bars on the windows. Pulling in our 2 car garage entering the side of our home out to our 8 foot privacy fenced backyard. We don't know or want to know each other anymore. Most serial killers are from mid-town America. You can get slashed anywhere.