areas of compton/watts (Los Angeles: neighborhoods, living in, most dangerous)

[bristol20]

Could anyone please tell me wat the most dangerous areas or even roads are of compton, watts and surrounding areas. Please can you not include nickerson gardens, jordan downs or imperial courts as i have already heard about these. Thanks

[CelticViking]

i sometimes wonder if some of these threads that are started like this arent people looking to get a rise out of someone...if not, i apologize to the o.p...

i have found through going through these areas, that on most of the main streets you will be fine...lets take compton for example...long beach blvd, rosecrans, compton blvd, alondora, wilmington..etc...you will be fine...now if you go in the back streets or residential streets that might be a different story...same goes for watts, wilmington,central,impearial,etc...you should be fine...even 103rd is pretty open...just dont go down residential streets unless you have family or something...might not even get messed with on the side streets/residential streets anyway... but that is your call...as with anything, or anywhere 99 times out of 100 things will be fine...but you never know and that goes with anywhere...last year someone got shot right on imperial i believe at nickerson gardens...and imperial is a main street...ya never know, but most of that stuff is gang related...and not just random...

[bristol20]

thanks for your answer.

No im not trying to get a rise out of anyone, im just intrested in gangs in the usa and want to compare them to the gangs here in the uk. Ive heard about compton and watts through the media and thought that it would be a good start. I know they've had they're trouble in the past but i also know that the media often make them sound a lot worse than what they actually are thats why i was trying to get an answer from members of the public who actually speak the truth than the media who will do anything to make a story sound better

Do shootings happen on a daily basis here or yet again is that the media and gangster rap which suggests it?

[JohnG72]

No shootings don't happen every day.

And likely you will never witness one.

If you want the worst neighborhood of LA that is not one of the places you listed, check out Western Avenue from the 10 freeway south to the 105.

If you go at night, don't get out of your car.

[SloRoller]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

No shootings don't happen every day.

And likely you will never witness one.

If you want the worst neighborhood of LA that is not one of the places you listed, check out Western Avenue from the 10 freeway south to the 105.

If you go at night, don't get out of your car.

JohnG has fallen victim to the hype. I know that section the city intimately, having grown up around Manchester & Western and spending over spending over 30 years in that area. It doesn't even rate a Top-Ten-Worst-Neighborhoods-In-Los Angeles ranking.

Secondly, you're talking about a stretch approximately 5 to 7 miles long. That's not a neighborhood...that's SEVERAL neighborhoods, some nicer than others, some worse than others. I still walk the streets in my old neighborhood when necessary. I don't see any running shoot-outs or anything like that. By the same token, I wouldn't move my family into some neighborhoods in that stretch if I had other choices.

The worst neighborhood...not even close! John, you're painting with way too broad a brush.

[L.A. Diva]

Originally Posted by bristol20

thanks for your answer.

No im not trying to get a rise out of anyone, im just intrested in gangs in the usa and want to compare them to the gangs here in the uk. Ive heard about compton and watts through the media and thought that it would be a good start. I know they've had they're trouble in the past but i also know that the media often make them sound a lot worse than what they actually are thats why i was trying to get an answer from members of the public who actually speak the truth than the media who will do anything to make a story sound better

Do shootings happen on a daily basis here or yet again is that the media and gangster rap which suggests it?

I am just the person to give you my personal, first hand experience regarding Compton, Watts, and So Central L.A. I have lived through it all. I really am thankful to God that I really survived and did not get taken out like so many others, even a few young men that I knew, I'm talking about back in the early to mid 80's through the 90's. I was raised from age 11 in Compton, CA. I graduated from Compton High, things were rough, there were a lot of scary times and events that have transpired in my life growing up, which I attribute some to just living in the heart of the ghetto. I did resort to carrying a small 22 handgun in my early 20's, when I worked at a popular night club in L.A., after a guy tried to rob me, because he knew that we (the waitresses) got paid tips daily. I vowed to myself to never get caught "slippin" again after that moment. I kept my g*n in the car under my seat for many years (probably more that 10 years). I was not on a dark back street when this guy tried to rob me, it was evening but still daylight at a gas station on the corner of Florence & Crenshaw, in L.A. There was an ocassion when me and my boyfriend (at the time) were let's say, out of "our" area or territory. We were from Compton. I and he did not claim any of that gang style or affiliations, we were at an outdoor concert in Baldwin Hills (aka the Jungle). He and I were walking hand and hand minding our own business, when I was blatantly fondled by a real rough looking guy. He definitely was a gangmember, because he was representin' all over the place. He had on red leather Nike cortez shoes, red cordoroy Dickies and no shirt, because he was displaying all of his tattoo's, which included the word "Blood" on his chest in very big bold letters. He was looking to get something started with somebody. I didn't exactly have on jeans and a T shirt, it was summer and I had on some white "daisy dukes" and a mid drift hot pink shirt. I was rubbed on right in front of my guy and then the gang banger looked over at him and then walked on. It happened so fast, I looked at my guy and my eyes and expression were telling him "don't even react", "let it go". We walked on like nothing happened, because we wanted to live, then further on he was feeling "punked", because that guy got away with doing that. I told him "hey, you know what he got, and you know what we don't got. As you can tell that was a challenge to him, "whatcha gonna do" or "make a move". That was a really scary incident, things could have went a lot different, if he had of said one syllable or even looked at that gang banger wrong. If something had started, there is no doubt that they would have k*lled my guy or badly injured him or unfortunately "stomped" him, which is what gang members were really doing at that time and still do. The rest of his crew would have quickly joined in fighting my guy, they do this type of stuff to gain a rep.
I know Watts like the back of my hand, all of that stuff "NBC", "grape" St., fruit town. I have seen a few dead bodies on the street throughout the years. I saw this car load of guys run a White motorist off the road, they made him crash his car into a power line pole, and then they jeered out the window laughing at what they had caused.
Please note that the areas of L.A. that I am referring to are the South Central part. The far west parts of L.A., near UCLA and regions out that way are not in any way like what I have described. The things that I have shared with you are only tidbits of the dangerous side.
I have really just gave you a lot of history on what I experienced, someone else may say that they have experienced "peaches and cream". Overall, the gang violence these days is not AS bad (it's still bad and still does exist) as back in the late 80's & early 90's, in most part due to the "3 strikes law" that came into effect around that time. Oh, well, I hope this info gives you further knowledge on what you had mentioned in your post.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by CelticViking

i sometimes wonder if some of these threads that are started like this arent people looking to get a rise out of someone...if not, i apologize to the o.p...

i have found through going through these areas, that on most of the main streets you will be fine...lets take compton for example...long beach blvd, rosecrans, compton blvd, alondora, wilmington..etc...you will be fine...now if you go in the back streets or residential streets that might be a different story...same goes for watts, wilmington,central,impearial,etc...you should be fine...even 103rd is pretty open...just dont go down residential streets unless you have family or something...might not even get messed with on the side streets/residential streets anyway... but that is your call...as with anything, or anywhere 99 times out of 100 things will be fine...but you never know and that goes with anywhere...last year someone got shot right on imperial i believe at nickerson gardens...and imperial is a main street...ya never know, but most of that stuff is gang related...and not just random...

i have to agree with you. Even if the Op isn't just trying to start a heated debate, I think these questions serve little purpose. But, it is an open forum so I guess anything can be asked and anyone can respond..

Nita