It's amazing how much has changed.. (Highland, Atwater: home, neighborhood, live)

[Chicano3000X]

I spent much of my childhood in the neighborhood of Atwater. I loved real close to Chevy Chase Park. It was on the other side of my block. The area was run by the toonerville gang. At night you would often hear gunshots, and going outside was dangerous.

In 2009 we had raids. My friend across the street got his home raided. Over a year later, they got evicted and new people moved in. Today, it feels different. No gunshots, no signs of any guys from the neighborhood. One of our murals got painted over on Alger. And we got alot of Armenians now.

It's sad but a good thing about how things changed. Good because it seems the violence is over. Sad because it is a sign of the times. A sign that its really no longer a Latino neighborhood. It's being erased. We still have "The Boonies" cornerstone, Datchos restaurant, and a new Mexican restaraunt. Those are good signs. My dad came from Mexico with his family and they began their new lives in that neighborhood. Through the good and the bad, my neighborhood is just one of many parts of the city with hundreds of stories in every corner.

Now it doesn't feel like a neighborhood anymore. Strangers moved in, familiar faces are gone. Dead, in jail, or hopefully just moved out.
Like i said, its both good and bad. But it's life and forever changing. We had our time here, and I am glad I was part if it's history. Despite the negatives, we held down the Chicano culture for a long time. Unfortunately we let gangs give it all a bad name.
Just some pics I wanted to share of it. My goal is to atleast preserve it through photos.

Spoiler

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/17857_103903359630869_100000336165426_94155_633586 3_n.jpg (broken link)






This mural was unfortunately painted over.


The next 3 pics are of Datcho's. Or "La Azteca Restaurant" They only serve in the mornings though. But they got really good food there.
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/17857_103903426297529_100000336165426_94159_633593 2_n.jpg (broken link)

[DynamoLA]

It's interesting you posted about Atwater. We lived there for a number of years, and just moved away in 2010... we lived near Los Feliz Blvd (on the north sides of the Blvd., so not in "prime" Atwater). While we didn't live right in the middle of Toonerville area, we still saw the graffiti, and had to put up with the occassional all-night LAPD helicopter circling the house. I only heard gun shots once or twice.

By the time we moved a couple of years ago, North Atwater was on the upswing. It has gentrified in a way a lot of the communities around there have (including Silver Lake, Echo Park, and now moving into Highland Park).

Any reduction in gang violence and criminal behavior in that area is a very good thing for the decent families in that area. But I honestly don't see the "gang presence" departing totally from the Chevy Chase/Brunswick area any time in the near future. Never ate at La Azteca, but we did/do eat right across the tracks at Sauz Taco -- delicious burritos.

It's an area with a lot of potential -- central to pretty much everything in L.A., still relatively affordable, access to Griffith Park.

It's interesting that this area is/was crime-infested, and the LAPD equestrian unit is located there! Plus there is a very upscale equestrian "club" there. Strange dichotomy....

Thanks for the pics...

[Chicano3000X]

Originally Posted by DynamoLA

It's interesting you posted about Atwater. We lived there for a number of years, and just moved away in 2010... we lived near Los Feliz Blvd (on the north sides of the Blvd., so not in "prime" Atwater). While we didn't live right in the middle of Toonerville area, we still saw the graffiti, and had to put up with the occassional all-night LAPD helicopter circling the house. I only heard gun shots once or twice.

By the time we moved a couple of years ago, North Atwater was on the upswing. It has gentrified in a way a lot of the communities around there have (including Silver Lake, Echo Park, and now moving into Highland Park).

Any reduction in gang violence and criminal behavior in that area is a very good thing for the decent families in that area. But I honestly don't see the "gang presence" departing totally from the Chevy Chase/Brunswick area any time in the near future. Never ate at La Azteca, but we did/do eat right across the tracks at Sauz Taco -- delicious burritos.

It's an area with a lot of potential -- central to pretty much everything in L.A., still relatively affordable, access to Griffith Park.

It's interesting that this area is/was crime-infested, and the LAPD equestrian unit is located there! Plus there is a very upscale equestrian "club" there. Strange dichotomy....

Thanks for the pics...

No problem.

Ya, it's good that we go the gangs out, but it cost us the culture and the close knit feel

And El Sauz is amazing. I heard that last week they had cops surrounding the area and there was yellow tape. Did you here of anything happening there?