Compton - is it all bad? (Los Angeles, Woodland: transplants, mover, homes)

[shoreline bound]

Today, November 26, there's a front-page article in the Daily Breeze newspaper (serves the South Bay), about that gated community, Dominguez Hills Village, with new single family residence homes that somebody has brought up. In actual fact, it's not Compton but North Carson, but touches Compton, and it's in the Compton Unified School District. (There are no new developments inside Compton itself.)

The article makes big ado about the fortress-like island jewel of 574 homes in an unsafe area. It is populated by doctors, government employees, professionals. The kids are in the Compton school district but families avoid sending their kids there and instead try to send their kids to nearby Torrance school district or even LA Unified (which in the area is really only a notch above Compton's), or private school.

However, the residents are aware and careful that their community, too, can easily degrade into ghetto. So they keep the rules extremely rigid. The question is when will this community disintegrate, and even with the enthusiasm of some residents who have rose-colored glasses, there is that fear that their community is susceptible.

There's another guard-gated community in Carson called Scottsdale that used to be upscale. It's still guard-gated but people joke it's to keep the residents locked up in there. Now it's gangbang territory and has higher per-capita crime than the rest of Carson. It didn't take long for the ghetto to creep in.

Just south of Dominguez Hills, there's a large area of nice houses called Del Amo. They still look nice. And the people there prided themselves in being a place of professionals and had ambitions of a family-oriented community. Hello --- the thug mentality took over, and alas, the place is crime-ridden and their middle and elementary schools have some of the worst scores in LA Unified, after only the true inner ghetto in South Central.

It's sad but that's how these things disintegrate.

[qwert1]

I don't know anything about Compton, besides for things I've read, but the way I look at it is, Compton seems like it's mostly just alot of gangs, shootings, and stuff. And even though there may be some "nice" parts, Southern California is huge, and I think you should be able to move a few cities over somewhere else, without any problems.
Compton is probably great for everyone who lives there, or has grown up there, and it's home to them.
So that's totally fine.. Let all of them continue to live their lives.
And if your thinking about moving there, I just say you should find somewhere else, and everything should be good..

[BENZBOY15]

A family friend works in the swimsuit buisness and for some reason had to go pick something up from a factory in Compton/South Central. She parked her BMW convertible outside then came back out five minutes later to find all of her windows, headlights...everything smashed.

Five minutes! At noon!

I've driven though compton and it's a hell hole. If that's the only place you can afford in SoCal, move to Mississippi.

[WooPWooP]

Well I dont know much about Compton eihter, first time I heard about Compton was threw the song of N.W.A(Straight Outta Compton), and since that they on I wanted to find everything about it. Then I heard about This two Albums Banging On Wax where Bloods N Crips is rappin on,most of this Guys R dead today,and they all lived in Compton.To be anoust, I dont know
wanna allow myself a Judgment over Compton,but what I heard so far, itz a place U better walk threw,or circle it befor U stay there!!

[fastfilm]

woopwoop, I tried to address your question on the topic thread you started. But overall, the reality of the violence of the gang culture entrenched in Compton is so much worse than its media portrayals that it's frightening what people unfamiliar with it believe. If anything, one should feel sorry for all the unfortunates living in so dangerous a place.

[Yodelady]

DO NOT GO THERE! It has one of the worst crime rates in the state of California.

[DontH8Me]

OK, I think many who posted responses to the original poster really didn't pay attention to the 1st and 2nd hand experience part.

I will tell you this - when I was assigned jury duty to the Compton Courthouse, everyone at my job gasped out loud whenever I mentioned it. People have some crazy idea that bullets are flying around perpetually and there is a rapist poised at each corner ready to strike. People, please! I knew one of the guys in IT who happened to live there, and the two of us had a good laugh about how everyone's misconception of the town is.

I have been a South Bay resident for almost all my life. I remember when Marine Ave was called Compton Ave - I believe they changed the name of a street because of the negative association. To be honest, as a caucasian female, I felt more vulnerable when I worked on the Promenade in Santa Monica than I did going to Compton. Learn this people - if you go looking for trouble, you will indubitably find it wherever you go! When I went to serve my jury duty, I was pleasantly surprised with how quiet, peaceful, and well maintained the area around the courthouse was. I think the original poster wanted to know about people's experiences because of all the hoopla associated with this city, and maybe go check it out himself.

In summary - if you really want to see it for yourself, you should. As with every community in LA area, there are good and bad parts of town. Stay in the better parts, and if you feel you need to high-tail it before the sun sets then I recommend that you not even bother to go day or night - the people in these areas you fear so much will sense your fear like a snake senses a timid bunny rabbit and then you will have self-fullfilled your prophecy.

[dusesean1986]

Originally Posted by DontH8Me

OK, I think many who posted responses to the original poster really didn't pay attention to the 1st and 2nd hand experience part.

I will tell you this - when I was assigned jury duty to the Compton Courthouse, everyone at my job gasped out loud whenever I mentioned it. People have some crazy idea that bullets are flying around perpetually and there is a rapist poised at each corner ready to strike. People, please! I knew one of the guys in IT who happened to live there, and the two of us had a good laugh about how everyone's misconception of the town is.

I have been a South Bay resident for almost all my life. I remember when Marine Ave was called Compton Ave - I believe they changed the name of a street because of the negative association. To be honest, as a caucasian female, I felt more vulnerable when I worked on the Promenade in Santa Monica than I did going to Compton. Learn this people - if you go looking for trouble, you will indubitably find it wherever you go! When I went to serve my jury duty, I was pleasantly surprised with how quiet, peaceful, and well maintained the area around the courthouse was. I think the original poster wanted to know about people's experiences because of all the hoopla associated with this city, and maybe go check it out himself.

In summary - if you really want to see it for yourself, you should. As with every community in LA area, there are good and bad parts of town. Stay in the better parts, and if you feel you need to high-tail it before the sun sets then I recommend that you not even bother to go day or night - the people in these areas you fear so much will sense your fear like a snake senses a timid bunny rabbit and then you will have self-fullfilled your prophecy.

Wow, what an EXCELLENT quote. I'm speechless.

[fastfilm]

This forum has become so hydra-headed that many excellent prior posts are lost in the sheer volume. Please go to the thread "ghettos" and read the second post by Lenore. I've only been a day-tripper seeking freelance jobs in Compton businesses: Lenore had a touching, personal story to tell us about living in the area. Great post.

And donth8me, please rethink that "blame the victim" mentality. All urban dwellers nowadays have street savvy, and as such, crime victims aren't timid bunnies, they're just plain unlucky statistics of probability.

[hedgefundpirate]

Years ago when I was in college I tutored a young man whos brother was a very very good football player from compton.The football player was shot by a gang member who thought he was in a rival gang because he had a Braves hat on.The kid just liked the braves and got killed for nothing.He probably could have been in the pros if he had lived in a descent area of town.That is about what compton is a mix of poor people and the thugs who victimize them.I would like to run a bulldozer through that area.I wish the real estate developers would.They could make mixed income developments and improve it 1000%