Compton - is it all bad? (fit in, crimes, neighborhood)

[^^^Pj151^^^]

i have lived in compton for 27 years, and i have heard my share of gunshots, and even had a friend who was shot in the face becuase he wore the wrong stuff at the wrong time. the message is that if u mind your own buisness and wear white youll be ok in the out skirts. but obviously if your in the area and the neighboring cities you should have a purpose being there. gangs in south LA know who is living there and who is just driving by to see if the roumors are true they can tell if your from there or not. and last you aare not to make eye contact with anyone.

[Guerilla]

I have been in Compton before. I am black and it was around 7 PM and was just getting dark. We were coming back from Manhattan Beach, and I really had to go and pee, so we stopped at a gas station and I did my business inside. The sun was just going down, too. I have relatives in Southern California that will refuse to even get off the freeway for even a snack because they are so paranoid about Compton and that area. They say "once we get close to Westminster, then we will stop." Compton doesn't scare me at all. I wouldn't live there, but driving through in the daytime is not that bad. A lot of visitors to Los Angeles from LAX see Inglewood anyway (when they leave the airport). They just don't realize they are in it.

[staVros42o]

Originally Posted by dennismpat

Compton is less than 10 miles west from where I live. As such, my local mall (Lakewood Center Mall), is visited frequently by Compton residents. Some shoppers were starting to feel a little uncomfortable with these "gang-banger" types coming to shop there, so the Sheriff's Department started maintaining a very visible presence by having both foot patrols and a community center inside the mall. (Car thefts are common there. The worst thing that happened there was when a man waiting for his family while inside a parked Lincoln Continental in the parking lot was shot and killed back in the mid 90s.)

With Christmas around the corner, there are going to be many more residents from Compton, Lynwood, Paramount and North Long Beach frequenting the Lakewood Center Mall. I personally don't have a problem with them whenever I go there, as long as I'm minding my own business.

I just moved from san pedro to north long beach by the 91 freeway and paramount blvd. the lakewood mall is the first place i went and its very nice, alotta good lookin females in there...but i miss san pedro. its a whole different feeling when you know half the people in your city and you see familiar faces everywhere you go.

[Ducktales]

Originally Posted by RedNC

Do you actually think that just because you are "African American" you can just walk anywhere in these areas without any worries?
You may want to rethink things. Black on black crime is a huge problem in these areas.

You said it. That newulm guy needs a reality check. Them blacks over there in Compton would think nothing of putting another black person in a cemetary. Its that simple. Some of those blacks over there are worse than the KKK. I am black so I know what the heck I'm talking about.

Newulm, here is some advice don't go over ther unless you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO! Got It?

[la213]

Compton is very very dangerous. I have a lot of family in compton and I visit them every summer but it is no place that you would want to go to. Gangs rule compton and everybody knows somebody that is in a gang. There is always drive by shootings,killings, robberies, and gang wars. It is all about a gang trying to protect their territory. You have no business going to compton unless you live there, have family that lives there,work somewhere there, or you accidently get loss and your there. But other than that don't go there to think your cool or something cause you very well could get yourself shot. Don't wear blue or red of course because those are the gang colors of the crips and bloods. Just don't go there if you don't got no business going there no matter what race you are. Now compton's racial makeup is 60% mexican and 40% black. So yes compton is very bad and do not go there.

[Keithns]

When I lived in Manhattan Beach years ago, each square foot of property was the highest in the price in the nation. At the same time, nearby Compton had the highest homicide rate in the nation.
Marine Ave. used to go west from from Manhattan Beach and changed to Compton Blvd at Aviation Ave. They renamed it so that Marine Ave. went much farther east.
I was once driving through a part of Compton where there were a lot of bars on the windows of the houses. I saw this brick house which someone had plugged up the two front windows with more bricks and left only a horizontal slit near the top of those two windows. Looked sort of like a small fortress.

[dnnx]

All this stuff makes me laugh,

Ok Compton does has it problems, and there are some bad areas, but not all of the city is bad.

Yes there is alot of Black on Black violence, but they are looking for it. If you stay on the main Blvds. and Streets, the shopping centers, etc. you wont have any trouble, no matter what you wear. All that Bloods vs Crips is mostly bs now. I have an OG Blood that works for me, he has OG Crips come by and visit, talk remember the "Good Ol' Days" when they where trying to kill each other, but now that the are in their 40s they are not into that stuff anymore.

Compton has changed from a mostly black city to mostly hispanic. The people that have moved in the last 10 years are mostly middle class is hispanics and dont have anything to do with gangs. Many have moved in because of the undervalued houses, these new people are homeowners, they care about their community. As a result, housing has gone up in the last few years, its next to impossible to find a house here for less than $400k, My parents hosue is probably in $550k+
If you drive down my street, and not look at the city name, you wouldnt know what typical middle income community in LA.

I have lived in the city for almost 20 years. And have had no real issues. We have never broken in to , never had cars stolen, or stuff like that. About 5 years ago, when I had my computer biz, I would have deliveries at my house, and UPS will just leave them at the door. $5-20k worth of equipment just sitting there, nothing will happen to it.

Now I do admit that the experience of an African American and an Hispanic are different in Compton. Most Hispanics that are coming in are middle-upper middle class, while most african americans that live there now are lower-middle middle class. The way of thinking and the way of life of each groups is different.

Really now, what the city really needs is a name change, so all the bad vibes that are associated with "Compton" can be eliminated or lessend at least. It is a completely different city than it was 20, 10 even 5 years ago.

[ferretkona]

My family lives in Lakewood, my brothers 82 El Camino has been stolen three times. Twice he chased the thief down the 91 to Compton, the third time the police had found it in Compton.

He sold the truck a few years ago. I would not want to break down in Compton. But as Dnnx has mentioned, when property values increase the neighborhood will as well.

[proteus]

Originally Posted by shoreline bound

Well, yeah, it is as bad as you hear! Not a place for an outsider to just go cruising through.

I used to live in North Carson which touches Compton. Fact: In the 90s, the one block neighborhood where my mom still lives had a minimum of one killing per year for a 6 year time period. One year, a young man got shot in front of his home and the next year, his twin brother also got killed.

And North Carson is a "safer" (if you can call it that) community than Compton.

Compton is pretty rough, but North Carson is considerably safer. Have a look here
Livingchoices.com: Real Estate - New Homes, Homes for Sale, Apartment Rentals (http://www.livingchoices.com/community/communitydetails.aspx?mid=4480&zip=90746 - broken link)
and you'll find that the 'North' Carson zip code of 90746 has a lower crime rate than most cities in the country. Plug in Laguna Beach's 92651 at the end of the URL and you'll find the North Carson's crime rate is on par w/ million dollar Laguna Beach. Amazing - a neighboring city, but worlds apart.

[hgclyde]

Compton does have some serious problems I would pick up my niece to visit her grand parents in Hawaiian Gardens from time to time an I was scared (considering I'm black any way.)I didnt feel safe. It isn't just crime the politicians were crooked. The former mayor and city council is serving a 2 year jail terms. and A Failed Auto mall at the 91 freeway and a government take over to Compton Unified didn't help either.

There are some bright spots Local control of Compton Unified happened three years ago, Warehouse jobs remain. Builders have been building new homes,and the former Compton Auto Mall is being Replaced with Gateway Center with Target home depot(or is it Lowes) this should be ready by fall.
3 years ago Compton made a change with a New mayor who is a LA County Sheriff Sargent. There is change in Compton including by race its along way from the Bad old days but there new life with more to come.