How bad is crime in LA really?

[watts up]

I use 2 stay on 52nd in central on the east side of south central l.a
in to tell you the truth every day it was a problem there gang bangers hanging out shoot outs in drive bys you cant never wear any colors because gangs now that i live in the bronx its still bad but not nearly as bad is east side south central thats like one of the worst place ever in u.s

[CaliDude1]

I worked at a middle school in Watts back in 2001. I took the train to work every day for about two years and got off at 103rd Street and walked through the neighborhood to work. I was never shot, beaten, robbed, harassed, or even bothered. This school is right across the street from the Hacienda Village Projects. I walked past them many days. Still, never a problem. I am not saying there are no problems there. But I never had any.

I also made sure to greet EVERY person that passed me with respect and look them in the eye. As I said, no problems. I have worked in Compton, also. No problems.

To me, the "hood" parts of L.A. are not as bad as some people think they are. Just the same, some of the "good" parts of L.A. are not as good as people think they are.

[happ]

Originally Posted by CaliDude1

I worked at a middle school in Watts back in 2001. I took the train to work every day for about two years and got off at 103rd Street and walked through the neighborhood to work. I was never shot, beaten, robbed, harassed, or even bothered. This school is right across the street from the Hacienda Village Projects. I walked past them many days. Still, never a problem. I am not saying there are no problems there. But I never had any.

I also made sure to greet EVERY person that passed me with respect and look them in the eye. As I said, no problems. I have worked in Compton, also. No problems.

To me, the "hood" parts of L.A. are not as bad as some people think they are. Just the same, some of the "good" parts of L.A. are not as good as people think they are.

Your experience is the same as mind. I worked for the probation department & counseled middle & high school gang members. We kept a close eye on these young criminals by going to their homes at least once a week to meet with the minor & parents. They have to call in to the police at 10PM & better be home or face going to juvenile hall. Almost every case was a very angry kid who had no father, lived in poverty & acted out in school. Jobs for both the parents & kid was our goal but that was several years ago. Lack of employment is definitely going to increase gang activity, I'm afraid.

[amebs2003]

Originally Posted by aj2007

So I read on here about how miserable LA is and how it's crime infested. How many of you have actually been robbed, shot at, or had your car stolen? I myself don't see immigrants as a problem so that's not a negative for me. State where you live in LA and if you've had problems there. I know of course that South Central LA will definitely have crime problems but let's get real how bad is the West side. I mean life isn't a movie people. This isn't Boyz n the Hood here. It's real life. You have to remember in a huge city crime will be a problem. No place is perfect and it seems that some people actually don't realize this. In an area with about 10 million people some stuff is going to happen. I think everyone knows that but come on!

I've seen some things like a guy getting shot in the head (he survived) and a lot of fights. I've been held up at gun point also.

All of that aside, LA is not that bad as long as you know where the bad parts are. It's not like gang members are posted on every block. Some of it is hype where people think that LA is just a war zone; there are bad areas and good areas like all counties.

[nori_garsi]

Originally Posted by CaliDude1

I worked at a middle school in Watts back in 2001. I took the train to work every day for about two years and got off at 103rd Street and walked through the neighborhood to work. I was never shot, beaten, robbed, harassed, or even bothered. This school is right across the street from the Hacienda Village Projects. I walked past them many days. Still, never a problem. I am not saying there are no problems there. But I never had any.

I also made sure to greet EVERY person that passed me with respect and look them in the eye. As I said, no problems. I have worked in Compton, also. No problems.

To me, the "hood" parts of L.A. are not as bad as some people think they are. Just the same, some of the "good" parts of L.A. are not as good as people think they are.

I had a similar experience. I worked in Watts across from Nickerson Gardens. I never had a problem. I made a few visits to my student's houses, once at night, I had no problems. I occasionally shopped at the Food-4-Less on Wilmington for supplies I needed for projects and we would eat out at restaurants nearby on Staff Development days. It has it's problems definitely, but I don't think it's as bad as it is made out to be.

In all the years I worked there only staff member experienced violence...she was robbed at knife point while she was in front of the school on a smoke break. It was scary but those kinds of things happen everywhere, not just in places like Watts.

I agree with the respect thing. For the most part, if you show respect to others and mind your own business you should be fine.