Los Angeleno

Can a region’s geography stigmatize its reputation? South Central Los Angeles is pretty much the answer. The area is located within the city limits in the Southwestern part of LA County.  

It’s a rectangular-shaped region placed like a puzzle piece in the heart of Los Angeles. According to a KCET report, it was renamed South Los Angeles in 2003. The area has undergone much unrest and racial oppression, which results in stereotypes by outsiders. 

Who would forget the article published by the UK’s Daily Mail in September 2016? The derogatory headline with a subtle hint of racial slur writes about the area where the mother of Meghan Markle resides.

An excerpt from the article: “Plagued by crime and riddled with street gangs, the troubled Los Angeles neighborhood that Doria Ragland, 60, calls home couldn’t be more different to London’s leafy Kensington. But social worker Ragland might now find herself welcoming a royal guest to downtrodden Crenshaw after Prince Harry was revealed to be dating her daughter…...”

It shows that the British press fails to make a clear distinction between the geographical and historical aspects of South Los Angeles—a derogatory statement without much research. In reality, Meghan’s mother lives in the Crenshaw neighborhood of View Park, an affluent part of the region.

South Central LA has a population of over 800,000, which many assume are predominantly blacks. That’s what the outsiders think generally. However, the region comprises different races enriched with culture that needs to be embraced instead of sidestepping because of the stigma around it.

Can it break the stereotype? Many people paint this region badly because of its location. They often stigmatize the area or see it mainly as the African-American community. But beneath it, the place has a different story to offer. 

Geographical Aspect Of South Los Angeles

The region is 51 square miles and has over twenty-five neighborhoods and five unincorporated areas. One of the attributes that makes this region invisible is because of the boundaries. It doesn’t have clean boundaries and determines mainly on the imaginary borders.

Take Historic South Central, a prominent neighborhood in the region that is 2.55 square miles. The area is bounded by Washington Boulevard, Vernon Venue, and Flower Street and runs along the historic Central Avenue to the east.

Central Avenue became the epicenter of African Americans after the 20^th century. The community-owned various business establishments and residences. It was also referred to as the “Black Belt of the city.” 

Another instance is Tom’s Market- A one-story high brown brick building located at the center of the infamous 1992 conflict caused by the Rodney King trial’s verdict. It’s away from the intersection of Normandie and Florence Avenues. 

It is situated within the imaginary borders of the South Central but geographically outside of the historic South Central. Leimert, Baldwin Hill, and Crenshaw neighborhoods are also located outside this perimeter. 

Transcending Geographic Limit Through Race

South LA demographics have changed massively. The early 1970s saw South American immigrants relocating to this region. The 1980s saw street gangs becoming more powerful and dominant in different areas. These attributes made the outsiders paint this region as notorious or ghetto. 

The Crenshaw Boulevard expands over twenty-three miles long with vehicles taking this route from Mid-Wilshire to North Via Central LA. The boulevard passes Crenshaw district, which includes affluent areas such as Windsor Hills and View Park. It ends in the Rolling area, which is also a wealthy location. 

Regardless, anywhere there are African Americans, the east side of Interstate 405 is culturally called ‘South Los Angeles.’ It also comes with a subtle hint of derogatory remarks. The same can also be said for border cities such as Compton, Long Beach, and Inglewood, which share similar demographics. These cities are not part of South Central geographically. 

Like in any place or area, the inhabitants of South LA live an ordinary life. Movies and pop culture may have shown a different image, but quite a contrast when it comes to reality. It’s not surprising that many have formed a notion of this region based on what they have seen in different forms of media. 

Mr. Ronald, a writer and doctoral candidate comments that South LA differs from other parts of Los Angeles. He said it’s a region comprising multiple types of citizens holding different job positions from higher levels to a simple designation. 

He also added the region is working class like any other neighborhood in Los Angeles. Furthermore, Ronald said that South LA is also home to well-known personalities like Ray Charles, Tina Turner, and Steve Wonder. 

Amidst prominent personalities residing in this region, violence, crime, street gangs, and illegal drugs exist. Since the African-American became the face of South Central LA, the community has suffered from stereotypes the most.

However, when we refer to the 2000 census, Latinos are the majority, comprising 87.2%. The black community makes up to 10.1 % of the historic South LA. Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, and Crenshaw district are the areas that are predominantly black. The affluent African-American resides in Ladera Heights, Windsor Hills, and Baldwin Hills, located on the West Coast. 

However, the place of African Americans in this region is continuously disappearing. Raymond, a South LA resident for almost seventy years, moved here from Texas in 1955. 

He states that the biggest issue in the Black community is selling properties the parents have left. One of his pals sold his grandmother’s house and moved to Moreno Valley. His friend lived rent-free in his grandma’s duplex but eventually sold off the property after she passed away. 

It’s understandable why some want to leave this area and start anew. Regardless, the region is not what it was years ago. Crime rates have declined by the early 2010s, police patrol has improved, and there is redevelopment. Various initiative programs to lower crime rates and gang activities have also started to improve the community. 

South LA may have witnessed some of the worst social unrest and racial oppression, but the region has thrived regardless. Outsiders may think of this place as a ghetto or area with gangs, but not many have seen it beneath the area. The region has more to offer than what it’s portrayed in the media.

People from different races and communities live in peace and acknowledge each other. Once seen as a Black monolith, South LA now comprises multiple races. With time, the existence of various races has somehow broken stereotypes. 

Of course, crimes and violence still exist, but they have improved than what it was years ago. People residing in these areas have no complaints, and most have said that their neighborhoods are quiet and peaceful. 

A Brief History of South LA And Its Culture

Historically, South Central LA has undergone complex changes that encapsulate spatial inequality. It’s a region that has witnessed some of the largest protests against racial oppression. Despite many unrests and racial wars, South LA has withstood against time.

The 1980s saw massive migration of Central Americans and Mexicans to the South Central. Due to economic instability, many have moved to this region. Despite the indifferences, peace between these communities was maintained as time passed.

Pre-WWII-South Central LA was diverse, like the Eastern neighborhood of Boyle Heights. Mexicans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, Japanese, and Blacks lived together as they were prohibited from residing where the Whites lived.

The region is an architectural delight with prominent historic places. For instance, there is an 80-year-old theatre with Spanish-style art deco in Leimert Park. As per culturela.org., this vision theatre was once run by Fox West Coast Theaters. 

Also, there is the famous Los Angeles Coliseum, which is the place of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. Furthermore, who can forget the Watts Towers? It is a  group of seventeen interconnected structures built by Simon Rodia, an Italian immigrant, which took over thirty years. 

Kendrick, a sixteen-year-old high school student, is pursuing software coding. He said the people are surprised that many reputed institutions are situated within the area borders of South Los Angeles.

Swiveling his gaming chair, he proudly said there are excellent universities and a Natural History Museum. Also, commenting on his neighbors, he said some are nice, while he grew up with some of them. He added that some are not safe.

It’d be unfair to paint the citizens of South LA as bad people or the region unsafe. The area is blessed with a Mediterranean climate and has fantastic neighborhood policies. In short, it’s an amalgamation of good and bad. 

One may encounter the Crips and Bloods gang in these areas, at the same time come across scholars, students, anime nerds, celebrities, doctors, and dentists. There are affluent families, as well as those that are struggling. 

Which city or region doesn’t have this socioeconomic disparity? Eventually, you have a narrow mind if you consider everyone in South LA to be avoided. They are not degenerate, nor are they hopeless. 

The answer may appear to be simple for some. But in reality, many people, including the residents of Eastside, struggle to give a correct and straight answer. Besides, a debate continues to rage as to where East L.A. starts because everyone has an opinion.

While some long-time residents mention a particular place, most new residents say they don’t know. Others are hesitant to say anything because they feel the question is a political one.

For instance, actor Leonardo Di Caprio, who grew up in East Hollywood and Echo Park, said he lived in East L.A during his younger days. However, most residents disagreed with that statement, and someone corrected him.

The reason why a white guy with blue eyes described the areas where he lived as East L.A. is because he couldn’t venture further east beyond there. Why? 

It may not be well-known to many new residents and youngsters, but Downtown L.A. was like a ghost town at night during the 1980s. On the other hand, people felt intimidated by areas such as Boyle Heights and Highland Park because they supposedly were filled with various gang members.

But there is one point to be noted, and that is Los Angeles didn’t come into existence in the 1980s or even the 1880s but in the 1780s. Black, white, brown, and Native Americans all had a hand in establishing Los Angeles. 

This new settlement was called “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles.”  When translated, it reads “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels,” it comprises present-day Downtown L.A.

So, for all those residents and curious people who regard the history of L.A. more than geography, designate Eastside L.A. in connection to Olvera Street, often considered the location where Los Angeles was born.

But with the scenery of L.A. changing rapidly, people make weird assumptions, too. Just recently, Sera Gamble, when talking about shooting locations for the Netflix series “You,” mentioned something along the lines of Leo Di Caprio. 

She said that if anyone truly wished to capture the essence of Los Angeles, they should begin in the east. However, by that, she meant the areas Leo Di Caprio also mentioned, namely the east of Silver Lake and Echo Park, and not the real Eastside.

With so many varied opinions from various individuals, it’s hard to come to a conclusion. That’s why it became necessary to do a ground report and find out what new and old residents had to say to the question, “Where does Eastside L.A begin?”

Silver Lake

Eddie Spaghetti, a homeless person for 22 years, earns his livelihood by selling things that he finds or that people give to him for five dollars. That’s why residents in the area also call him the $5 Guy.

On this day in January, he has a big smile on his face, and when asked where Eastside starts, he is quick to reply, “East L.A.” Next, I asked when he went there last, and he replied, “Yesterday, eating tacos at King Taco on Soto Street and Cesar Chavez.”

Next are two UPS drivers, Victor and Louis, parked near a former Silver Lake vegan and juice shop. When asked where Eastside starts, both had different opinions.

Victor said to go to Main Street in Downtown L.A. and head east, and that’s the beginning of Eastside. But Louis had another answer. According to him, it starts at “1st Street in East L.A.”

Echo Park

Archena, who originally hails from South Pasadena, was entertaining visitors from Oakland on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. She was standing in line at Konbi, and when asked where Eastside began, she hesitated and didn’t provide a straightforward answer.

According to her, it was a “political conversation,” and she wasn’t the right person to answer. However, she said she knows which part isn’t Eastside and mentioned two areas, Beverly Hills and Brentwood.

She was chatty and lively but didn’t mention many names besides the two. She owned that she was playing safe, and maybe that was a clever move.

DTLA

A group of young men were skateboarding near Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, also called “VAPA” by its students. 

The school is near Chinatown, and when questioned regarding Eastside, Alex, one of the young men, said, “L.A. Trade Technical College.” It was probably a joke, and he said that because he, along with his friend Nick, studied there.

Nick, on the other hand, said, “East L.A.” All the young men said “Spence” and pointed to another youngster when asked who was the best skater among them. 

Strange, but this Spence also had another answer to where Eastside begins because he said “Eagle Rock” and skated off. Another young man named James (he had great hair) said “Las Feliz” in a weird way, which made everyone laugh.

Boyle Heights

The neighborhood had a huge Jewish population in the past, but not so much now. It’s predominantly inhabited by Hispanics and Latinos and some white, black, Asian, and Jewish residents. 

Moni’s Party World is a shop for various party items. Eva, who graduated from Felicitas & Gonzalo Mendez High School, has been employed in the shop for around five years. 

When queried regarding Eastside L.A., at first, she wondered if it was between Boyle Heights and Commerce. But then she mentioned it’s “more east than Boyle Heights.”

El Norteño De Savy is a store that has been dealing in menswear for more than forty years. The store has also converted a considerable portion of its area for a card game known as Yu-Gi-Oh.

Two young men engrossed in the game had quick replies related to the game. But when asked regarding Eastside L.A., they said they didn’t know.

But since I wanted to know their thoughts, I asked what they think when someone says a party is on the Eastside. Their reply was somewhat hilarious. 

Andreas, one of the two boys, said they were introverts and stayed in the same spot. Jonas, his friend, agreed with that statement, and both confessed that they never wondered where Boyle Heights fits in L.A. regarding directions. 

But it was way different with Maria, who works as a cashier at the original Guisados. According to her, Eastside starts at Lorena St. She was firm regarding her point and said Boyle Heights wasn’t connected to Eastside.

Another long-time resident, Eduardo Garcia, who has lived in the area for more than 45 years, said that Eastside used to start at Boyle Heights, but now it begins at Lorena St. 

He explains it by mentioning a few things about the neighborhood but doesn’t exactly arrive at the point. But from his explanation, I did learn several things, like the lively older man was in the theater business and that he came from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Luis Vega, the City of Angels Tattoo shop owner, said Boyle Heights was where Eastside began in the past, but not anymore. But he ponders a bit and explains if you look in the west, there’s L.A., and when you look towards this side, it’s the Eastside.

A customer called Fatima had a different opinion. She said that Eastside starts at Indiana St.

Luis Vega’s two teenage sons were also in the shop, and when I asked them, Luis Jr. replied, “Whittier,” but his brother wasn’t sure what to answer as he never considered it.

Lorena Street

Javier smoking a cigarette in the Lorena Drive-In parking lot has a separate view. He disagrees that Lorena Street is the beginning of Eastside. He says that the east of L.A. River is where the Eastside starts, and the river is the divider. 

According to him, he judges things by what Mother Nature provides and not by what people say. He also says that Boyle Heights ends in Indiana Street, and East L.A. begins from there. But he disagrees that Eastside starts there.

Johnny’s Shrimp Boat

I headed towards the west and went inside Johnny’s Shrimp Boat, a restaurant a few blocks away. If you watched “Rampart (2011)”, which starred Woody Harrelson and Ice Cube, you must have noticed this restaurant. 

Two people were in the restaurant: Victor, who was working the Grill, and George, a customer. When I questioned them regarding the beginning of Eastside, they both replied differently.

The customer, George, said it started in El Sereno. But Victor disagreed and said it began after Lorena St. corrected himself and said, “Indiana, my bad.” When asked why, he said, “It is what it is.”

Indiana Street

I move back towards Indiana Street again and notice a mini market called Indiana Dairy. A friendly Asian lady in charge of the market chats with me, but when I asked where Eastside begins, she said she couldn’t speak or understand English well.

But I am not deterred by this since I want some answers, so try to obtain opinions from her customers. 

I met Raphael, who was scratching a ticket and had just won. As he entered the Indiana Market, I asked the all-important question, and he replied that Eastside began on this street. When asked why, he said, this place is Boyle Heights, and east of here is East L.A.

Another customer, Jose, was also trying his luck on the ticket. He was sitting in his classic car, a 1966 Mustang. When I enquired regarding the beginning of Eastside, he wasn’t sure but said it was Indiana or Lorena. He resides in the area. 

When he learns the question is asked because many people consider Silver Lake or Echo Park as the starting point of Eastside, he is amazed or even finds it hilarious. 

His exact words are “Silver Lake?”, “I’m lost on that one.”