Gangs neighborhoods and gentrification

[alexalonso]

Which gang neighborhood has seen the most gentrification?

I would where V13 and Venice Shorelines also Echo x Parque. In ExP area, there are white people walking around walking their dogs.

[Coup]

That whole Silverlake area and downtown. V13/Sholine area is crazy. The USC area has seen bits here and there but with that new project I expect it will change the look of that whole area.

[femun]

The East Hollywood area, Atwater Village and the Aliso Village area.

[xxx]

Venice, Downtown, Hollywood, West Adams..the jungles is next, once they break ground on that new project where the Crenshaw Swapmeet used to be...there about to pour millions into developing that area....that's why they been hitting them dudes with gang sweeps and federal indictments...they cleaning up making way....have to make the developers and investors comfortable.....

[advocate]

I'd add Sotel's neighborhood as well...Stoner Park used to have a Chicano mural & handball courts...now they took down the courts & replaced it with a skate park and painted over that mural.

Has Highland Park become gentrified as well? Are there hipsters up around there now?

[alexalonso]

- USC area has seen some, but not in the area where the gangs are. Harpys and Fruit Town have seen more USC students the last few years
- Downtown has completely changed since the 1980s, but there were only a couple gangs downton, 5th & Hill and &7th & Broadway 18th Streeters -
-

[Sentenza]

What i wonder is, how can there be gentrification when the real estate prices in LA/California are already ridiculously high? Whos supposed to live there with these prices?
I heard that in the USC area in the ghetto you pay 600/700 $ at least for a small studio apartment in a bad area.
I heard that from people who studied there, years ago.
If it gets gentrificated/more expensive/upgraded, who can afford that? Whos moving in there? Sheiks from Saudi Arabia?

[L Grindin]

It's interesting how these gentrification programs are planned years in advance. I was raised in the church that was next to the Crenshaw Swap Meet in the Jungles. As soon as the church - Maranatha Community Church - moved there around 1986 from Inglewood, the city and developers tried to get it out of there. But Maranatha held out for over 20 years as everyone else left, and they started to tear up the buildings and parking lot around the church. But a few years ago after the founder died, the city used imminent domain and forced the church out. Now the developers are free to do what they want.

When I was at USC in the late 90s/eary2000s, the area around it, and going into downtown, was nothing like it is now. Figueroa going into downtown was full of regular store, old buildings, etc. A professor told us that developers were working with city officials and buying up property between USC and the downtown/Staple Center area, because they wanted to remake the area with new development. Since then, USC expanded more across Figueroa, buying up and developing property along Figueroa, they're redeveloping University Village, L.A. Live was created, and the developers aren't finished yet.

What all that shows is that powerful people with money and influence will not allow anything to get in their way. The poor and powerless are left to fend for themselves when that happens.

[WLA PALMS]

Gentrification started in 1995 in West L.A. in the La-Cienega Heights. Fred Leeds bought a lot of property over there, evicting the majority of the pbg's and any of their allies who lived in the neighborhood. When me and my cousins were living on Bedford and Shenandoah street back in 95, that street was active!, going back and forth from the La-Cienega Heights to the Palms area, but when me and my cousins moved back on Shenandoah Street in 1998-2002, that building was active! It was the BFGC's, the PBG's, Long Beach Insanes, and some O.G. Harlem 30's living in that one building, but when Fred Leeds bought that building, EVERYBODY GOT EVICTED, except for the white people who lived above us and next door to us! Lmao, after the La-Cienega Heights got cleaned up, the rest of the city followed suit. Culver City got cleaned up, the Culver City 13's got evicted out their projects, then Venice got cleaned up, the white part of West L.A. by the W.L.A. police station where the Sotel 13's used to be at got cleaned up, and yes, the Jungles is next, I'm seeing Fred Leeds name on a few properties over there, and they finally tore down the rest of that lil run down strip mall along Santa Rosalia Drive, and the senior apts on Buckingham and Palmwood are finally finished, with residents moved in.

[WLA PALMS]

Yeah, they finally tore down the Maranatha Community Church building and the Crenshaw swap meet late last year, couldn't believe it because the Maranatha church was the last building left! I couldn't believe it when they finally tore down the swap meet!, but I'm hearing that the reason why the city or whoever is just now finishing up the demolition and restarting construction on developing that part of the Jungles is because Magic Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson pulled their money out of the deal, I was hearing some fraudulent shit was happening with that, and that's why Magic and Keyshawn pulled out, but then again, Magic was tryin' to buy a piece of the Dodgers anyway, that's why he sold the movie theater too. My aunt who works at CB Richard Ellis realty downtown was tellin' me she saw the development plans on that years before the developers started tearing that lil strip mall down, which started back in 06.

It's interesting how these gentrification programs are planned years in advance. I was raised in the church that was next to the Crenshaw Swap Meet in the Jungles. As soon as the church - Maranatha Community Church - moved there around 1986 from Inglewood, the city and developers tried to get it out of there. But Maranatha held out for over 20 years as everyone else left, and they started to tear up the buildings and parking lot around the church. But a few years ago after the founder died, the city used imminent domain and forced the church out. Now the developers are free to do what they want.

When I was at USC in the late 90s/eary2000s, the area around it, and going into downtown, was nothing like it is now. Figueroa going into downtown was full of regular store, old buildings, etc. A professor told us that developers were working with city officials and buying up property between USC and the downtown/Staple Center area, because they wanted to remake the area with new development. Since then, USC expanded more across Figueroa, buying up and developing property along Figueroa, they're redeveloping University Village, L.A. Live was created, and the developers aren't finished yet.

What all that shows is that powerful people with money and influence will not allow anything to get in their way. The poor and powerless are left to fend for themselves when that happens.

[WLA PALMS]

I remember when that big laundrymat that used to be next to the Maranatha Community Church was there. That laundrymat was notorious, I remember there were shootouts and fights in there all the time.

[L Grindin]

Yeah, they finally tore down the Maranatha Community Church building and the Crenshaw swap meet late last year, couldn't believe it because the Maranatha church was the last building left! I couldn't believe it when they finally tore down the swap meet!, but I'm hearing that the reason why the city or whoever is just now finishing up the demolition and restarting construction on developing that part of the Jungles is because Magic Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson pulled their money out of the deal, I was hearing some fraudulent shit was happening with that, and that's why Magic and Keyshawn pulled out, but then again, Magic was tryin' to buy a piece of the Dodgers anyway, that's why he sold the movie theater too. My aunt who works at CB Richard Ellis realty downtown was tellin' me she saw the development plans on that years before the developers started tearing that lil strip mall down, which started back in 06.

That's sad. Even though I don't go to church anymore, I have a lot of memories from that place. I was shocked at how bad the parking lot and area surrounding Maranatha looked when I drove past a year or two ago. But it was a sign of how bad the developers wanted that property!

[WLA PALMS]

Yeah, they started tearing down the rest of them buildings that were left on Santa Rosalia late last year, they finally tore down the Crenshaw Swap Meet like around October/November 2012, like I said, I was shocked because I thought they were gonna renovate the place. I remember way back in 88, 89, and 90, whenever I shopped in that Swap meet, them Jungle BPS's were DEEP as fuck in there!!!!, like they lived in that place! Lmao, all I saw was RED!, red khakis, red t-shirts and caps with the red cK shoes on lmao, yeah, Calvin Klein had their own version of British Knights for the bloods lol, while we crips wore them dark, navy blue British Knights with the big ass BK on the sides lol, good, crazy times tho.

Yeah, they finally tore down the Maranatha Community Church building and the Crenshaw swap meet late last year, couldn't believe it because the Maranatha church was the last building left! I couldn't believe it when they finally tore down the swap meet!, but I'm hearing that the reason why the city or whoever is just now finishing up the demolition and restarting construction on developing that part of the Jungles is because Magic Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson pulled their money out of the deal, I was hearing some fraudulent shit was happening with that, and that's why Magic and Keyshawn pulled out, but then again, Magic was tryin' to buy a piece of the Dodgers anyway, that's why he sold the movie theater too. My aunt who works at CB Richard Ellis realty downtown was tellin' me she saw the development plans on that years before the developers started tearing that lil strip mall down, which started back in 06.

That's sad. Even though I don't go to church anymore, I have a lot of memories from that place. I was shocked at how bad the parking lot and area surrounding Maranatha looked when I drove past a year or two ago. But it was a sign of how bad the developers wanted that property!

[TheAngels]

Downtown... wow in the past 10 years that place has exploded. Does the 5th & Hill gang even exist there anymore? I know they have a hood in Watts.

Wasn't there a hood right across the street from Staples Center? Back in the 90's before the arena & L.A. Live were built. I forget the name but I think they're on nomad status now -- still repping but hoodless.


And yeah, V13 & Shoreline hood. I still see their tags though.

[LAResident]

Downtown... wow in the past 10 years that place has exploded. Does the 5th & Hill gang even exist there anymore? I know they have a hood in Watts.

Wasn't there a hood right across the street from Staples Center? Back in the 90's before the arena & L.A. Live were built. I forget the name but I think they're on nomad status now -- still repping but hoodless.


And yeah, V13 & Shoreline hood. I still see their tags though.

The hood that was their where LA live is was 42LC

[advocate]

I think the hood you might be talking about near Staples Center was 42nd Lil Criminals...I think they used to be where that whole development is now.

[LAResident]

I know a lot of v13’s...that hood has changed a lot thru the years...they still out their....

[TheAngels]

Do V13s still kick it at Penmar Park? Every time I’m around Penmar Park I just see White people walking dogs and White girls skipping and kids playing tag.

[advocate]

I don't think they post up much at Penmar....they do tag up around there sometimes though. When they hit up it's usually near the park, in Oakwood, or by Venice high. But when I drive around I don't really see them posted. But they are still around. Their GS clique is probably the most active.

[LAResident]

They be more at the handball courts in the beach and few other spots I can’t disclose. Not much in penmar park anymore...