OK, so here's the thing...

While on one side of where I live you get the pics below, on the other side you get this:

Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach

The Pacific Ocean at Venice

It's just that I live in a place that is very diverse within just a few miles. One can be in the heart of the ghetto or in the midst of high glam in the span of about 20 minutes.

random week

1. Eight-Trey territory - pizza
So we went to this pizza joint in South Los Angeles called Jino's. We thought it'd be OK - and it wasn't too far, just east on Manchester a couple miles. It wasn't bad and we got a large cheese pizza with peppers AND an order of wings for B - and while we were waiting for it, B had a beer.... and it was all something like $11. Across the street is illustrated in the photo. Businesses right next door to each other have different area codes. Additionally, we were right in the middle of Eight-Tray gang territory.  Yep, we did see some guys in blue walking into the liquor store across the street or riding around on a bike.
 
2. Walgreens in 4 gang territory
Couple days later I went to a Walgreens closer than the one on Century (in former Crenshaw Mafia Gangster Blood territory in an area of Inglewood formerly referred to as The Bottoms) and when I returned, I checked out my handy-dandy "gang territory locator" and discovered I'd been in 4 different gang territories in the time it took me to go a mile and a half to get to Walgreens. Now, if I hadn't known, I'd just think I was kind of in any other inner city.

3. visiting the 96 year old
We visited a 96 year old woman from the church, and she died 2 days later.  What a blessing that B could communicate the Body and Blood of Jesus to her at that time.

Scenes From The Hood

I have neglected this space, but it really has been an adjustment here. More than I expected, really. I mean, the weather's great - there's none of the sticky heat from Fresno - and yet, just the process of moving, with boxes everywhere - and not having loads of energy to do much.... causes some stress.  I have had requests for lunch meetings and brunch networking, but the social anxiety has prevented me from doing much at all.
B and I are doing day trips, though, which is nice.  Sometimes just a few mile car ride to the Pacific Ocean.  It's like a double-edged sword, really.  With me working, I'm too tired at night to do anything - but with me not working, there's the stress of $......
But what I have been doing is take some photos of some weird and wacky things I see as I live and wander in South Central Los Angeles. It is a much different place than it was, say, from what one might remember from the films "Colors", "Boyz N the Hood" and "Menace II Society" , which did portray the 80s and 90s drug use and gang violence of the neighborhood where we live and the immediate surrounding areas.  South Central was one of the worst parts of the state and the nation to live. But apparently in the past 10 years, violent crimes has decreased by 57% and overall crime by 43%, according to the Inglewood Police Department.

I mean, there are certainly still gangs here, and I keep looking for which territory is where, but for the most part, it's just a gritty inner city.  I haven't heard gunshots, though there is a lot of fire truck and ambulance activity, which could very well be because we're on a main thoroughfare to a hospital - and is totally not gang-related at all because I don't see the reports on the news.
So....  herewith.... (and remember, click on any photo to increase its size!!)

On Century Blvd in Inglewood - near Jesse Owens Park and Western,  I think

Now I don't know what all the tagging is, but here are some thoughts:  There's a Crip gang called the Rollin 100s...you can see the word Crip marked out on the left and Hard Time.... 104 Hard Time Hustlers..... and there's a lot of crossouts to the letters, but the Ks are still visible. So what does this mean? It kinda looks like some Crip gang is challenging lots of the others that are listed on this wall. When K is added to some other identifying mark, it stands for Kill. So it's a threat. Nice, huh? 

Moving right along then....

I had to take a shot of this bench. This "books n' things" store ships to prisons and it wants you to know about it.  It just really makes a statement about the surroundings when the advertisement shouts such a thing.  While the store is about 2 and a half miles from where I live, the bench is near a bus stop about a mile closer to me, near a Walgreens I wanted to check out.

Want another? 

 

This former Academy Theater is now a church. This is almost at the corner of Manchester and Crenshaw. Lots of old theaters in lots of inner cities have become churches.  I went to a drama performance once in Oakland where this happened, and there are churches in downtown Fresno like this, as well. There is a church on almost every block in Inglewood. Either that or a psychic. And it's not just Inglewood - it's South Central and beyond into other parts of LA.

Which brings me to Crenshaw. Oh, everyone's heard of Crenshaw. A virtual free-fire zone in the 80s, this strip of road and it's neighborhood (with Leimert Park) was one of the 80s most violent in all of LA, dominated by gangs and crack. Now, however, it's home to the only 3-story WalMart anywhere and let's just

say you better bring a cart in from outside 'cause otherwise you're carrying stuff around all over the store and through the rest of the mall because it's your first time there and you obviously didn't know where to park.  The area is soooooooooo much safer now, so there's no problem in going there at all, at least during the day!  I mean, after all,

Crenshaw is Obama country!

Hope you're well. xxxoooxxx