LA Neighborhoods

[odocoileus]

As QofC notes, no one is saying all Latinos are racists or gangsters. In fact regular blacks and Latinos get along quite well in LA most of the time.

There's a specific issue with Latino gangs acting on orders from the Mexican Mafia, to target blacks at random for intimidation and assassination.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...ed-at-the.html

http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2009/0...k-street-gang/

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intel...e.jsp?pid=1307

[NYNEX]

"Jeronimus said,

ON SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2009 AT 7:18 AM
It would have been a lot cheaper to simply keep these people out of the US in the first place, than put them in prison. The Treason Lobby is picking America’s pocket while destroying the country.

I think America imprisons far too many people, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the prison industry was in favor of open borders."

That's why I'm so sensitive to the topic. I think this is being pushed in the media by people who are anti immigrant. So they love to be able to point and say, oh wow, Mexican gangsters are killing blacks, keep these people (Mexicans) out of the country.

That's where this argument ultimately leads to.

And that why, when it's mentioned that Mexican gangsters kill blacks, no one can mention how many blacks have died at the hands of other blacks in LA, or how many Mexicans have died at the hands of other Mexicans in LA. Or, for that matter, since there are black gangsters, what are the Mexican casualties at their hands. Because I'm sure the bloods and crips don't just sit their and not retaliate. That's because a specific, anti immigrant agenda is being pushed, which is just FOUL.

[umo]

I'm saddened, disappointed and hurt by where this thread is going--I'm not the only one. It's an emotional reaction to dwelling on the worst of a population of fifty-million Latinos.

Can any ethnic group say they don't have bad apples? I think not. Yet Latinos are open season.

I hope my fellow DD'ers will employ some sensitivity in their comments on the subject of L.A. neighborhoods and the people who reside here.

[NYNEX]

These comments are born out of ignorance. Latin America has about 150 million people of African descent. To tell you the truth, a lot of Latin countries are much more African in religion and culture than African Americans.

Go to Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, parts of Nicargua,Colombia, Venezuela, and you'll find a significant number of people practicing African based religion. Their music is heavily influenced by African music, and the language used in their songs often contains a lot of African words. Celia Cruz, the famous Cuban star, often sang songs about African based religion like Oshun y Chango. (two gods worshipped over a huge part of West Africa). La India, a Puerto Rican singer, has a song called Yemaya y Oshun, again, about two African gods commonly honored in Puerto Rico and a number of other Latin countries.

This doesn't negate the fact that there can be and are racist Latinos, but at the same time, a large number of Latinos are black and mixed race.

And for the record, I, a black person who speaks Spanish, had no problems when I went to South America (Paraguay and Brazil), and I grew up in a mostly Latino neighborhood in NYC.

Nor did I have problems in LA, in areas like Pasadena, Culver City,etc.

[odocoileus]

Of course you realize that Mexicans, Salvadorans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans, are all different.

No one, and I mean no one, was making generalizations about all Latinos, or all Mexican Americans.

The issue was gang crime, and it's effect on life in Los Angeles. It's an issue here. Why pretend otherwise?

[NYNEX]

If the issue is gang crime, then yes, I wouldn't advise an out of towner to move into South Central, any area near skid row, Inglewood, etc. I think most of the Westside is nice and quiet, I think parts of SF valley are cool (but you'd really better have a car), Hollwood is gentrifying (which can be good or bad depending on who you speak to).

Notice I said that without mentioning any ethnic or racial groups. You can point out neigbhorhoods that are nice area or that are close to employment without being offensive.

[billmarq]

Time out.

Done Deal is not the venue for discussing racial issues and governmental responses. Sorry.