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Reading the Guardian article, clearly there is a segment of individuals (likely a small, but vocal group) who simply don't like the idea of outsiders coming and fear that their culture and identity in the area will disappear. Perhaps for some, East LA specifically, compared to other parts of LA, is a center for the Hispanic community and a bastion of Hispanic (and mostly Mexican) culture, and they don't want to see that destroyed.
I understand that, but at the same time, you've got a ton of people moving into LA. People who could've moved to areas like Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Highland Park 10 years ago are now being priced out and are looking for cheaper areas. That's just capitalism, like it or not.
That being said, I just really don't see Boyle Heights becoming gentrified any time soon. While it is close to downtown, it's not as ideally located compared to Silver Lake and Echo Park, which in addition to Downtown, are close to other happening areas such as Hollywood, etc. Also, you won't see Hispanic areas like Panorama City or Pacoima become gentrified anywhere in the near to medium term future because they are far from the central core of LA, where young people want to be close to.
Unfortunately, if this mentality of no outsiders coming is in fact more pervasive among people in the area, there will be little to no progress. In terms of homicides, the area is definitely better than 10-15 years so either that's the product of the community working together, better policing, or both. But you've still got a lot of gangs in the area and if you can have at least some influx of people that can bring positive change in the community, why not.
The sad part is that whoever gets displaced in these gentrifying neighborhoods ends up going to another cheaper outlying area like San Bernardino where the violence is just as bad. I understand that some people work really hard and are doing their best to get by, but there's also some who seem to be ok with living in a not so great place and are not pushing to better themselves and improve their prospects so can they can live in a safer area.
These losers ought to be ashamed of themselves. They're segregationists, and just because they're minorities and working class doesn't make it right. I'm not saying there aren't downsides to gentrification. You do have areas where developers and real estate agents harass older residents to move out and offer them a pittance for what the property is worth (I'm referring to a family situation on the East Coast, not anything in LA). But stopping college students from touring your neighborhood on foot? Gimme a break! Do they know that their neighborhood is still part of America and that this is un-American?
More on this incident too:
In December, a group of university students that ventured into Boyle Heights on a walking tour was escorted out by activist group Serve the People LA, which blogged that the community "is under attack in the form of gentrification and therefore must be defended."
The group described the visitors as "a diverse but mainly white group — including several urban planning students" from UCLA. Facundo Rompe, a member of Serve the People LA, said they met with the walking tour ahead of the incident to express concerns and ask them not to come into Boyle Heights.
"Our point is we have to defend Boyle Heights at all costs. If that means some people are going to get upset or feel threatened, so be it," Rompe said.
Rompe, who uses an activist name, said he wants to see more people adopt strategies and tactics that are "more militant in confronting gentrification."
Whoa really? ... Is this America?...
On their website this 'activist group' has more detail about this incident from their twisted perspective.
This is a free country...they don't own Boyle Heights. They are a bunch of bullies.
They don't want white people 'touring THEIR neighborhood??" what a joke.
What if they want to visit where their grandparents or great grandparents lived.
Wow ...another thing these 'activists' are protesting is ;
"Earlier today, Nov. 22, 2015, the youth of Boyle Heights protested the gentrifying hipsters of Hopscotch, a mobile alternative Los Angeles-based project of their parent company The Industry. The company is bringing opera to the masses, whether they want it or not."
Yes that's something that's really harming the people of Boyle Heights... public opera!
That's something to fear much more than the gangbangers in the neighborhood!
They don't seem to understand freedom of speech or care. Hard to take them seriously..but I could see them being violent if they say they will stop gentrifiers with any means necessary and plan to be militant about it..
They are bullies..
More on this incident too:
In December, a group of university students that ventured into Boyle Heights on a walking tour was escorted out by activist group Serve the People LA, which blogged that the community "is under attack in the form of gentrification and therefore must be defended."
The group described the visitors as "a diverse but mainly white group — including several urban planning students" from UCLA. Facundo Rompe, a member of Serve the People LA, said they met with the walking tour ahead of the incident to express concerns and ask them not to come into Boyle Heights.
"Our point is we have to defend Boyle Heights at all costs. If that means some people are going to get upset or feel threatened, so be it," Rompe said.
Rompe, who uses an activist name, said he wants to see more people adopt strategies and tactics that are "more militant in confronting gentrification."
Whoa really? ... Is this America?...
On their website this 'activist group' has more detail about this incident from their twisted perspective.
This is a free country...they don't own Boyle Heights. They are a bunch of bullies.
They don't want white people 'touring THEIR neighborhood??" what a joke.
What if they want to visit where their grandparents or great grandparents lived.
Wow ...another thing these 'activists' are protesting is ;
"Earlier today, Nov. 22, 2015, the youth of Boyle Heights protested the gentrifying hipsters of Hopscotch, a mobile alternative Los Angeles-based project of their parent company The Industry. The company is bringing opera to the masses, whether they want it or not."
Yes that's something that's really harming the people of Boyle Heights... public opera!
That's something to fear much more than the gangbangers in the neighborhood!
They don't seem to understand freedom of speech or care. Hard to take them seriously..but I could see them being violent if they say they will stop gentrifiers with any means necessary and plan to be militant about it..
They are bullies..
ugh that's disgusting behavior, how can they be so delusional. But they seem like a fringe group at least.
ugh that's disgusting behavior, how can they be so delusional. But they seem like a fringe group at least.
Looking at their facebook page, they donate food and stuff...so I could see them positioning themselves as these great charitable people.
When city politicians are talking about 'talking to the community' of Boyle Heights...I hope they don't mean these people!
More madness..
"Boyle Heights, so close to a bustling, sanitized, safe, towering and trendy downtown Los Angeles, has attracted much attention from outsiders of the community. Boyle Heights, which sits just east of the Los Angeles River, has seen a growing amount of attention from west-of-the-river real estate agents, east coast art gallery owner Michele Maccarone (maccarone.net) and major developers (Metro, Fifteen Group, Adaptive Realty, etc.) and petite-bourgeois hipsters looking to relocate, redevelop and settle in Boyle Heights like 21st century colonizers."
They think DTLA is sanitized and safe? Really? Tell that to the family of the senior citizen that was attacked by a homeless guy and later died . The tent cities and urine soaked streets I wouldn't consider sanitary.
They are making it seem like DTLA is like Downtown Disney or something.
Looking at their facebook page, they donate food and stuff...so I could see them positioning themselves as these great charitable people.
When city politicians are talking about 'talking to the community' of Boyle Heights...I hope they don't mean these people!
More madness..
"Boyle Heights, so close to a bustling, sanitized, safe, towering and trendy downtown Los Angeles, has attracted much attention from outsiders of the community. Boyle Heights, which sits just east of the Los Angeles River, has seen a growing amount of attention from west-of-the-river real estate agents, east coast art gallery owner Michele Maccarone (maccarone.net) and major developers (Metro, Fifteen Group, Adaptive Realty, etc.) and petite-bourgeois hipsters looking to relocate, redevelop and settle in Boyle Heights like 21st century colonizers."
They think DTLA is sanitized and safe? Really? Tell that to the family of the senior citizen that was attacked by a homeless guy and later died . The tent cities and urine soaked streets I wouldn't consider sanitary.
They are making it seem like DTLA is like Downtown Disney or something.
21st century colonizers?? ...
One of their posts is about how they "kick out gentrifiers", when in reality yelling at them doesn't actually do anything.
It's interesting too, because it might be possible that immigrants in New York, including Mexicans, are part of the reason rents are going up in certain neighborhoods.
One of their posts is about how they "kick out gentrifiers", when in reality yelling at them doesn't actually do anything.
It's interesting too, because it might be possible that immigrants in New York, including Mexicans, are part of the reason rents are going up in certain neighborhoods.
Yeah and really...when you hear about stuff like this...doesn't it just make you hope and dream that Boyle Heights gets gentrified as soon as possible.
If I had big money, I'd love to buy up property in the area and fill it up with artisanal bakeries, cafes, craft beer gastropubs, vintage stores, playhouses, live music venues. I wouldn't kick out any existing businesses, but just add new ones. It would be great to see the look on the faces of these protesters.
I bet they are huge hypocrites too and would actually go to these businesses and act like they are only eating at taco stands.
The ironic part about this is that a lot of these businesses and the property that house them are actually opened by latinos.
I read an article about how this bar that has been there for 50 years closed up...well I wouldn't be surprised if the landlord realized they can get a lot more rent for the place and maybe their lease came up or something.
These protesters are delusional though...they don't believe in capitalism at all and are admitted communists.
Regarding NYC no doubt immigrants of all types bring up rents. Just like people moving there from the Midwest,etc bring up rents.
In L.A rents would drop a lot overnight if even all the illegal immigrants moved out.
In Los Angeles an estimated 1 in 10 residents is here illegally
It's a huge huge number of people.
And no I don't think it's realistic to 'deport em all'.
No doubt there is a good percentage in Boyle Heights, East L.A and other neighborhoods with a high number of immigrants. The majority of illegal immigrants as mentioned in the article below are for Mexico..but not all of them. You also have about 8% illegal immigrants for Asia as well..according to the article. In Los Angeles, 1 in 10 residents is an illegal immigrant, study says - CSMonitor.com
Most likely these young protesters were born in the U.S, but their parents may have been immigrants.
They likely are college educated too, and studied social work or Chicano studies or something along that lines and were brainwashed...I mean taught by some activist type of Professors.
I know one of these Boyle Heights activists was mentioned as being a psychiatric social worker..
Sure their brainwashing hasn't caused them to kill people like ISIS ....Yet...but I think they are a dangerous group for sure.
Anytime a group is very one sided and irrational like this they can't be trusted.
I saw that on their facebook someone commented that they were going to stop gentrification by ANY means necessary..and then put a little gun and bomb icon thing..
To me that's not funny and should be viewed as a threat.
I doubt LAPD or the city or other government organizations is really keeping a file on them like they should.
We know radicalized groups like this can be dangerous from looking at history.
It's so hypocritical that's it's not even funny...
Then you have politicians coddling and 'listening to the concerns' of hate groups like BLM..because they are scared if they don't...THEY will be labelled racist.
We should start buying up cheap real estate in Boyle Heights and handing over the keys to the homeless people on Skid Row. Find the most raving, lunatic nuts on the street and drop them off at the properties.
"Here, you guys can live rent free and do whatever you want. You'll have a care package of drugs dropped off every week as long as you're here."
Show the racist pinko losers what their s**thole Third World neighborhoods are really worth.
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