This blog post is in response to Patrick Soulages post for week 4:
Hi Patrick,
This post made me think of the area in Los Angeles where my parent's business was. It wasn't exactly like East Cesar Chavez Street, but the Vermont corridor has many similarities in respect to demographic and crime. The people that lived around our business, my parent's friends didn't see it as a gangland riddled with danger and violence, but as a community and their home. I'm sure the people that reside in the area your describing feel something similar and have learned to live with the occasional crime and graffiti. You said that the people in this area make very good use of their space and don't waste an inch, keeping both business, family and home in close proximity. This probably has to do with the fact that this is no longer a bedroom community and has evolved into a place where people work and live together out of the convenience of the community that now exists. The market for their tastes, skills, products and labor are available locally so there is no reason to travel (in Los Angeles of all places) to make a living. I'm sure many do not work locally, but the businesses sound like they represent the surrounding demographic and they have created an area that attracts outsiders for a the local cuisine and products. You really helped me think back to my experiences and notions from my old neighborhood and it reminds me of what you said, how this is the center of the city for these people and Vermont was the center of the city for my family. Automobility does play a role in a city that is so spread out with so many opportunities for markets and labor, but people aren't completely disconnected, they create a base for themselves where they can be comfortable and know what to expect. The sense of insecurity and hesitation that UCLA students feel when they travel less fortunate sides of Los Angeles are created by inexperience and unfamiliarity with the area and residents, but the people that live there are not perpetually in fear, they know the people and what is to be expected and ways to stay safe. Maybe it has something to do with the legal status of some residents? They don't feel singled out and targeted if they stay in this area and their limits on mobility through licensing restrictions reinforce this situation and perpetuate the creation of very localized communities.
This post made me think of the area in Los Angeles where my parent's business was. It wasn't exactly like East Cesar Chavez Street, but the Vermont corridor has many similarities in respect to demographic and crime. The people that lived around our business, my parent's friends didn't see it as a gangland riddled with danger and violence, but as a community and their home. I'm sure the people that reside in the area your describing feel something similar and have learned to live with the occasional crime and graffiti. You said that the people in this area make very good use of their space and don't waste an inch, keeping both business, family and home in close proximity. This probably has to do with the fact that this is no longer a bedroom community and has evolved into a place where people work and live together out of the convenience of the community that now exists. The market for their tastes, skills, products and labor are available locally so there is no reason to travel (in Los Angeles of all places) to make a living. I'm sure many do not work locally, but the businesses sound like they represent the surrounding demographic and they have created an area that attracts outsiders for a the local cuisine and products. You really helped me think back to my experiences and notions from my old neighborhood and it reminds me of what you said, how this is the center of the city for these people and Vermont was the center of the city for my family. Automobility does play a role in a city that is so spread out with so many opportunities for markets and labor, but people aren't completely disconnected, they create a base for themselves where they can be comfortable and know what to expect. The sense of insecurity and hesitation that UCLA students feel when they travel less fortunate sides of Los Angeles are created by inexperience and unfamiliarity with the area and residents, but the people that live there are not perpetually in fear, they know the people and what is to be expected and ways to stay safe. Maybe it has something to do with the legal status of some residents? They don't feel singled out and targeted if they stay in this area and their limits on mobility through licensing restrictions reinforce this situation and perpetuate the creation of very localized communities.
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