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August 7, 2007
The Neighborhood Project: Watts
The Watts area of Los Angeles is located in South LA, and is fighting to change the infamous reputation the area has for gang violence, and riots. Named after Charles H. Watts, the area has always been a haven of affordable housing that attracts mostly the working class. With small single story one or two bedroom houses, and housing projects, the Watts community is tightly knit. And being home to the Watts Towers, one of 4 nationally recognized historical landmarks in Los Angeles, Watts is a distinctive community with a unique history.
Boundaries: The district's boundaries are Century Boulevard on the north, Mona Boulevard on the east, Imperial Highway on the south, and Central Avenue on the west. The eastern boundary of Mona Boulevard is sometimes stretched to Alameda, depending on the source.
Political Lowdown:
LA City Council District 15, represented by councilman Janice Hahn
LA County District 2, represented by Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke'
Congrssional District 37, formerly represented by Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, and currently is a vacant seat due to the passing away of Juanita Millender-McDonald in April 2007.
State Assembly District 51, represented by Curren D. Price, Jr.
Senate District 25, represented by Edward Vincent
Transit:
There are a few main streets for getting around including Santa Ana Boulevard; Compton and Wilmington Avenues running North/South; and 108th Street runs East/West. There are several buses for public transit, as well as the Blue Line and Green Line of the Los Angeles Metro system. The area is also bordered by the 105 (Century Freeway) giving the area plenty of freeway access to the rest of the city.
That is the 103rd Street Train Station, located on 103rd and Grandee Avenue
History of Watts:
In 1926 the incorporated City of Watts voted to annex itself with the City of Los Angeles, and began to be settled by mostly whites and Mexican-Americans who worked on the railroad, but gradually became an almost all black neighborhood by the 1940's.
Photo of Watts in 1912, from the Los Angeles Library public domain.
During WWII the Jordan Downs, Imperial Courts, and Nickerson Gardens housing projects were built. The Nickerson Gardens housing project being the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi River. These housing projects would later be the birth place for such gangs as The Grape Street Crips, The P Jay Crips, and the Bounty Hunter Watts Blood Gang.
Jordan Downs Housing Project.
Imperial Courts Housing Project.
The community's perceived harassment by police officers and lack of adequate public services such as hospitals and schools led to the mood that was just right for a riot. The violence erupted when a black youth was arrested for a DUI by a CHP officer, sparking outrage in the community, leading to the now infamous Watts Riots in 1965.
The 70's did not fair well for the Watts Community either, when the Bloods and Crips rivalry took the area hostage. Between 1985 and 2005 LAPD reported 20,000 gang related homicides in the area. Only offering a break during the 1992 truce that followed the L.A. riots stemming from a non-guilty verdict of white officers on trail for beating Rodney King, and being filmed doing so.
Each of the three major gangs in Watts was born out of a separate housing project. Nickerson Gardens gave birth to the Bounty Hunter Watts Blood gang. The Jordan Downs project gave birth to the East Side Grape Street Watts Baby Loc Crips. The Imperial Courts giving birth to the P Jay Crips. Obviously whatever housing project you ended up at determined which gang you would end up being affiliated with.
In recent years community leaders have tried to give extra attention to museums and the Watts Towers, hoping to bring visitors to the community and help lift the negative stigma that Watts has. And the number Mexican-American residents has been on the rise in the Watts area again, competing with the majority black population.
Gang Activity:
The East Side Grape Street Watts Baby Loc Crips, of Jordan Downs, originated as a mix of Mexicans and Blacks, but the Mexicans left to align with Sureno. Their main rivals are the Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods. They wear purple in addition to the typical blue crip colors, and often wear Lakers hats. The purple stands for Grape.
They have several cliques that include the following: Baby Locs, Peta Roll Squad, Peta Roc Squad, Peta Loc Squad, Parolee Squad, 95th, Bandera Blocc 97, 103rd, Dust Town Crip, Dust Town Hoggs, and Tip Top.
That wall belonged to a Auto Repair Shop. The graffiti in this area comes faster than cob webs.
The P Jay Watts Crips (ProJect Watts Crips), from the Imperial Courts Housing Project, most notably set up the non-profit association "Hands Across Watts", in order to keep the peace between the different street gangs in Watts during the 1992 truce. They have had an ongoing feud with the Grape Street Crips since 1987. They wear the traditional blue crips colors.
The gang consists of four cliques: Bull Side Crips, Funny Side Falcons, Island Side Crips and Pill Head Crips, who have got other sub-sets in their turn: Bricc Mafia,Jacc Mob, Squad Up, Tha GK (Grape Killa) Boys, Pure Players Squad and Murder Squad D-Boys.
Taggers drop bombs along the walls that follow the train tracks.
The Eastside Bounty Hunter Bloods from Nickerson Gardens were firmly established by 1972, and occupying an area of 0.54 square miles makes them the largest Black gang territory in Watts.
Subsets include: Lot Boys, Block Boys, Bell Haven, Ace Line on 111th Street, Duece Line on 112th Street, Tray Line on 113th Street, Four Line on 114th Street, and Five Line on 115th Street.
Store owners are smart to work WITH the graffiti guys, maybe that will work.
The Art History of Watts:
It took italian immigrant Sabato Rodia 33 years to build what are now known as the Watts Towers. He constructed the towers in his spare time, with bed frames, bottles, ceramic tiles, scrap metal and sea shells. The towers are a collection of 17 inter-tangled structures, the tallest of which are about 100 feet high.
At the time Rodia's neighbors did not appreciate his towers, and thought they were ugly. Others thought it was some kind of secret government spy antennae. This resulted in Rodia being harrassed and the towers being vandalized. Sick of it all, Rodia eventually gave the property away, and moved to Martinez, CA never to be seen in Watts again.
The city was all set to demolish the Watts Towers, Rodia's home had burned down, and it seemed like the end for the Watts Towers, but a Curator from LACMA and prominent actors, film editors, artists and architects formed the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts, and negotiated with the city to test the structure's stability, and eventually were granted permission to restore the site.
Watts in Popular Culture: The Watts area is no stranger to TV and Movies. The TV series "Sanford and Son" was based in Watts, and "Fred Sanford" played by Redd Foxx made numerous references to problems in the community, such as the high crime rates, and lack of government assistance. The Watts Towers also are a popular part of Watts to put into movies or TV shows, being featured in HBO's "Six Feet Under", The Game's "Love Me or Hate Me" music video, Don DeLillo's novel Underworld, even in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Local Businesses often have folk art painted right onto the building.
St. James United Methodist Church sits across the street from the Watts Towers, and is one of the largest building in the area.
Home to lots of local graffiti artists, Watts appears to have bombs on every blank wall you see.
On hot summer days the candy bars in most of the corner stores, like this one, are melted little puddles, and again notice the extensive graffiti in this area.
The Watts Senior Citizen Center was buzzing with activity. Watts has a lot of older residents, and they are likely to be seen entering and exiting this building.
A local Watts resident looks through a pile of debris on the corner, in search of salvagable items that may be of value.
This sculpture is located in a shopping complex near the 103rd Train Station.
Mirror Motel is a typical example of the motels available in Watts. As you can see in their sign, the only thing they have to boast about is that the TV's are not B&W. That and the 70's building decor.
Jordan's is a drive-thru hot dog stand, yes like Wienerschnitzel, but much much tastier. Go for the chili dog, you know you want it.
A pedestrian bridge to help local residents navigate across the dangerous train tracks without any harm.
Entering The Watts area from the East on Imperial Highway.
This sign needs no caption.
Photos by John Wayne Maioriello for LAist, except the one from 1912
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yeah, you definitely did NOT hop out of the car to snap these gems. or is the Jordan Downs Housing project always that blurry?
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You should have a medal for surviving Watts. Or a t shirt, which ever works.
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You had me at "A local Watts resident looks through a pile of debris on the corner, in search of salvagable items that may be of value."
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i took all the pictures while riding a segway.
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I'd be happy to take the pics the next time the Neighborhood Project ventures into treacherous territory, defined as anything south of the 10 freeway, by the latterati (which includes LAist readers).
Seriously, peeps, you really should get out more. I hadn't been in the 'hood in a while myself, but I did go to the Central Avenue Jazz Festival on 7/27/07(www.centralavenuejazzfestival.com)
A great time was had by all. And the neighborhoods are looking better than I remember.
Downtown gentrification is slowly creeping south -- it's only a matter of time before it reaches Watts...
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Killer of Sheep by Charles Burnett
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LAist Neighborhood Project, you know we love you!
But, this post lacks some of the true institutions of Watts, namely the Watts Labor Community Action Committee and all the work they do, as well as the Promenade of Prominence, the many churches, and the true neighborhoods off the main streets.
Watts is a special part of Los Angeles that needs even greater attention to show the parts that are not widely known and not just those common Watts themes: Rodia Towers, gangs, housing projects, & poverty. The Towers have an art center and museum attached that are quite impressive, and the neighborhood has true leaders that need mentioning like "Sweet Alice" Harris. Also, no mention of Ted Watkins or the park named in his honor is hard to fathom as it's one of the most prominent pieces of land in the community.
I can't wait for Watts Part II.
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"The community's perceived harassment by police officers and lack of adequate public services such as hospitals and schools led to the mood that was just right for a riot. The violence erupted when a black youth was arrested for a DUI"
"The Watts Senior Citizen Center was buzzing with activity. Watts has a lot of older residents, and they are likely to be seen entering and exiting this building."
Should you really be covering communities you do not even pretend to understand?
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ironic isn't it?
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you obviously know nothing about this neighborhood, or most others you've covered for that matter. Watts was always a destination for black people, and was one of the most integrated neighborhoods in the city, due to a train station hub that existed there. I believe it was W.E.B. Dubois who went here in the 1920s or so, and commented approvingly on the ability for black families to own their own homes.
Also, your description of the riots and pretty much all aspects of Watts history is off the mark and dismissive. Please stay away from history. You have yet to get a damn thing right.
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I believe LAist said it welcomed freelance contributions on this project. Perhaps one of the guests would take the opportunity to do an addition.
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i accurately reported the Watts riot. want proof?
click here
click here
click here
and click here
my history is correct. and of course, the "guests" offer nothing to prove i am wrong. typical.
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The Militant doesn't need to say much more than what's already been said. He did feel a general sense of "Let's take some pictures and get the hell out of here and look up the rest on Wikipedia."
The Militant knew something was up when the Watts entry referred to the Watts Towers' builder by his Italian birth name and not the name the local residents called him.
Also Mexican-Americans "competing" against the black residents? Is there some reality show somewhere where certain people get voted off? It's more like African Americans are leaving Watts to places like the IE and the Antelope Valley and Latino (not all Mexican) immigrants are simply moving into the houses and apartments that people moved out of.
Speaking of research, it seems there was a lot of great research done on the gangs, which was put right at the beginning. If the Militant were a Watts resident, he's be fucking pissed. Every neighborhood, no matter how run-down, has people who genuinely love, know and care for their neighborhood. LAist should get to identify these people whenever they take on a community.
Perhaps the neighborhood project could add more credibility and depth by, you know, interviewing people? Maybe the guy looking through the trash was walking past it while holding the mail on the way to the mailbox and the wind blew some of it in the pile.
And if some, nay, many of these neighborhoods have people who don't speak English, well...maybe LAist could have some bilingual people on their staff. When the Militant looked at the pics of your staff, he was nearly blinded.
If you guys ever re-write this, the Militant suggests you play some Charles Mingus and Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band in the background instead of that indie rock stuff.
The Militant would prefer if LAist could send him a list of Neighborhood Project entries via email (via the MilitantAngeleno 's eponymous gmail.com address) and the Militant will add his insight.
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How come most of this entry is the history of Watts gangs, while there was no mention of gangs at all in the recent (and excellent) Garvanza post?
I know this is a volunteer effort, and it's a wonderful series I look forward to every day, but articles like this one make me sad.
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militant - if you intend on offering your insight in third person tense you can keep your opinions to yourself, thankyouverymuch.
perhaps you can contribute to the 'trying-too-hard' project, as you have apparently perfected that writing style.
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you think it's better to use nick names instead of an artist's REAL name? that is stupid.
when referring to black and Mexican demography, no people are not in actual competition. it was in reference to the numbers of residents.
People WERE interviewed, including the man looking through debris, i said, "is that your shit?" and he said, "nah, i'm just looking..."
i speak Spanish and English.
and your cutesy way of referring to yourself in 3rd person is the least militant thing i have ever seen.
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Your history on the riots isn't entirely inaccurate, it is just truly dumbed down and dismissive. "perceived" harrasment from police officers? "a mood that was just right for a riot?" You write like a child and focus entirely too much on the gangs and violence of the area.
And your sentence on the history of the cultural and ethnic background of Watts is just incorrect. Maybe instead of reading short summaries on websites, you could learn to do some actual research before you write.
Why not mention the jazz, soul, or funk history of the area, as suggested by MA above? Why not mention how the freeways may have been used to carve the integrated aspect out of the area? Why not talk about many of the later problems you bring up emerged from redlining and the massive influx of poor southern blacks combined with a lack of investment and housing, as opposed to the earlier middle-class black population. Why not bring up the rivalry between South Gate and Watts? Why not mention the closing of the PE hub there?
Really, the main problem is that you are just underqualified and apparently not interested in writing anything of substance on this area. This is even worse than that article on Korea Town.
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I don't think you're suppose to lift your "story" from Wikipedia. This is the exact same wording that is used in the Wikipedia entry for Watts.
It's insane that whoever "wrote" this is trying to act as if this is anything. I can believe LAist put this up.
Jane
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The reason he said perceieved, is because that is what the author read in Wikipedia. Outrageous. Outrageous that someone would do a story in Watts and just gloss pass the riots, like "oops, there was a fight..."
The guy who wrote this is a complete moron.
Jane
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the entry on wikipedia is completely different
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_Riots
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Nice try Anti, try looking at the the entry for Watts Los Angeles (I get you think Watts and Riots and that's it.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts%2C_Los_Angeles%2C_California
You definitely stole the wording from this entry.
Why do you think I went right to that entry. Unfortunately for you I just read that article and then I see yours. You stole it. Reference things that you steal
Jane aka Browne Bunny
ShameTrainLA
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Us there even a point in referencing things you steal from an article that doesn't reference any of it's sources? Maybe you should just stick to writing about pot and indie performances. You seem to have more of a context for understanding those subjects.
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I don't understand why there is so much space given to covering the various gang names when that hasn't been done in any of the other neighborhood entries. The whole post seemed really slapped together, sorry.
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Jane, you ignorant slut.¹
1. Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtain on SNL Weekend Update, c. 1978
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what i wrote:
The community's perceived harassment by police officers and lack of adequate public services such as hospitals and schools led to the mood that was just right for a riot. The violence erupted when a black youth was arrested for a DUI by a CHP officer, sparking outrage in the community, leading to the now infamous Watts Riots in 1965.
from wikipedia:
Longstanding resentment by Los Angeles' working-class black community over treatment by police and what was seen as inadequate public services (especially schools and hospitals) exploded on August 11, 1965, into what were commonly known as the Watts Riots. The event that precipitated the disturbances, the arrest of a black youth by the California Highway Patrol on drunk-driving charges, actually occurred outside Watts, but the district was by far the area most damaged in the turmoil.
To further bust your balloon jane, see the comment i left here, which sites several credible sources on the Watts Riots, none are form wikipedia.
and stay tuned, my Hyde Park entry is coming next!!!
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There is more attention given to gangs in this entry VS. the other neighborhood project entries because not all neighborhoods are the same.
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You're right! The wikipedia entry IS a lot better than what you wrote.
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Perceiving the wiki entry as being better and accusing someone of plagiarism are two entirely different things.
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\
Anti’s "words":
History of Watts:_In 1926 the incorporated City of Watts voted to annex itself with the City of Los Angeles, and began to be settled by mostly whites and Mexican-Americans who worked on the railroad, but gradually became an almost all black neighborhood by the 1940's
During WWII the Jordan Downs, Imperial Courts, and Nickerson Gardens housing projects were built. The Nickerson Gardens housing project being the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi River. These housing projects would later be the birth place for such gangs as The Grape Street Crips, The P Jay Crips, and the Bounty Hunter Watts Blood Gang
The Wiki Entry:
Along with more white Americans, Mexican and Mexican American railroad workers ("traqueros") settled in the community. Blacks came in later (many of the men were Pullman car porters and other railroad workers); schoolroom photos from 1909 and 1911 show two or three black faces among the 30 or so children pictured. By 1914, a black realtor, Charles C. Leake, was doing business in the area.
Watts was predominantly black by 1940. During World War II, several large housing projects (including Nickerson Gardens, Jordan Downs, and Imperial Courts) were built to house workers in war industries. These projects were nearly 100 percent black by the early 1960s as whites moved to new suburbs outside the central city.
Longstanding resentment by Los Angeles' working-class black community over treatment by police and what was seen as inadequate public services (especially schools and hospitals) exploded on August 11, 1965, into what were commonly known as the Watts Riots. The event that precipitated the disturbances, the arrest of a black youth by the California Highway Patrol on drunk-driving charges, actually occurred outside Watts, but the district was by far the area most damaged in the turmoil.
Watts suffered further in the 1970s, with gangs gaining in strength. Between 1989 and 2005, police reported more than 20,000 homicides in Watts, most of them gang-related. Three of Watts' most notorious gangs—Grape Street Watts Crips, Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods, and PJ Watts Crips—formed a cease-fire agreement after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, a pact that may have been tied to a decrease in crime in the area between 1992 and 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts,_Los_Angeles,_California
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He paraphrased this article form Wiki and did not source it.
People who steal and plagiarize know that they are stealing so they try to paraphrase and add and delete words. The proof is in the pudding. Read the Wiki article and read Anti’s and I dare anyone to not tell me he lifted tha t straight from Wiki.
Read Anti's previous work and notice a different tone in voice in this one.
Where did you get your info from Anti? You obviously didn’t talk to anyone. Did you read a book? What sites did you go to? Give us some links…give us a source instead of just saying you didn't do it. Show us you didn't do it, but sourcing your article with two non wiki sources.
Jane the Ignorant Slut
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I have an account, but for some reason it's not accepting my password...
Jane
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22: I lulz'd (or rather, The Militant lulz'd.)
16: The Militant apologizes...that you obviously conform to the mainstream's definition and perception of what defines a "militant." Besdies, "I," "me," and "my" are perhaps the most self-centered words one can find. The Militant isn't doing this for his own personal gain.
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dear jane, he gave you the links.
way to go from ignorant slut to dumb bitch!
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for the third time jane, refer to comment 12.
and thanks for reading everything i wrote, i am flattered.
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I've been reading the LAist Neighborhood Project from the start, and I must say that this entry is lacking the the heart, or perh