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New tour takes visitors into LA's ganglands
Tourists looking for a thrill in Los Angeles can now take a bus tour of the city's most dangerous ganglands. For $65, LA Gang Tours takes visitors around the city, pointing out gang graffiti and stopping at sights like the Los Angeles Riverbed, Florence Avenue, and the Pico Union Graffiti Lab. It seems tourists are always drawn to places with a dangerous auras and violent pasts, places that are the complete opposite of our comfortable lives at home. The question is, do we go to these places, places like the slums of Mumbai, the townships of Johannesburg or the streets of South Central LA, because we want to understand what life is like for the people there, or do we go to gawk or just so we can say "I've been there"? And do these tours actually help the communities that are put on display, or do they make them a spectacle?
LA Gang Tours was created by Alfred Lomas, a former gang member, who says the tour will create 10 part-time jobs for ex-gang members who will lead tours and share their own stories. He says his goal is to help residents of South Central,"to give profits from the tours back to these areas for economic growth and development, provide job/entrepreneur training, micro-financing opportunities and to specialize in educating people from around the world about the Los Angeles inner city lifestyle, gang involvement and solutions."
I'd actually be curious to take the tour, which is scheduled to run once per month. It sounds like, in this case, the tour may be run in a way that takes a more anthropological, rather than exploitative, look at the community. The tour bus is unmarked, and out of respect for area residents, riders on the tour are not permitted to take photos or video.
While in Cape Town, I had the opportunity to tour Robben Island, the prison where political "criminals" were held during apartheid. When the tour guide, himself a former prisoner, was asked why he would do this - lead tours and relive the pain of his imprisonment every day - for a living, he responded with two reasons. One, he said, was because he wanted people to know what happened. The second was that every boatload of tourists that came to the island meant one more person who would have a job.
Perhaps it's naive to think that welcoming a bus-full of tourists once a month could help solve the many problems of the area. But if offering the tours keeps one more ex-gang member employed running tours and out of gang life, well, at least it's a start.
[via Chicago Tribune]
While in Cape Town, I had the opportunity to tour Robben Island, the prison where political "criminals" were held during apartheid. When the tour guide, himself a former prisoner, was asked why he would do this - lead tours and relive the pain of his imprisonment every day - for a living, he responded with two reasons. One, he said, was because he wanted people to know what happened. The second was that every boatload of tourists that came to the island meant one more person who would have a job.
Perhaps it's naive to think that welcoming a bus-full of tourists once a month could help solve the many problems of the area. But if offering the tours keeps one more ex-gang member employed running tours and out of gang life, well, at least it's a start.
[via Chicago Tribune]
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Filed under: Learning, North America, United States
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
carol Jan 30th 2010 11:46AM
how does running the tour once a month keep 6 ex gang members employed?
Kevin Jan 30th 2010 12:06PM
I took a similar type of tour in Belfast, Ireland around 12 years ago. Went on both sides of the "Peace Wall". Had the chance to see the patrols fully armed, going through the neighborhoods. I have no regrets and was fully aware of the life threating danger. Would I do it again? Probably.
I was born in East L.A. 47 years ago at USC medical center. Grew up in gang infestation. Never joined one though. We were 1 of 3 white families in the neighborhood. Never messed with by the local gang. Got to see a lot of people die and go to jail. Stupid, crazy life.
This "Tour" could potentially be great or have a devastating effect on those involved. I hope all goes well for all involved.
WILL Jan 30th 2010 12:14PM
ALL IT WILL TAKE IS ONE BUS GETTING ROBBED AND THIS TOUR WILL BE GONE , I WONDER WHAT THIER INSURANCE RATES ARE ?
jpuzzlewhiz Jan 30th 2010 12:49PM
WHAT "insurance rates"?
Ghost Jan 30th 2010 12:25PM
Just shows you how pathetic our society is. Sucks.
Mike Jan 30th 2010 12:53PM
This is a complete embarrasment to anyone who lives in or near Los Angeles. A tour thru the scum of the earth neighborhoods that are south of Los Angeles proper is a disgrace to the people of California..who could have thought this was a good Idea? What imbicille?
Art Jan 30th 2010 1:17PM
There is no upside to gangs.. these are everyone's streets. they don't belong to anyone except the American public. Gangs should be wiped out. There is no justification for them or trying to glorify them like this stupid ass article.
KatieCouric'sNemesis Jan 30th 2010 1:32PM
Where are you getting this idea that gang members want 9 to 5 day jobs? Their children point out to their teachers that gangs members make more in a drug deal in one night than that teacher makes in a year.
Where are you getting the idea that riding into East LA is seeing what it's like there? Drive in alone, when the sun goes down. The entire area changes. The school kids are home and the only people out are the ones who are likely to mug you, rape you, kill you in the crossfire.
Barnum was right...there's a sucker born every minute. And Darwin was right, too. The stupid die--preferably before they breed.
Colin Jan 30th 2010 1:59PM
The murder, and mugging rate of stupid tourst's just went up 10 fold! Thanks to this tour company,
Jennifer Jan 30th 2010 2:48PM
So typical for all you nerds isolating yourselves behind the safety of a computer screen, to cast aspersions on the rest of the world for their "sins"...
Go outside and get some sun on that pale white skin.....
Haven't you heard that life begins when you get one?
PATHETIC!!!
LARRY5947 Jan 31st 2010 9:39AM
THESE PEOPLE ARE STUPID.WHAT DO THEY WANT TO LOOK AND FEEL LIKE GANG MEMBERS. THEY NEED TO GET A REAL TASTE OF GANGS AND GET SHOT AT. THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS THERE... AS-HOLES.
Lita Jan 30th 2010 5:08PM
Gang members are nothing more than domestic terrorists and should be treated as we would treat any terrorist. (By definition, don't gang members take over entire areas--as if they owned them, no less--and force their will on decent, hard-working people? Don't they rule by mayhem and violence thus TERRORizing those around them?) Guantanimo Bay should not have been shut down, but sould have been used for holding our homegrown terrorists. No one in their right mind would miss them.
Wolfman Jan 30th 2010 11:59PM
DOES ANYBODY KNOW ABOUT GOOD GANGS AND GOOD CLUBS OR ARE THEY ALL BAD ? I AM SICK AND TIRED OF TAKING THIS WORD GANG OUT OF CONTEXT JUST LIKE THE HOMO'S TOOK THE WORD GAY OUT OF CONTEXT AND COINED IT FOR THEMSELVES WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE. LOOK UP THE WORDS IN THE DICTIONARY ASS HOLES