Gang bangers

My neighborhood has an ebb and flow of various people. Across the street is a retirement type place, filled with 99.9% Russian Armenian old people. There are old buildings with style and new ones that look like every other new apartment building. Some might call them project like, not me but I can see why they'd think that.

There was an urban development study completed and it was determined that my hood was ripe for development. That means more places to eat, more things to do, more traffic, more people. So good and bad. I like my neighborhood. I tend to really "live" in it; I shop, eat, play all within a few miles.

But.....

What the hell is up with the influx of gang bangers? Today after work Matt and I took Emma for a walk. We either go for a walk or go to the park everyday. Sometimes I think that Emma gets more exercise walking around a few blocks than peeing on every tree in the park. We walked about halfway around the block when we encountered a group of shaved, shirtless young men. They happened to be fighting with other shaved, shirtless young men. At first we just crossed the street, then I thought to myself, if they have guns we probably shouldn't walk right by them. Matt must have had the same thought because we just both turned around and walked back the direction we came. Then when we were crossing the street to go home, we came across a very intimidating new group of shaved, wife beater low rise long shorts wearing young men. They gave us the stare down as we opened our gate and walked up our stairs.

I no longer will go to the super shitty convenience store. I suppose that fact it is a super shitty convenience store is reason enough, like expired dairy products 3 months after the fact, to not go. But I can't go there anymore because of the "barber shop". They don't exactly cut hair so much as perform laundry services for snazzy Cadillac escalade driving black men. The laundry mat next door is strictly for washing clothing. They creep me out, probably cause I know they are looking at my booty and let me know as such. Sometimes we'll walk by that corner on the way to the nice convenience store one more block, they sell Ben and Jerry's for 3.99! Last week there was a whole crew of men drinking 40s at that corner, they'd give you the "what the fuck you looking at look" when you walk by.

The tagging has also increased. They cracked down about 5 years ago and most of the tagging disappeared. So what is up with all the new gang tags? Cops, come patrol. With all the construction there is lots of space for tagging. All of those jumbo garbage bins, all of the boards advertising the financing and construction, it is all covered in graffiti.

Aside from the gangs we do love living here. I like Los Angeles. We pay rent that is way, way low. Rent control + moving in when things were cheap = lucky me. I hope that once the "development" is complete the neighborhood will improve. How can the young, full head of hair, business casual wearing men not move to my hood? 25 minutes to downtown, free parking? A public transportation hub?

Thank goodness Emma is a 95 lbs rott mix. She sometimes make them cross to the other side of the street!