General Demographics

Racial Make-up of Compton

Although once a community primarily composed of African American residents, the community has now shifted to a majority of Hispanic/Latino residents. According to the Official Compton City website, in a population of 93,493 people, 40% are African American, 56.8% are Hispanic/Latino, 1% are White, and 1% Pacific Islander (based of 2000 Census).

Community Landmarks

Murals of Influential People

All over the city, there are motivational quotes and murals of influential people. The murals are a representation of the demographics of the community. For example, by the Compton City Hall, there are murals of Cesar Chavez, President Obama, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Heritage House

The Heritage House, on Willowbrook Avenue and Myrrh Street, is the oldest structure in Compton. It was built by early settlers in 1869 and is considered a State Historic Landmark.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Located in front of the Courthouse on Compton Blvd, this monument serves as symbol for the Compton City in remembrance of the late Martin Luther King Jr.

Businesses

"Birthing a New Compton"

While walking through the city, run down businesses are evident in this community. Moreover, many "Check into Cash" and "Bail Bond" businesses demonstrate the social economic status and needs of the community.

However, City Officials are trying to make Compton a place where residents can "Work, Play, Live, and Worship." Administration is heavily focused on the redevelopment of Compton. Some of the new businesses are Starbucks and TGI Fridays. The goal of bringing these businesses in is to provide employment, entertainment, and a sense of community.

Compton Blvd is one of the main streets in the city that harbors many of the businesses and redevelopment projects.

El Camino Compton Education Center

The El Camino Compton Education Center is the only higher education establishment in Compton and offers 4-year degrees as well as specialty trade schools. Previously Compton managed the Community College, however, due to the corruption in Compton governance, El Camino now has ownership of this school. Nevertheless, Compton is fighting to gain control of the Community College, which they describe as a Compton "Gem".

Cemetery

Angeles Abby Cemetery

Built in 1923 and survived through the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake, the Angeles Abby Cemetery is known for its Byzantine, Moorish and Spanish architecture. The cemetery was comprised of many adolescent and family headstones. The young deaths and family headstones with the same date of death may be attributed to gang violence. There were also a significant number of headstones with Hispanic/Latino names, which correlates the ethnic demographics. The upkeep of the Cemetery did not seem satisfactory with the presence of dead grass and the tire tracks over headstones.

Crime and Safety

The city of Compton has almost 350 documented gangs. The Compton Courthouse has a specific "gang unit" dealing with the high number of gang associated cases. Gang related graffiti was omnipresent in Compton. Mailboxes, walls of public institutions, private housing and sidewalks were noticeably tagged. The graffiti clearly depicted violence, indicating animosity between gangs.

Bars on windows, double doors, police presence, and homelessness were seen throughout the community. These characteristics may be associated with fear of violence, high crime, and economic turmoil. Nevertheless, many proud Compton residents, including lawyers, judges, and City Council Members, have fearlessly stayed in the community for years. On a whole, they blame the media for portraying Compton in a negative light.

Boundaries

During out community immersion in Compton we learned about the boundaries and how they were categorized by both residents and non-residents.

Residents: As far EAST at the 710, as far WEST as the 110, as far NORTH as the 105, and as far SOUTH as the 91.

Non-Residents: As far EAST at the 710, as far WEST as the 110, as far NORTH as the 105, and as far SOUTH as the 91.

Although non residents and residents seemed to agree about the parameters there seemed to be a difference between both views about Compton. Residents from Compton were loyal and proud to be a resident while non-residents feared being associated with Compton. We surveyed nine workers in the area and asked if they lived in Compton, only one out of nine said yes. It seemed as though the people who said no were happy to not be associated with Compton.

In one particular interview with Juanita, a photo developer in Compton for 17 years, she expressed her life to only revolve around her neighborhood in Lynnwood. She felt that Lynnwood was much safer and she explained that Compton was only a place to work.

The immersion trip to Compton also lead us to conclude that those who were focused on improving the community were from the community and those there for business were to make money and spend it elsewhere.

From our obsersvation it was clear to see that most people did not know the specific boundaries of Compton, rather they knew the general area.

Mutual Aid

Availability of Neighbors
Neighbors in Compton are not necessarily visible to other members of the community. The most prominent physical barriers were the waist-high fences between front yards and the sidewalk. The most noticeable and perhaps most prominent were the wrought-iron fences. Black, heavy, and aesthetically unpleasant, they sent a message that unannounced company was not appreciated. There were also chain-link fences, as well as picket fences and brick walls. It was interesting that while some were locked, others ended at the driveway. It was also interesting to note that there were no porches, and often the streets were crowded with cars, further obstructing the views of front yards from across the street. In Compton, neighbors appear to have to make an effort to communicate with each other in the smallest ways. There were few pedestrians or children on neighborhood streets.

Coming Together

While fences and cars provide visual obstructions to neighbors, there are places in which members of a neighborhood block can come together. The Redevelopment Agency of Compton has begun to create "Pocket Parks" where vacant lots used to be. Arturo Frazier, former City Councilmember, explained that vacant lots were an eyesore and often attracted criminal activity. Instead of increasing security around these areas, Compton took a positive approach by using the space to create a pleasant location for neighbors to enjoy.
There are places in Compton in which the word "neighbor" is re-defined to describe members of a larger geographical area of Compton than a city block. Town Hall meetings are held at City Hall and are open to the public. However, because local officials are primarily African American, the city's majority Latino population does not often use the space.
The Salvation Army has also facilities where the people of Compton can get a gym membership, children can play on a playground, and teens can relax in a "teen room," which is being equipped with the technology to house a recording studio. However, the Salvation Army's facilities are under-utilized for various reasons. While the place is accessible to all in the area, and often for little or no charge, the center's entrance is not easily visible from the street. More importantly however, is the fact that the Salvation Army does not have the financial resources to staff its facilities or to run programs that encourage their usage.
A shopping center at the southernmost edge of Compton was built, in part, to encourage Compton's residents to mingle while they shop, according to Frazier.
Members of a church also operate as neighbors, meeting on a regular basis in their place of worship. While Frazier admitted that the various churches often do not co-mingle, he did say that during his time on the City Council, he helped to organize a street fair dedicated to bringing together church-members for a day of fun.

Religious Centers in Compton
Churches and other places of worship appeared to be the center of social activity in Compton. While other facilities may be underutilized, churches provide a safe social space for residents. While gangs may dominate city blocks, churches are expected to be secure and friendly. The churches, however, are generally divided along ethnic lines. While providing comfort and safety to those groups who might otherwise feel marginalized in the larger community or even society, the lack of cultural diversity within the safe and presumably candid church community has the potential to further isolate families from their physical neighbors. This isolation could be a contributing factor to the gangs' control of the neighborhoods. Recognizing the potential power in church communities, Frazier's efforts to unite the various churches appears to have merit. As a further example of the growing positive power of the churches, Frazier noted that a group called "The Pastors of Compton," has begun trying to engage their respective churches to organize around common community goals and actions.

Financial and Emotional Support
Compton residents seek financial and emotional support through various resources within the community. Banks in the city of Compton offer financial seminars in order to educate their residents. These seminars provide assistance in the area of increasing their financial knowledge. Emotional support can be found through different programs such as foster care, half way housing programs, and similar programs. Residents can also go to City Hall for pamphlets and brochures to providing information about different resources and programs within the community.

Service Clubs
The City of Compton is divided into 4 regions. Within each region there are "Block Clubs" conceived to open the lines of communication between the neighborhoods. The clubs participate in block parties as well as participate in Town Hall Meeting. Each region uses the city's Park and Recreational Centers to have meetings. There is also a designated place for the city's Senior Citizens to go for recreational activities and day programs. In addition, the Salvation Army hosts a number of public events. At one time, there were even cooking classes!

Local Facilities

The Salvation Army located at 736 E Compton Boulevard is considered to be the home away from home for many Compton residents. The Salvation Army has a weight room in which residents pay a monthly fee for use of the gym, they are also in the process of building a music studio so that the residents of Compton are able write and record music in their spare time. Some other features include a small playground for small children and various exercise classes. The Salvation Army also feeds the homeless on holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. The program has been very beneficial to many Compton residents.





Compton City Hall located at 205 S Willowbrook Ave houses conference rooms where they have important meetings regarding the growth and rebuilding of the city of Compton.

The Compton Blue Line Station located at 275 N. Willowbrook is surrounded by the Compton City Hall, two strip malls, The Compton Courthouse and the Martin Luther King Transit center, the Blue line opened on July 14, 1990 and the Blue Line has helped many Compton residents get back and fourth to work and other destinations. The Blue line is looked upon as a critical asset toward the residents who do not have a automobile.

The Department of Children and Family Services and Department of Mental Health are located at 921 E. Compton Blvd. These departments work as teams along with other community services to offer innovative ideas at helping people and children in need. The DCFS team works extremely hard to keep or reunite children back with their biological parents or extended family members.

The Compton Court located at 200 Compton Blvd. houses courtrooms where they try criminal and civil court cases. They also provide outreach programs to try and clean up the streets geared toward the rebirth of Compton.

The Compton airport located at 961 Alondra Boulevard offers flight training to the residents of Compton and they host yearly events such as youth programs and adult flight school. They also have lectures from the surviving members of the Tuskegee airmen. The airport houses over 200 airplanes and they give discounted helicopter rides and free guided tours.

Social Control

Elected officials and the City Hall are having a major impact on the social control in Compton. By creating more business in the community, Compton has also begun to create more jobs for the constituents in the neighborhood as well as a place for them to be able to live, work and play in their community. This is the city's way to increase more social and economic revenue in Compton. By creating these new businesses, the City of Compton has been able to increase the amount of new housing they have made available to their constituents. This control is both economic and social leading to the increase of socialization and living habits in Compton that were not in the city before.

There is a disparaging amount of Compton residents who are unable to vote in the elections that take place and have put the people in power in City Hall and the Mayor’s office. With a large immigrant population as well as a convicted felon population, the majority of voters in Compton are middle class homeowners who are seeking to see the expansion of the city’s economic base. This has created a skewed perception of social control in Compton.

Church involvement is a major maintainer of the social control in Compton. There were several churches on each block from varying denominations that have a strong impact on the social interactions of the people living in Compton. The churches have community gatherings and serve as a bridge between the people in the community and the racial barriers that can pervade Compton’s diverse and multi-ethnic community base.

Judicially, the gang courts are a reflection of the social control being implemented between the sheriffs and the judiciary. Because most of the people being tried in the Compton court are gang affiliates, the gangs have an element of social control also. People in gangs are committing crimes of drugs, theft, murder and other violent crimes. As a result of the over 300 gangs in the city of Compton, the judicial system has responded by having a strong police presence, as well as this issue being one of the main crimes of the court.

The economy is a reflection of social control in Compton also. While violent crime has decreased, the number of theft, burglary and other nonviolent crime has increased in the past months.

Social Networks

Social networks are systems of social relationships among people and groups. We found four visible social networks embedded within the Compton community.

Political Network
City Hall lies almost directly in the center of the city. Facing the street are two representations of prominent African American leaders and politicians of the past and present. On one of the walls is a large mural of President Barack Obama, and in front of city hall is a sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr. The mural and sculpture represent two icons to which minorities, particularly African Americans, can relate. Because of the large minority population in Compton, there is most likely a strong political affiliation to the Democratic Party.

Economic Network
Within Compton, there is an active business-related network focused on the economic development of the city. The strength of this network is demonstrated by the “business to business” council and the active chamber of commerce within the city. Examples of the budding economic development are the new transit center, housing complex, and the retail power-center that includes Home Depot and TGI Friday’s.

Recreational network:
There are various complexes and areas within the community that facilitate informal social networks based around specific activities. There are pocket parks around the community that, in addition to providing aesthetic value, provide a place for families and children to gather and play. There is also a skate park that was dedicated to the city by professional skateboarder Tony Hawk. The skate park is a safe facility located in a park that allows youth to meet with peers who perhaps have similar interests. Additionally, one of the major recreational facilities is the Salvation Army community center. The center attempts to provide a safe haven at which community members can weight-lift, play sports, work in a sound studio, and learn musical instruments.

Faith-Based Network:
There are numerous churches within the city that accommodate the diverse religious and racial groups within the community including Baptists, Seven Day Adventists, Catholics, and various Asian/Pacific Islander religions. Additionally, there have been important specific initiatives resulting in the development of faith-based networks. One of the most important is “Unity Day,” which is focused on racial reconciliation, and includes a network of selected pastors available for providing mentoring and ethical accountability of city council members.

Identity, Civic Engagement and Common Fate

Left Mural- Barack H. Obama 44th President of the United States of America.
Right Mural- Birthing a new Compton: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." Mathew 5:14

"Birthing a new Compton" is the mission that the residents are trying to live by today. The mural of our 44th President Barrack Obama seems only to support the political party that the residents of Compton identify themselves with.

Residents are offered numerous resources that can allow them to discuss various news events. One such example is the Hubcity Newspaper, which provides news to communicate, educate, and stimulate.

Ways to discuss national or local political ideas and laws are evident. One way is through the town hall meetings that are held 1-2 times a year. Another way is when the city council chambers meet with the district members to discuss ideas, policies, and/or laws.

Compton residents appear to have a mixed view of perceiving their fate as related to others within the community. Difficult to perceive because the perceptions and experiences may differ from one individual to another due to: age, ethnicity, and future mindset. However, the officials that we had the opportunity to meet with appeared to be more optimistic about Compton and spoke highly of the renovations being made to the city. They emphasized the media's constant negative portrayal of the city and their choice to ignore the positive attributes and notables that contribute to the city in a positive fashion. By providing the essential resources to the city, officials have high hopes that the Compton community could unite as one and work together to gain success individually and ultimately gain success as a community.

Assets and Risks

Amongst the cities greatest assets is the Gateway Town Center, which gives space to Best Buy, Staples, Target, T.G.I. Friday’s, and Starbucks, among other retail chains. Developed in the past five years, this assists in gathering business taxes to continue beatifying the city.

The Gateway Town Center was built on the Southern side of Compton to attract clientele in cities neighboring Compton, such as Carson, Paramount, and Long Beach. Clientele and staff appear to be relatively equal - half African American and half Latino.

Compton has recently taken an initiative to develop new housing communities that will be available for purchase. These home will be affordable to Compton residents through housing assistance programs provided the city. Once people start buying properties and stop renting, the positive attention and care given to the community from its residents will increase.

"Birthing a New Compton"

With “Birthing a New Compton” as the city’s motto, empty lots in the community are slowly being renovated into small parks. This provides the city with a more positive perspective and picture.

A risk in the Compton community is the lack of banks. Not having enough banks to allow the residents to open accounts and save money only leaves the community with one option – check cashing locations. After interest is deducted from the cashed check, the individual loses well-needed money. Check cashing locations also enable residents to obtain advance loans with high interests that leave residents in a worst economic situation than when they received the advanced paycheck.

An additional risk to the community is the prostitution that is prominent on the Northern side of Long Beach Blvd. Prostitution contributes to violence, drugs, creates stigma in the community, and as a result affects local business and communities, as less people are willing to gather in surrounding areas.

"First Southern Baptist Church of Compton"

"Compton Seventh-Day Adventist Church"

"Immanuel Baptist Church"

The City of Compton has strong religious presence. Religious institutions of several denominations were found throughout the city. Among them were: Baptist, Christian, Roman Catholic, Apostolic, Evangelical, Jehovah’s Witness, and Seventh Day Adventist. On the corner of E. Laurel Street and S. Santa Fe Ave, a religious institution was found in every corner!

In an attempt to bring the Latino and African American communities together for positive interactions, “Unity Fest” is held. This allows the different religious denominations to come together and unite with different fun activities for people of all ages. In addition to providing unity among the community, religious institutions have strong political presence in the community and can influence policy.

The City of Compton is home to 24 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, and 3 high schools. Approximately 75% of the student body is composed of Latinos; the other 24% is African American, while the 1% is comprised of Pacific Islanders, among other minorities in the community.

Most of the independently owned businesses are suited in older building lots. A store we visited, “Gallardo’s Party Supply” informed us that this business had been in existence for six years. The store attendant informed us that business remains open despite the decrease in customers given the economic recession. This party supply business is also jointed with “Gallardo’s Barber Shop”.

Insider vs. Outsider Perspective

"LIVE IN COMPTON!"

Compton, CA. Two men were fatally wounded last night. The two men, Marcus Willard 20, and Reginald Davis, 19, were murdered while walking home after a late night meal at a local Mexican restaurant. Police say the shooting took place sometime around 11:30 p.m. in the south east section of the city. Neighbors heard gunshots and notified police. The two men were pronounced dead at the scene.*

Fiction: Compton is a dangerous neighborhood.

Fact: There are many reasons why the city of Compton has a poor image. There is a large courthouse that services the region of neighboring cities which

attracts a lot of negative attention from the media, there are many gangs in the area, and there are many pockets of unincorporated land within the city limits that are owned and controlled by Los Angeles County. Having the courthouse in Compton should be seen as a positive thing because of the work that is done there. The city of Compton is providing justice to the community. Instead, it associates the city with whatever horrific crime the media is covering that week. People then watch the broadcast and begin to associate crimes with the city of Compton, and before you know it, people start to think that there is a lot of crime in Compton. Along with justice, the courthouse provides free legal services and free assistance for those that need it.

Although the occasional crime does happen in Compton, the vast majority of the violence occurs between the gangs and is specifically intraracial. The ordinary citizens of Compton are aware of this and do not feel threatened. The city counsel is turning this city around. They are making the city of Compton a better place to live, work, and play by adding

new shopping centers, recreational centers, and parks. They have been creating new after-school programs to give the kids something to focus their attention on so that they do not turn to gangs.

However, this is not easy. There are many parts of Compton that the city counsel does not have control over. These unincorporated parts of town are associated with Compton because they are in Compton, but the county technically owns them. This ties the hands of the city counsel. They can not improve these zoned of pieces of land. They can only watch them deteriorate and bring more negative attention to the city.

Fiction: Compton has an African-American majority.

Fact: The city of Compton does have an all African-American city counsel. However, Compton is about 74% Hispanic and about 24% African-American. The reason the city counsel is not representative of the people is that less than 10% of the citizens vote. The hope is that this will not be the case in the near future as the citizens become more trusting of government.

Fiction: Nothing is getting done to improve Compton.

Fact: The city counsel has made tremendous strides in the last six years to rebuild the city. They have cleaned up many abandoned neighborhoods, erected new housing developments, and

opened up a new shopping center creating jobs and giving the community a nice place to spend their money shopping and eating. The city counsel has been "Birthing a New Compton" since 2003. It will take time, however, to see the changes take affect. They are continuing to bring in new businesses that hire Compton citizens and the revenue from the sales tax that is generated by the new businesses are collected by the city and will be reinvested back into the community. There is definitely a lot happening to improve the city of Compton.

Fiction: Compton is infamous, not famous.

Fact: While the rebirth of Compton will take time, there is quite a lot that its residents are proud of, as they should be. The area has rich history that is not acknowledged very often by others. Compton is always the butt of some cruel joke: live in a bad neighborhood? at least it's not as bad as Compton!; need a setting for a gangster flick? choose Compton; want to make a point about crime rates? just look at Compton.

As you can see, Compton has been unfairly characterized. And special interest groups continue to use the media, politics, and other outlets to present the area in a negative light while completely ignoring the positive. Yes, the city is the birthplace of many famous rappers but it was also home to:
-Past Presidents of the United States of America George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.
-Venus and Serena Williams, two of the best female tennis players in the world at this time.
-Doris A. Davis, the first Black female mayor of a large city
-Many NBA, NFL, and other sports stars.

With the new initiatives taking place it will be exciting to see what Compton will become famous for in the future. Hopefully, many more people will get to experience the Compton that those who live there know and love. The city is on its way to being famous for its family friendly feel, steadily improving community services, diversity, and its unique position as a city where its residents can work, learn, and play together. As they say often, "When you live in Compton, you're part of our family".

*This news story is completely fictional.

Evidence of Diversity

Evidence Of Diversity

Diversity was evident throughout the community in the areas of religion, culture, ethnicity, education, and language to mention a few. The people that were seen throughout the community were representative of diverse cultures. Females, males, young children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly were all seen passing by throughout the busy streets of Compton.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Monument is located in front of the Compton Court House and is a landmark for the city of Compton.

Mini murals of minority historical leaders in front of the courthouse such as: Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and Sojourner Truth.

The Compton City Hall has pictures of its current local government officials. It is interesting to note that all present city hall officials are African American.

Signs of: "Birthing a New Compton" which is the mission of the city of Compton and this quote can be seen throughout the city. It became evident that many community members are pushing towards this mission of "birthing a new Compton" and are adamant about furthering the development of the city. It was a key point stressed by several of the residents of the city that it is their mission to eliminate the bad reputation Compton has in relation to gang and criminal activity and bring light to the great things that are happening in the city such as the redevelopment and the push to bring city residents from all walks of life together. The business sector is on the rise, which city leaders hope will contribute to the continued success and thrive of the city. However, there was a mixture of socioeconomic status that was evident among the city of Compton. While there were certain areas in which major plans were underway to attract more business, social networks, and the overall growth of the city there were also those areas that were representative of lower socioeconomic status. The differences in socioeconomic status were evident through the homes surrounding the neighborhoods of Compton. For instance, some homes appeared much smaller and run down, and some graffiti was present, while other areas such as the Richland Farms had larger homes, the families owned livestock such as horses, and the homes appeared less rundown.

Signs and posters that were displayed at different agencies were written in both English and Spanish. The languages these signs were in are indicative of some of the people present in the community. As demographics indicate, the two larger groups of people living in the city of Compton include Latinos and African Americans. Other languages that were observed at the Salvation Army include French, Chinese, and Filipino to name a few.

There are over 2,000 religious institutions in the city of Compton. Churches are of different denominations yet they have been able to interact with each other respecting each others belief systems in the past by way of a "Unity Day" event in which many community residents came together for an event filled with gospel singing, Hispanic gospel, Samoan and Aztec dancing. During the walkabout of the city some of the religious institutions that were seen include Catholic churches, Kingdom Hall for Jehovah's Witness, 7th Day Adventist, and a great number of other Christian churches of evangelical and Baptist denomination. Many of the religious institutions work together with local government to provide social services to families in the community. In fact it was interesting that a number of the city representatives involved in the local government and school board also had a role as ministers, pastors, and youth pastors. It was a common theme that the religious and spiritual component played a significant role in the lives of the residents of the City of Compton.



During our visit to the Salvation Army we got the perspective from Bob, a 14 year Compton resident who is an engineer/contractor who has volunteered his time to build a studio for the Salvation Army. When asked what it was like for him to live in Compton, being that he is a white male and there are not many Caucasians that live in Compton, he stated, "It is about incarnational living". He also stated that in order to help people you have to be willing to "live among people and be willing to be a neighbor". Another individual Christopher Bates, who is the Sports Outreach Director for the Salvation Army stated, "There is still huge tension between races especially between blacks and Hispanics". Bates mentioned that the Salvation Army has made efforts to bridge this gap by way of sports and designating different days for different sports. As a result, this has helped to bring together a diversity of people to play the different sports.