The Ghettoization of Blacks in Los Angeles and the Emergence of Street Gangs

Despite previous research, the roots and rise of African-American street gangs in Los Angeles, as related to the development of racially and ethnically segregated areas, have not been traced.
This paper examines the experiences of the early African-American community, explaining the cultural phenomenon that led to the formation of African-American gangs.
The rapid migration of African-Americans to Los Angeles increased their population, threatening the white community.
Racial discrimination and racial covenants trapped many African-Americans in Watts, transforming it from a White middle-class community into a ghetto of predominantly poor urban Black dwellers.

Street gangs are not traditionally part of African culture or the African-American culture that developed post-Civil War.
The roots of street gangs can be traced by examining social and economic causes that breed them.
Street gangs typically breed in urban areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York due to significant migration patterns.

Early Los Angeles was integrated, with house lots distributed to initial settlers, including Africans of mixed heritage, without regard to skin color.
Within a decade of city founding, there was a clear hierarchy of race, and racial classification impacted social mobility.

Street gangs are a product of marginalization, resulting from the relegation of certain groups to societal fringes, leading to powerlessness.
Marginalization particularly affects children after the migration of ethnically distinct populations, disrupting family structure, schooling readiness, and involvement with law enforcement.
The term "multiple marginality" encapsulates the ecological, economic, sociocultural, and psychological factors underlying street gangs.

CRT emphasizes racism as a permanent aspect of American society.
Race significantly influences the creation and perpetuation of ghettoization, explaining the emergence of gangs and their members.

By 1870, the African-American population in Los Angeles was under 100, rising to approximately 200 by 1880.
The Santa Fe Railroad and land boom of 1887 spurred migration, with African-American journalists urging migration from poverty in the South to Los Angeles.
By 1900, Los Angeles surpassed San Francisco as the leading center for African-Americans in the West.

Jim Crow laws prompted widespread migration beginning in 1910, with migrants often being educated skilled workers from the upper South.
The African-American population burgeoned from 1,258 in 1890 to 2,131 by 1900, indicating a strong migration pattern to Los Angeles County.

Despite being politically organized and unified, 60-75% of African-Americans worked in low-paying jobs with substandard working conditions.
Racial prejudice and segregation were prominent, exemplified by discrimination in entertainment, dining, and public services.

In 1915, various African-American organizations united against racism, illustrating the community's solidarity.
Differences in the community were minimized in face of a common enemy, contributing to a unified resistance against discrimination.

The “Great Migration” led to an influx of hundreds of thousands of African-Americans who often clashed with established residents, undermining community unity.
By the 1920s, the African-American population in Los Angeles significantly increased, leading to spatial ghettoization.

By 1920, most African-Americans were confined to certain areas of the city, with harsh housing restrictions where approximately 95% of the city’s housing was unavailable.
Central Avenue emerged as the first African-American ghetto, interspersing small houses and businesses but restricted by racism.

Despite low wages by Southern standards, the African-American community remained intact until the 1930s, lacking the crime and social issues later associated with urban poverty.
Unemployment was common, with many African-American men only accessing low-wage jobs in the service sector.

The Great Depression ushered additional hardships, causing structural deterioration within the community and further solidifying ghettoization.
By 1930, conditions for African-Americans had degenerated into a slum-ghetto state due to residential segregation and discrimination.

Despite temporary relief through government programs during the depression, entrenched racism and housing discrimination persisted.
Public facilities in Watts suffered; residents often endured poor living conditions without basic necessities, contributing to community decay.

The post-depression period saw the formation of street gangs amidst increasing violence against African-Americans, such as the Zoot Suit riots.
African-American youth formed gangs as a means of protection against white violence and social injustice.
Notable early gangs included the Businessmen, Slausons, and Gladiators, who emerged from defensively driven social contexts.

The late 1940s marked a transition towards organized gang culture, which became intertwined with economic disadvantage and systemic neglect from authorities.
Street gangs evolved into platforms for youth to assert cultural identity in response to socioeconomic disenfranchisement.

The 1980s witnessed a dramatic rise in gang formations, fueled by economic decline and limited job opportunities for African-American youth.
Political and economic measures stripped opportunities from African-Americans, exacerbating the situation with drugs being major economic alternatives.
As a result, during the 1980s, the number of gangs in Los Angeles swelled to over 155, with 30,000 active members involved in various illicit trades.

The dismantling of youth employment programs and systemic neglect led to a poverty state where gang membership became normalized among youth.
The presence of gang culture in schools and neighborhoods became commonplace, with violence often following gang rivalries and interactions.

The ongoing socioeconomic struggles and lack of community support underscore the broader circumstances surrounding the emergence of gangs in Los Angeles.
Understanding the past struggles of the African-American population reveals how a once cohesive community devolved into one marked by gang violence and economic despair.