Will i need to get armed? (Hate Crimes all over L.A County) (living in, gangs)

[UB50]

Originally Posted by CSPLayer

My current housing situation is rather temporary; I’m on the Westside of L.A (Hollywood/ Vermont area). Without commenting on that any further, i couldn't afford to have my own place in the neighborhood. And unless i find a roomate with whom i'd share an apt. in a decent area, i guess i'mma have to look at parts of the city that resemble warzones.

As someone else pointed out, you don't live anywhere near LA or you would know that "Hollywood/Vermont" is not Westside.

A gun is about the dumbest thing you could carry with you in LA. The only people who carry them are the criminals and no one would hesitate to call the police if it appeared you had a gun out on the streets. (But you probably already realized that reading the responses above.)

[UB50]

Originally Posted by ebuch

Wow I can't believe in LA you can't get a CCW permit. That is crazy, its a shame that they are taking that away from law abiding citizens. Thank goodness if I do move to Los Angeles I will be LAPD so it won't affect me, and I will ALWAYS be carrying when I'm in the city.

I hope you didn't let the LAPD know that you feel this way... You won't ALWAYS be carrying in LA even if you are LAPD because some venues won't let you carry unless you are LAPD ON DUTY!

Seriously, a lot of coastal California is very anti-gun, particularly on the streets.

If you were a cop who showed up for a "gunshots fired" call, would you want to be looking at 200 people holding out guns? Cuz that is what you would get if everyone in LA were armed on the streets. As it stands now, most unarmed people know to get out of the way. The guy with the gun is probably the guilty one.

Anyone can apply for a CCW in California. The problem is that 99.9999999% of the people won't get a permit in the cities (San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, etc.).

As a general rule, if someone pulls a gun out and that person doesn't look like a cop or the private security detail for a celebrity, that person isn't allowed to have a gun on the streets and you can call the police to come on down and arrest them. And, from what I've seen, cops take "flashed a weapon" calls very seriously.

Where I live, they sent out between 10 and 15 police cars for a guy who was trying to hide behind a 2 ft. wall while a woman walking on the sidewalk near him jumped up and down pointing to where he was hiding. He had flashed a handgun at a service station a block away. (Found this out via the local newspaper.)

Your best defense against crime is your brain.

Anyway, LA has a lower crime rate than most cities where CCWs are passed out like candy. How would you explain that? And, if you include a lot of LA suburbs that aren't included in a lot of statistical data, our crime rate is way below other places.

[impala666]

Originally Posted by CSPLayer

Hi there,

I've been reading on City Data for a considerable period of time, and since i am making another life experience in a new town (L.A) i thought i'll ask for some advise.

I know some of you know about racial tensions in the city of L.A, mainly between Latinos and Blacks.
I’m Caribbean Hispanic with a mixture of Caucasian, Indian, and Black. The reason why I post is because some people may perceive me to be African-American since anything non-Mexican brown in their mind is black. Sometimes I have people coming up to me speaking spanish, so it really depends on the individual. In NYC, a number of people thought of me as puerto-rican.
My complexion is really not that much different from the average "mestizo" but you can tell that I'm not. And apparently, esp. "Surenos" have no respect whatsoever for those outside their "group".
Since i came to L.A i've experienced strong animosity from esp. the mexican community on several occasions, so far rather from the uneducated ones doing manual labor and other menial jobs (McDonalds, Subway etc.), but also from "Mexican-Americans" a little higher up on the economic ladder. My financial situation does not allow me to "buy myself out" and move in an upscale neigborhood.
My current housing situation is rather temporary; I’m on the Westside of L.A (Hollywood/ Vermont area). Without commenting on that any further, i couldn't afford to have my own place in the neighborhood. And unless i find a roomate with whom i'd share an apt. in a decent area, i guess i'mma have to look at parts of the city that resemble warzones.
The facts speak for themselves: Interviews with the Sheriffs in Florence-Firestone reveal that at one point the "Florencia 13" gang had a greenlight on all blacks (civilians & gangbangers) during evening and night hours (meaning you get shot if they see you outside).
Repeated racial murder and harassment in the so-called multi-ethnic neighborhood of Highland Park (Northeast L.A) have also been pointed out. It seems that the entire eastside of L.A is currently undesirable for those brown (me) that, according to people's perceptions, do not look like the average latin american and some would then simply proceed and label me "black" and state i'm a marked man.
Read here (3 gang members charged in Canoga Park killing - Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-charges18-2009jan18,0,911923.story - broken link)) about the latest incident that took place in Canoga Park (SFV Area).
The way some people look and talk to me speaks for itself and i'm fed up w/ people who have issues with themselves (self-hatred) and who want to take it out on me. Every Realist knows that there are quite some mestizos who are obsessed with the idea of being white.
I've experienced people telling me that they strongly hope for a light-skinned baby, dying their hair entirely blond (even facial hair), wanting to marry a white man/ woman (motivation: skin color), hating anything non-white (incl. their own darker-skinned people) and generally pretending like, from the eye of the average American, there's no difference between them and European-Americans. That is until issues like "Illegal immigration" come up and all of sudden you hear "Brown Pride", "Those gringos can go back to Boston", "You are Racists!" etc. Quite pathetic IMO. If you take pride in who you are, you are always proud of being "brown" or whatever your background is, not when people tear your illusion apart (Just because the U.S Census Bureau gives you the option to check “white” doesn’t mean you’re seen or accepted as such in society - Ask Middle Easterners in this country). Again: I'm postin about self-hating ones, not the whole group.
I'm a firm believer in the right to bear arms (2nd Amendment).
I would not hesitate to eliminate those that would go so far to pull a home invasion and commit crimes out of hate (assault, even murder) to express their dislike towards me. (That’s what happened to Anthony Prudhomme, 21 yrd old, mixed-race, in Highland Park - SPLCenter.org: L.A. Blackout)
So yes, i feel i need to get armed in order to ensure that there will be at least some protection against those who like to attack in numbers and have nothing better to do than to commit crimes against "others". Do those forum members who live or have lived in those kind of areas where there is noticeable racial tension agree or feel i exaggerate?
Yes I support guns for self-defense, but NO, never got a gun b/c i was eager to intimidate, hurt or kill ppl.

BTW: Sry for long post, but nothing short of it could express how i look at the situation now and how negatively it affects my life. I came here for educational reasons and because in California there are more opportunites in the business i want to launch a career in than back East.

This is a very interesting link about guns in the home as guns on the street are strictly a "no no".
How Many Guns Are There and Who Owns Them? - Gun Ownership And Homicide In The Home

So dont drink,or have any friends or relatives over and you will be fine.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by UB50

Anyway, LA has a lower crime rate than most cities where CCWs are passed out like candy. How would you explain that?

I don't know about any statistics but L.A. is already a crazy enough place without handing out CCW permits to a random selection of citizens. Things are bad enough already, and adding more guns to the mix (even legal guns) would be crazy.

I expect to move away from L.A., probably this year, and probably to a "must issue" state. I just retired.

[CSPLayer]

Originally Posted by happ

"mestizos" You don't even talk the language of Los Angeles. Why don't you find another thread since clearly you do not even live in LA & are promoting some untrue hype about "Hate Crimes all over LA County".

At least do your homework before posting unsubstantiated boasts! [do you happen to live in Texas, btw?]

Once again your response is more than pathetic.

OMG! How can one be so foolish? Read the very upper part of my first post, esp. the sentence that states "new experience" etc. In what way did that state that i'm from here or even have been here for years? If that was the case, i'd know the city well enough, figure something out and wouldn't even post here. I'm busy here every day. I don't have mom and pop to pay all the bills, my education and rent, and all i do is having fun day in and day out. So "sorry" for trying to seek advise from people who have been living here for a considerable time of their lives and can give me some insight about the issue that i started a thread about.

My first post reveals everything about me coming here, living situation and everything else.
Once again, you skip posts and write BS that makes this thread, that is already flooded with a number of redundant responses, even more unattractive.
I guess in your sick mind the term "mestizo" is politically incorrent - well, i don't care. Again, you are the only person complaining about that.
I posted murders that have been documented and investigated - that is what you call stating facts, not trying to "promote a hype".

But if an individual already lacks comprehension when it comes to posts on an online board, i shouldn't have expectations that even imply skills to participate in an intelligent discussion. My fault.

[UB50]

Originally Posted by Lovehound

I don't know about any statistics but L.A. is already a crazy enough place without handing out CCW permits to a random selection of citizens. Things are bad enough already, and adding more guns to the mix (even legal guns) would be crazy.

I expect to move away from L.A., probably this year, and probably to a "must issue" state. I just retired.

I'm not against guns since I've lived in rural areas before and I know there are places in the USA where you really need to own a gun.

But I'm against CCWs in cities, particularly congested cities like LA, NYC, etc. There are so many guns in houses and in businesses, why do people on the streets need to carry them too?

You can go to the FBI website and compare the violent crime rates between LA and other cities where CCWs are passed out to almost everyone. LA has a very low violent crime rate. Many LA suburbs are extremely low on the list for being so close to LA (Irvine, Mission Viejo, Glendale, etc.)

[Scott5280]

Real or imagined LA has a hideous reputation for being full of gangs and crime ..People in Coastal OC. and in Colorado both places I split time living ..have very few good things to say about the safety of Los Angeles..And I to have seen the news journalists on CNBC/ and others speaking about this racial green lighting..It may just be media hype or urban myth, but many people have heard these stories about the Mexican's targeting black people just for being black, so I don't think it's so way out of line to wonder if this in fact is taking place..In the OC. Register a few months back there was a story about a black man who was beaten badly by Mexican gang members who shouted F....Obama and repeatedly called him the N word..Even as a white guy who spends half my time in Newport Beach..I see racial tensions on levels highly elevated compared to Colorado and other states I have lived..It is just out and out ridiculous that some posters claim there is no real major racial tension here in So. Cal..Me personally it's some of the worst I have ever seen.. I was dating a black girl from LA
several years back when I lived full time in OC. without going into details--I saw crap on a regular basis that I couldn't believe still existed in modern society or in such a so called progressive city like LA-- we recieved hostile comments, hostile looks ect. mainly by hispanics( not bashing Mexican people ..just sharing details).. I saw some pretty crazy things in rural South Carolina and Texas years ago too...The gun thing of course is a no..no.. and will not really protect you in a city like LA at least on the street since it's illegal... the people who claim LA, and So. Cal. is all just mellow and diverse are drinking KOOL AID..With the kind of tension I have witnessed, doesn't seem like the powder keg would have to escalate much further to result in some pretty serious violence..I hope I am wrong on that, and yes I am very full aware of the racist views by many whites in OC towards minorities which can be very blatant at times..it goes all kinds of directions..

[BOERSEUN]

CSPLayer,

I fail to see how your skin colour has relavance to your question, which is "should I buy a gun." That said, here is my advice:

ONLY buy a gun if you are SURE of your motivation to do so. Your post here branded you as UNSURE, so dont buy one as long as you are unsure.

IF you buy, be sure to PRACTICE a lot. One box of ammo "to see how she goes" does not count. Go to the range at least once a month. A gunowner who does not know how to shoot is almost as dangerous as a car owner that does not know how to drive.

Research the law with regard to using a firearm. Shooting somebody because he called you a Mother****er is going to get you charged with murder.

Check your mental state. Are you sure you can deliberately (in self defence) cause another human's death?

Remember that criminals fear strength. By keeping suprise on their side, they can overcome you. If you go armed, do so in a fashion that is not obvious. If you are attacked, SUPRISE THE ATTACKER by producing, and using, a firearm in a fashion that works to your advantage. Remember the old adage: Never draw unless you are willing to shoot, never shoot unless you are willing to kill.

Even if you shoot in self defence, be warned that the law WILL treat you as a criminal. "Innoccent untill proven guilty" apparently does NOT apply to the law abiding members of society.......

Never, NEVER, carry a unloaded gun. It is only "safer" for the criminals.

Lastly, if you have children, intoduce them to your gun(s) at an early age. Foster a sense of respect for the gun and what it represents. Allow them to handle, shoot, and become comfortable with it. That way they will not be tempted to experiment and discover on their own. And they will grow up to be responsible gun owners.

If you can solemnly agree to all the above, go and buy your gun, and become a part of the solution rather than the problem. ( or worse, part of the "statistic")

[happ]

Originally Posted by CSPLayer

Once again your response is more than pathetic.

OMG! How can one be so foolish? Read the very upper part of my first post, esp. the sentence that states "new experience" etc. In what way did that state that i'm from here or even have been here for years? If that was the case, i'd know the city well enough, figure something out and wouldn't even post here. I'm busy here every day. I don't have mom and pop to pay all the bills, my education and rent, and all i do is having fun day in and day out. So "sorry" for trying to seek advise from people who have been living here for a considerable time of their lives and can give me some insight about the issue that i started a thread about.

My first post reveals everything about me coming here, living situation and everything else.
Once again, you skip posts and write BS that makes this thread, that is already flooded with a number of redundant responses, even more unattractive.
I guess in your sick mind the term "mestizo" is politically incorrent - well, i don't care. Again, you are the only person complaining about that.
I posted murders that have been documented and investigated - that is what you call stating facts, not trying to "promote a hype".

But if an individual already lacks comprehension when it comes to posts on an online board, i shouldn't have expectations that even imply skills to participate in an intelligent discussion. My fault.

If you lived in LA for a mere week you would know that Hollywood Blvd at Vermont is not the "Westside" & doesn't have gangs. It is a heavily Thai neighborhood in East Hollywood

So when you do eventually move to California than you can post with credibility otherwise is it nonsense & total fabrication

[mading6]

You live in Los Feliz. That is suppose to be a really nice area from what I see. I live right next to it. I seriously doubt you have a problem with horrible crime in that area. That is a very diverse chic area.

Surround yourself with different people.