Gentrification in Los Angeles

Gentrification in Los Angeles

By: Ivan Leguizamo

What is gentrification and where is it happening?

Gentrification is an issue that plagues Los Angeles, whether it's noticeable to everyone or not. The term refers to the process of low income urban areas being forcibly changed when people who are financially better off move in at the cost of kicking out current inhabitants. This is an issue that occurs in many cities across the United States and surprisingly recently has been occurring in other countries as well. United States citizens moving to "underdeveloped countries" because of the cheaper cost of living is something relatively new, but not unheard of. But considering I live in Los Angeles, that's where I notice it the most. 

In a study conducted by the Urban Displacement Project, they looked at three Southern California counties to see if the multiple census tracts were going through gentrification. They studied Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties and created criteria to place the tracts in a "spectrum" of gentrification. The study found that Los Angeles had the highest rates of gentrification, "with 10% of tracts classified as At Risk of Gentrification, Early/Ongoing Gentrification, or Advanced Gentrification" (urbandisplacement.org). Gentrification can be noticed in different ways, in Los Angeles it can be a new restaurant that replaced a small local business, or new modern apartments that replaced low-income families' homes. 

But a very well known incident of gentrification that people often forget about is the construction of Dodger stadium. Although today the Dodgers are known to have a huge Latino fanbase, it wasn't always the case. In fact, the construction of the Dodger Stadium displaced many Mexican American families who lived in the community previously known as the Chavez Ravine. 

Before the construction of the stadium, the Los Angeles Council had wanted to remove inhabitants of the Chavez Ravine to modernize the city. Presumably, the inhabitants would be removed to construct newer housing developments. Inhabitants of this community were originally promised housing in the new projects but that did not apply to many of the inhabitants. Eventually when the housing plans fell through and the Dodger Stadium was officially meant to be built, the city forcibly removed the inhabitants, no longer with the promise of new housing for them. The most famous of those families being the Arechiga family, who were "literally dragged [out]...[because they] refused to vacate to make way for the stadium, out of their home as bulldozers stood by read to carry out demolition orders" (Dinces 4). 

What is being done to help?

It's hard for individuals to put a stop to gentrification themselves, but voting for officials that take the community's wants and needs into consideration is important. There are organizations that also take gentrification seriously and work to prevent low-income families from being displaced. East LA Community Corporation is one such organization that fights and advocatess for economic and social justice in the Boyle Heights and East LA area. They own multiple properties that contain apartments that prioritize low-income families as well as provide different services such as financial counseling, first time home buyer workshops, and rental counseling. Although the building of these apartments is considered gentrification in a way, part of their mission works to prevent the displacement of low-income families. Some of these apartments are built in areas that were previously lots or businesses instead of houses.

Why does this matter to me?

I've lived in Los Angeles my whole life, both in Boyle Heights and in East LA and I've seen gentrification happen right in front of me, sometimes not even realizing it. There's just this sort of feeling or aura that I notice when walking through1st Street or Cesar Chavez or Whittier Blvd that felt like home. Sure the buildings looked old but it felt right, like I was surrounded by my own people. Next thing you know there are modern-looking apartments, a Nike store, and a food chain replacing a local business that just seems out of place. It stands out, interrupts the rest of the street. To be fair, the apartments that have been built around Boyle Heights and East LA do prioritize low-income families so they're okay. But housing prices and rent keeps going up.

I remember realizing that I started noticing more homeless people in the East side. And I learned that Los Angeles was pushing them out of Downtown and so they ended up over here because they were modernizing Downtown. The homeless crisis is a different problem entirely but it's somewhat connected with gentrification. I remember when I learned about the 710 freeway and how they stopped it from cutting through Pasadena. And then I thought about all the freeways that cut through Boyle Heights and East LA and I didn't think that was fair. Why was it only okay for these low-income neighborhoods and families to be displaced by city projects?

Talking with my community

Bonifacio L. (Conversation and response was in Spanish)

I didn't know what the term gentrification was but I have noticed it. When big businesses replace smaller business it doesn't fit in. It's not part of the community or culture. I've noticed all the apartments that have been built around Boyle Heights and East LA and although they do claim to prioritize low-income families they aren't all. Some people know how to play the system and take advantage. Or when schools buy houses to expand. Gentrification is definitely a problem.

Maria L. (Conversation and response was in Spanish)

So the apartments that have been popping out all over Boyle Heights and East LA are part of gentrification? I imagine they pay for the houses they're replacing no? Well, if they don't I guess they force them. I'm a very distracted person but I've definitely noticed those apartments they've built and they keep building more. Like those apartments that they burned down on 1st street while they were building them. If they take people out of their homes to build these apartments I don't think its good, especially on the extremes like with Dodger stadium. I can only imagine if they tried building something here and they forced us out of our home. 

Sources

Cardenas, Rafael. Untitled. East LA Community Corporation, https://www.elacc.org/our-properties-list/.

Dinces, Sean. "Digging Deeper into the Dodgers." Journal of Urban History, vol. 47, no. 4, 2020, pp.         937-934., https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144220929293.

"Los Angeles - Gentrification and Displacement." Urban Displacement                                                         Project, https://www.urbandisplacement.org/maps/los-angeles-gentrification-and-displacement/.

Saarelma, Timo. Photograph of East Side Local Chapter of LA Tenants Union and Union de Vecinos         Action in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, 2016. HYPERALLERGIC, 19 June 2017, 

     https://hyperallergic.com/385176/an-artists-guide-to-not-being-complicit-with-gentrification/.  

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