Compton: Urban Decay vs. Gentrification

Urban Decay vs. Gentrification in Compton

Compton's Martin Luther King Monument, 35 mm

On December 9th, 2017, an article was written
for the Los Angeles Times which stated that Compton is among several new real estate hidden gems.₁ For many Compton residents, this claim was not entirely a surprise, but it did spark conversations around gentrification and wealth disparities. Gentrification is a process where the economy of an area is shifted; new businesses replace small businesses, housing costs increases, and people have no choice but to leave their homes. The introduction of gentrification into Compton highlights the issues of poverty and urban decay within the city. Urban decay in this city relates to the deteriorating infrastructure, unkempt landscape, poverty, and crime rates.

Compton potholes being fixed (excited, a citizen watches), 35mm

In recent years, Compton has seen economic growth with "26 of the nation’s top 100 retailers” being located in the area, but in contrast to the economic growth,₂ the percentage of people living below the poverty line increased in 2016 from 21.69% to 26.52%.₃ Along with poverty rates increasing, homicides rose from 15 last year to 19 this year, and violent crime was up 2%.₄ The most obvious form of urban decay seen in Compton is the infrastructure; throughout the city, there are storefronts that are falling apart, litter and empty lots, and streets filled with potholes. The potholes in Compton have become a controversy after a ballot was passed in June of 2016 to fix the potholes,₅ despite this, there has been no funding approved to fix potholes until March of 2019.₆

Compton storefronts, 35mm

With Compton being my hometown, this issue is important to me because it is affecting the city I call home. This city has always held a reputation for being dangerous and "ghetto". I always challenge this reputation because there is so much more to this city, but the reality is that it does need improvement; an improvement that actually benefits its constituents and not the real estate market. There are businesses that have been in this city all my life that are now replaced by huge corporations; it seems as though there are so many attempts to bring new customers, but at the same time the streets still haven’t been fixed in the most residential areas.

One day while visiting Long Beach, a nearby city, my nephew began to notice that the area was much nicer and cleaner than the city we live in. He expressed to me: “I love my city [Compton] but sometimes it’s crazy and I wish people would take better care of it”. He also stated: “I think in this city [Long Beach] if there was a bunch of litter in the street the city would clean it right away, but not in Compton.

After talking to my nephew, I asked my parents what they thought about the issue of urban decay/gentrification in Compton. My family moved to Compton when I was born, so my parents have an expansive view of the changes in Compton. My parents both agreed and said: “Compton has improved a lot since we moved here; when you were little it was more dangerous”. After discussing the statistics, they were surprised and disappointed that the city was not being maintained.

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Citations

₁Lopez, Steve “Finding the L.A. real estate gold rush — in Compton, Watts, and South L.A.” LA Times, December 9, 2017, https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-housing-compton-20171209-story.html

₂“About the City” Shop Compton, http://shopcompton.org/?page_id=415

₃ “Percent Living in Poverty for Compton, CA”, Civic Dashboards http://www.civicdashboards.com/city/compton-ca-16000US0615044/percent_living_in_poverty

₄ Chang, Cindy “Crime is down in Los Angeles for the first time in five years”, LA Times, December 29, 2018, https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-lapd-crime-stats-20181229-story.html

₅ “Get the Facts” Fix our Streets Compton, http://fixourstreetsnow.com/

₆ Hernandez, Miriam “Compton potholes: Help on the way”, ABC 7, March 21, 2019 pavinghttps://abc7.com/trafficComptonn-potholes-$2m-in-help-on-the-way/5211246/