Relax - Fancy a tour of LA gangland?

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ONLY kilometres from the scenic vistas and celebrity mansions of Los Angeles that draw sightseers from around the globe, a bus tour rolls through the dark side of the city’s gang turf.

Passengers paying US$65 ($90) a head on Saturday signed waivers acknowledging they could be crime victims and put their fate in the hands of tattooed ex-gang members who say they have negotiated a ceasefire among rivals in the most violent gangland in the US, reported AP.

If that sounds daunting, consider the challenge facing organisers of LA Gang Tours: trying to build a thriving venture that provides a glimpse into gang life while also trying to convince people that gang-plagued communities are not as hopeless as movies depict.

“There’s a fascination with gangs,” said founder Alfred Lomas, a former member of the Florencia 13 gang.

“We can either address the issue head-on, create awareness and discuss the positive things that go on in these communities, or we can try to sweep it under the carpet.”

Critics

Several observers have questioned the premise behind the tours, and some city politicians have been more blunt.

“It’s a terrible idea,” city councilman Dennis Zine said. “Is it worth that thrill for 65 bucks? You can go to a (gang) movie for a lot less and not put yourself at risk.”

More than 50 people brushed aside safety concerns for Saturday’s maiden tour.

Their first sight was a stretch of concrete riverbed featured in such movies as Terminator and Grease, where countless splotches of grey paint conceal graffiti that is often the mark of street gangs and tagging crews.

After that, their unmarked bus went on to the Central Jail, home to many a thug, past Skid Row’s squalor and homeless masses and into South Los Angeles, breeding ground for some of the city’s deadliest gangs.

The bus then enters the Florence-Firestone neighbourhood, close to the birthplace of the Crips and current home to Florencia 13, a Latino gang that was accused by federal prosecutors of racist attacks against black residents.

Ms Sieglinde Lemke, 46, an American Studies professor from the University of Freiburg in Germany, said she enjoyed the opportunity to interact with former gang members.

“It brings to life the class divisions you have in America,” she said. “This is an area that’s blocked out of my mental map of the States. It’s important to get a first-hand account of the area.”

Mr Lomas, 45, a respected activist, stresses that the aim of his non-profit company is to bring jobs to communities along the route and to reinvest money through micro-loans and scholarships.

No tour quite like this runs elsewhere in the US. Chicago has a prohibition-era gangster tour, and another Los Angeles group buses people to infamous crime scenes, including the Black Dahlia murder.

This article was first published in The New Paper.

Fancy a tour of LA gangland?

The New Paper | Wed, Jan 20 2010

Pay $90...and pray you won't be next victim.

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