Cross 2000: 30).
Street vending has been prohibited in Los Angeles since the 1930’s, and is considered a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1000 and 6 months imprisonment (Kettles 2004: 9). Before the 1980’s, street vending was not a dominant issue for the city of Los Angeles, but during that decade there was a massive surge in immigration from Central American nations, causing the Latino community to increase by approximately 62% and the foreign born population of Los Angeles to increase to 40% of the overall population (ibid). This large influx of people attributed to an increase in informal economic activities among which vending was very prominent, since many immigrants brought traditions of street vending from their home country
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However, it wasn’t until 1994 that any legislation was actually passed, and by 1995 only two of the proposed eight districts were near approval (ibid). One SSVD (Special Sidewalk Vending District) was finally set up in 1999 but it was largely unsuccessful and the project was finally terminated, leaving street vending prohibited once again (Estrada and Hondagneu-Sotelo 2010: 127). As noted above, the population of street vendors in Los Angeles is very prominent, with some estimating that there are around 10,000 vendors on the streets of Los Angeles on any given day (Muñoz 2012: 2). Vendors consist of both men and women, with about 60% of vendors being female, and children as young as thirteen have been shown to engage in street vending to help support their families (Chinchilla, Chinchilla and Hamilton 1996: 31; Estrada and Hondagneu-Sotelo 2010: 103). They operate mostly in neighborhoods where the majority of the residents are Latin American and some may only receive as much as $20-$30 a day from vending (Kettles 2004 15). Not all vendors are full time, and many use vending as a supplement to their income from another job, but for some it is their sole means of employment (Muñoz 2012: 2). Since many of these vendors are immigrants, with approximately 60% being undocumented, they face discrimination from the formal economy and many lack attributes such as language ability and legal status, that are required to gain a formal occupation (Kettles 2004: 23). For them, remaining in the informal economy is worth the risk and many vendors find it preferable that they are able to work on their own terms (Chinchilla, Chinchilla and Hamilton 1996:
In the 1970’s Patricia Adler and her husband infiltrated a large drug smuggling and dealing ring located in Southwest County of southern California with the intent of learning more about the covert group. In Adler’s book Wheeling and Dealing: an Ethnography of an Upper-Level Drug Dealing and Smuggling Community, she delves into the multifaceted lifestyle and activities of those in the Southwest County drug world. In this paper, I will look into the factors that initiated their entry into the drug world, their activates that facilitated their smuggling and dealing of drugs, and their exit from the drug world, while applying multiple theories to explain their illegal behavior.
Over the past 60 years there has been a recent phenomenon in the development and rise of gangs and gang violence. This is exceptionally apparent in South Central Los Angeles, where the Bloods and the Crips have taken control of the social structure and created a new type of counter culture. Poverty in this area is an enormous problem caused by a sheer lack of jobs; but just because there is a lack of jobs doesn’t mean that there will be a lack of bills to pay, so sometimes selling drugs in order to keep a roof over your head seems like the most logical option. Crime often times flourishes in these regions because the inconvenient truth is; crime pays. Senator Tom Hayden stated “It’s been defined as a crime problem and a gang problem
Lora Jo Foo. “The Yale Law Journal”, Vol. 103, No. 8, Symposium: The Informal Economy
As more and more immigrants began to spread throughout the US, more and more gangs of people began to emerge. Gangs were usually made up of people of a common ethnicity, whether it be Irish, Italian, or Hispanic. These gangs were usually victims of anti-immigrant policies and looked for strength in numbers. As gangs became more and more sophisticated they realized they could make profits from the power they were accumulating. One of the most recognizable examples is the bootlegging of alcohol during the Prohibition. When federal officials attempted to enforce legislation such as the Volstead Act, there was a surge of illegal sales and profits. In 1927, Al Capone and his gang racked up over $60 million from bootlegged alcohol. With all of this money came tons of violence, people were getting murdered in broad daylight just so others could have a sum of all of this wealth. Soon Mob families would own clubs or casinos to increase their wealth. The attendees weren’t only made up of rich mob bosses, the alcohol, dancing, and gambling attracted many ordinary
The phenomena of Migrant Workers would not be possible if the migrants were able to get jobs elsewhere, but as many come from Third-World Countries with little economic possibilities, this is not possible. What has resulted is an inexhaustible supply of cheap labor to the United States. This willingness on the part of the workers to work for wages otherwise unacceptable in the United States is problematic. Employers in this position are not under any pressure to reveal truthful, or even any information about wage rates, and many workers do not ask how much they will be paid. As a result, workers often do not know how much they will paid until they are thousands of miles away from their homes, and frequently not until they are paid at the end of a week. This is the story for the Mexican blueberry pickers in Maine, and the growing number of apple pickers who are Jamaican.
Surprisingly, little has been written about the historical significance of black gangs in Los Angeles (LA). Literature and firsthand interviews with Los Angeles residents seem to point to three significant periods relevant to the development of the contemporary black gangs. The first period, which followed WWII and significant black migrations from the South, is when the first major black clubs formed. After the Watts rebellion of 1965, the second period gave way to the civil rights period of Los Angeles where blacks, including those who where former club members who became politically active for the remainder of the 1960s. By the early 1970s black street gangs began to reemerge. By 1972, the Crips were firmly established and the Bloods were beginning to organize. This period saw the rise of LA’s newest gangs, which continued to grow during the 1970s, and later formed in several other cities throughout the United States by the 1990s. While black gangs do not make up the largest or most active gang population in Los Angeles today, their influence on street gang culture nationally has been profound.
The critics argue that significant numbers of illegal immigrants harm the economy by displacing low-skilled natives, and depressing the wages but in reality, who works in farming occupations? Who works in cleaning occupations? Who works in food preparation occupations? Last but not least, who works on constructions and countless other heavy and dangerous jobs? The immigrants do. If one is truthful and honest, he/she will agree with one on that. The majority of the native Americans do not like to work on these jobs. As for some of the companies, it will be tough for them to sustain without illegal immigrants. According to Peter Katel in his article “Illegal Immigration,” it states that, “Indeed, some sectors of the economy might have a hard time functioning without illegal workers,” which supports Pilardi’s stance.
Lacayo, A. E. (2011). One year later: A look at SB1070 and copycat legislation. National Council of La Raza, 18.
Several California cities recently moved forward with gang injunctions to reduce violent crime rates. Gang injunctions have become a distinct Californian approach to fight crimes since they were first introduced in the 1980s in Los Angeles. The injunctions that have been granted primarily affect impoverished, minority neighborhoods and may actually serve to further stigmatize and oppress innocent minority youth who also live in these communities. Cities have issued them to fight local gangs, and promise that gang injunctions will cut down violent crime rate, and make the neighborhoods more safer; ho...
The Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act, also known as the STEP Act has been challenged with criticism. During the 1980s California’s high level of gang activity created concern in the local communities. Due to the high concern legislations began being written. The STEP Act, although concerned with a reduction in gang crimes began perceived by many as applied disproportionately against minorities.
Various housekeeping jobs and yard work is done by immigrants, both legal and illegal. Immigrants are a necessity in the United States Labor Market; between 7 and 8 million of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States are working, contributing to the economy and contributing to America’s growing work force (Jacoby 22). Unemployment is above 8 percent, and some American’s would argue that these jobs could be filled by U.S. workers, but they can’t. The reason being that unemployed United States workers are usually selective as to which jobs they are willing to take, and many of them do not want to be dish washers or housekeepers. Americans have also become more educated over time, and they strive for higher positions with a larger income. The lower positions do not disappear and unskilled worker...
Shoplifting is a major problem in today. The temptation of not paying for something, just hiding it away and saving your own money is a large factor for some people. The culprit just thinks he's getting a product for free and doesn't know what he's actually doing to himself and the community. Shoplifting effects everyone, yourself and the everyone in the local neighborhood.In this essay I'm going to explain some of the circumstances of stealing from local stores, or any store. After I've been caught stealing I found out how wrong it is and how it is a disadvantage to everyone.
Despite having to battle discrimination and poor neighborhoods, second and third generation Mexican-Americans have made a great strife to overcome large obstacles. Mexican-Americans are finally gaining representation in city government representing the 9.6 million Mexican residents of Los Angeles. White politicians can no longer ignore Mexicans in Los Angeles, as former mayor Richard Riordan saw in the elections of 1997, in which his re-election was largely in part to the high turnout of Mexican voters in his favor. Although Capitalism still exists in the greater Los Angeles, its influence is not as great as it was fifty years ago. Los Angeles continues to serve as the breeding grounds for new cultures, ideologies, and alternative lifestyles. The pursuit of the American Dream becomes a reality for most immigrants in LA. LA is a great place to live, party, and be from. I knew little about the history of Los Angeles prior to this course, but now I am well prepared to answer the question of, “What makes Los Angeles, Los Angeles?”
Otero, Juan. “Curbing street gang violence,” National League of Cities. 21 Dec 1998. General Reference Center Gold. Jan 2007
Saillant, Catherine. "L.A. Starts 2014 with Its New Plastic-bag Ban." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.