Is Los Angeles dangerous?

[Mem]

I hear that there are certain neighborhoods that you should not go into by car, even during the day, is this true?

I'm planning to drive there from Las Vegas in a few weeks and need a heads up.

I live near Newark NJ and don't feel that driving through it is dangerous, is L.A. that much worse?

 

[RussianSexDoll]

Only if you think drive by shootings, gangs, drug addicts, racial violence and prostitution are dangerous.

 

[avg_joe]

LA is one of the most dangerous cities in America, if you think of drug, gangs, high-speed chases, road rage, racial tension between Black and Hispanic, high homicide rate etc.,

 

[Osiris]

Stick to the Westside of town (Westwood, Brentwood, Santa Monica) During the day, Hollywood is OK because it's full of tourists.

Burbank is another during the day as Universal Studios is there.

East L.A. and Compton weren't that bad when I lived there, but this was also pre-gang phenom. I would be careful in those areas.

 

[D_N Flay Table]

hehe... you betta axe novice if LA is dangerous...

it isn't the greatest place... even the nice areas have high crime..
go figure.

 

[avg_joe]

If you live in LA, your chances of being killed in the car accident is pretty high.

 

[MH07]

In any big city in the US, there are dangerous areas that you should avoid at night.

For example, I just got back from Newark; I didn't want to wander around much after work because I didn't know the area. So, we took the PATH train into NYC, which I know well from having lived there.

You can walk around NYC at 2 in the morning---IF you know where to walk and where to not walk.

Similarly, there are areas of Houston I'd advise you to stay out of during the daytime. Most areas of Houston are fine 24/7; some are bad 24/7.

Just about anywhere, if you stick to the well-traveled, well-lit, "touristy" areas and keep a good eye out, you're fine. If you go wandering off alone---well, not a very good idea anywhere unless you know the area well.

Also, do not assume that the demographics you know from home apply somewhere else. Just because blacks and whites, whites and hispanics, hispanics and blacks, asians and whites, etc etc etc, whatever combination---just because they get along well in YOUR town does not mean that carries over to other towns. Blacks and whites (as groups) get along much better in Houston, for example, than they do in my old hometown of Little Rock.

Have fun in LA, one of my favorite places on earth. Nothing else like it. Sit on the beach under a palm tree drinking a bottle of good California red and watch the sun sink slowly into the Pacific.

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

yeah, there are lots of Mexicans there. watch out.

 

[D_N Flay Table]

yeah, there are lots of Mexicans there. watch out.

How dare you!

 

[D_Fluoridia Bidet]

I think any place you go it's dangerous or you shouldnt walk into another gangs territory. I wanted to go to LA for school but changed my mind a long time ago due to crime issues, but I guess it doesn't matter since I realized the world isnt safe anyway.

 

[D_Fluoridia Bidet]

yeah, there are lots of Mexicans there. watch out.

You can say that about Houston but are they really Mexican?

 

[the_reverend]

it's not as bad as most people think. certain areas are a bit more prone to crime, but certain areas are a bit more prone to earthquakes as well. just because it COULD happen doesn't mean it WILL. i've driven through some nominally "bad" neighborhoods out here and as long as you keep to yourself and don't flaunt "i have lots of money!" you should get out unscathed.

the gangs also make it pretty easy for "outsiders" by doing a lot of tagging. so if you start to see that on the walls and buildings and you feel a bit nervous, just turn around.

 

[alex8.5]

Stay away fron East L.A.. The crime rate is high, there is a great deal of racial tension, especially between, African Americans and Hispanic culture. A lot of gangs, an lot of drugs. Visit or stay near Burbank, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air. Great place to visit is Malibu and/or Carmel. Either way be careful

 

[Willy_the_Wonka]

it's not as bad as most people think. certain areas are a bit more prone to crime, but certain areas are a bit more prone to earthquakes as well. just because it COULD happen doesn't mean it WILL. i've driven through some nominally "bad" neighborhoods out here and as long as you keep to yourself and don't flaunt "i have lots of money!" you should get out unscathed.

the gangs also make it pretty easy for "outsiders" by doing a lot of tagging. so if you start to see that on the walls and buildings and you feel a bit nervous, just turn around.

That, and iron bars on all the windows.


Good sign to not pull over anywhere.



Nice places, too, can change when it gets dark. Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade is one big homeless hotel after dark. I took a friend there during a layover at LAX, and we were walking along, enjoying our coffee when one woman started screaming hysterically how she was going to kill my friend, because he was the devil. !!

Generally, anything north of Wilshire or Santa Monica Boulevard, Silverlake, Pasadena, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills or the Hollywood Hills are much nicer, but even then.... always stay aware of what's going on.

 

[Principessa]

I hear that there are certain neighborhoods that you should not go into by car, even during the day, is this true? Yes, it is.
I'm planning to drive there from Las Vegas in a few weeks and need a heads up.
I live near Newark NJ and don't feel that driving through it is dangerous, is L.A. that much worse?[/quote] Mem0101 all cities are different as you know. You're comfortable in Newark, because you live there. I'm from Jersey and wouldn't dream of straying outside the Ironbound district after sundown. Heck, there are huge hunks of Newark, I won't go near in broad daylight.:redface: I have a cousin or 2 that still live within the city limits, one of whom is a city police detective. MH07 gives excellent advice! I would follow it if I were you.

LA is one of the most dangerous cities in America, if you think of drug, gangs, high-speed chases, road rage, racial tension between Black and Hispanic, high homicide rate etc.,

Words of wisdom which mem0101 would do well to heed.

 

[snoozan]

I hear that there are certain neighborhoods that you should not go into by car, even during the day, is this true?

I'm planning to drive there from Las Vegas in a few weeks and need a heads up.

I live near Newark NJ and don't feel that driving through it is dangerous, is L.A. that much worse?

I can't see LA being worse than Newark if you stay to the right areas. Newark, IMO, is just kinda frightening.

 

[Mem]

Thanks, Everyone for your replies, and the advice to stay out of certain areas. I am only going to be in Vegas for 5 nights and 6 days. About the third day I plan to drive to L.A. Mapquest said it should take 4 hours, but I hear the traffic in L.A. is a nightmare.

When I get there I want to see the center of Hollywood, near the walk of fame. Take a picture of the Hollywood sign. Drive through Beverly Hills and then go to see what Malibu looks like. Then I will head back to Vegas.

 

[novice_btm]

hehe... you betta axe novice if LA is dangerous...

it isn't the greatest place... even the nice areas have high crime..
go figure.

Um, let's just say, [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Stay on the road. Steer clear of the moors..."[/FONT], at night, in Hollywood.

See: http://www.lpsg.org/53029-robbed-at-gunpoint.html

.

 

[Mem]

I can't see LA being worse than Newark if you stay to the right areas. Newark, IMO, is just kinda frightening.

Newark is bad. But you don't see the gangs. You don't have to worry about gang colors. There are not drive by shootings. There are not hundreds of homeless walking around the streets. It's a different kind of bad. The difference is no one goes to Newark on vacation.

 

[novice_btm]

P.S. We're having HORRIBLE fires right now, and Malibu is currently the biggest of 7 fires. The sky is completely clear, save for looking in that direction, where the skies are filled with dense smoke.