SOUTH LOS ANGELES IS CHANGING. But it’s a big place, with as many people and square miles as San Francisco. And so the changes can be very different, depending on which of its 30 neighborhoods you call home. Some people in South L.A. see a safer region coming to life, offering more in transit and culture. Others still reckon with gangs, and remain frustrated that public services can’t keep up with local needs. What is changing for the better in South L.A.? What old problems linger? And what new challenges are South L.A. residents facing? To ground our exploration of whether South L.A. is an urban success story, we talked to a diverse cross-section of South L.A. residents, drawing from many neighborhoods. Their responses were as diverse as South L.A. itself. Some were optimistic for the future; others despaired that the persistent perils of the place would hold them back. Their answers raised a fundamental question: How can South L.A.’s people come together to make better neighborhoods?
Interviews and photography by Paola Briseño.