Leimert Park: A surviving neighborhood history, cultural evolution, and social redemption
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Leimert Park when I met with Bobbie Jean at her local laundromat. Bobbie Jean adheres to her routine which she has followed for decades. After she put her load of laundry into the dryer we sat down at a window-side table. She spoke about the history of Leimert Park and how much the area has changed over time. As a black woman originally born in Alexandria, Lousiana one can imagine how excited she was to see the exciting city of Los Angeles. “I don't know how I don’t know what I am going to do but I am going to live here, I am going to make it happen.” she said after moving to Los Angeles.
With much excitement, youth and time she didn’t spare herself any experiences of life. She lived all over Los Angeles since she first moved here in her 20's. Now in her 80’s and legally blind she navigates Leimert Park through the memories of her youth. Bobbie Jean is one of the few who can guide you through feeling the stop signs and streetlights. She is known as “the blind GPS” and can find her way through the streets of Los Angeles better than many seeing people.
Bobbie Jean used to live in the old neighborhoods of Culver City, but she frequented Leimert Park in her youth. She told charming stories of her past and how that demographic has changed over time. Leimert Park used to be a white-dominated area when she would hang around there. Bobbie Jean has had the pleasure of watching the neighborhood evolve over the years and has described it to be a cultural hub for people of color. Currently, more than half of Leimert park is black. About 25% is Latino according to censusreporter.org. Leimert Park was established in 1927 and it wasn’t until 1948 that blacks could finally start living west of Wester Blvd. While it is hard to say what the exact ethnic demographic percentages were in 1950, according to kcet.org blacks dominated the area by then. At this point, there is already so much history between the blacks and whites of the area.
She discussed how she watched the changes happen through her eyes one of the things she mentioned was the neighborhood's history. Leimert Park saw dark times in the 80s. She talked about the crime rates climbing in tandem with Leimert Park acquiring a dangerous reputation. She talked about how all the white people started moving out because people of color started to move in. She said, “the bad reputation partially comes from people being threatened by thriving ethnic cultures.” According to an article from kcet.org, “in which gangs exploited idled young men; and in which highly-addictive and dangerous drugs hit the streets. And Leimert Park residents also faced the challenge of maintaining community cohesion, as the most prosperous residents moved up into Baldwin Hills.”
Bobbie Jean agrees that more people coming into the area that made more room for more crime but she argues it was due to the neighborhood losing its fiscal value. “Before, many white folks were living here, as more people of color came in there also came an influx in subsidized housing. You can imagine how much money the neighborhood is making.” After laundry, we drove around toured the to observe the architecture but also the stark difference between a white-dominant block and a black-dominant block. Bobbie Jean said, “When that happened plus the huge cocaine boom in the 70s to mid-80s, you can see how Leimert Park’s reputation changed from old, classic California living to dangerous and crime-infested.”
That story later connected to her next story, which is how the relationship between blacks and whites functioned at the height of Leimert Park’s dark era. She said, “In America, but specifically, this neighborhood people treat you by your skin color.” She went on to say that “In many other countries, racism doesn’t resemble racism in America. Around the world, yes color plays a role but in other parts of the world, they focus on class and money. Here they focus on both but mostly your skin.”
In the same article from kcet.org, the whites in the area tried to intimidate blacks to move out of the area in the 1950s. “Predictably, however, white homeowners pushed back — hard…whites across the County bombed six black homes, burned four more to the ground, and intimidated countless African Americans through an array of…techniques including death threats, cross-burnings and “KKK” scrawlings.” Despite the reputation of Leimert Park in the 80’s Bobbie Jean, said that she never felt uncomfortable. She said that she always “gravitates towards her people.” Bobbie Jean attributes this to always being able to navigate through social situations by using kindness and grace.
Bobbie Jean also clarified that her gravitation towards her people doesn’t stem from fear or hatred. She never avoided living in predominantly white areas. She said, “I lived in Bel Air, a white-dominant area for 12 years and I never felt like I didn’t belong necessarily.” But rather that she likes the charm, display of culture, socialization of the people and sense of community. Bobbie Jean said it always reminds her of the rural Alexandria farmland in Louisiana she grew up in.
That conversation inspired her to talk about the issues of Leimert Park but also the current population’s political agenda. Bobbie Jean said, “the neighborhood struggled through a tumultuous historical decline and now its reputation is shooting back up through its diminishing crime rates and thriving cultures. The concerns are now trying to maintain all that has been built or grow without compromising its historical charm and beauty.”
Bobbie Jean briefly talked about the census, she said “you know what, I am indifferent. I don’t know much about the census but I am not unwilling to learn. When you talk about it this way it makes a lot more sense.” When asked what she thought others’ attitudes were she said, “Honestly, I cannot speak on behalf of them. Considering the complicated racial history of Leimert Park, I would guess that there is a slight fear and feeling of a threat if you asked the general population.” She continued, “While I can’t say I am afraid now that I know, but for the people of Leimert, I can only imagine that there is fear whenever the government is asking you personal questions.”
After a whole day of swimming through trauma and nostalgia, Bobbie Jean ends her day sharing information and learning information. She assessed just how much times have changed. “It is crazy to tell stories which took place here because anyone can just experience the culture but not many know what it took to get here and thrive.” she said. After all that has been discussed, she maintains that she “truly believes that Leimert Park would do a lot better knowing more about their history, where resources come from and about their people. This should be the next change of Leimert Park.”
