In a message dated 9/6/01 4:31:39 AM,
Scatalogic@aol.com writes:
<< Some LA entrepeneur should work on a 'noir tour' of
the megalopolis >>
There are, or at least have been guided tours of locations
made famous in Chandler's novels. There is also the infamous
"Graveline Tours" which take visitors to the burial places,
and death sites of celebrities.
Aside from Mickey Cohen's presence here in the 50's, the East
coast and Midwest mobs never took hold here in L.A. The LAPD
would meet their advance scouts at the airport, beat the
living daylights out of them and send them back on their way.
Organized crime here thus sprung up organically and much
later. From the Black street gangs that came together in the
70s, the Crips and the Bloods. And the eMe, or Mexican Mafia,
which actually got its start within the walls of Soledad
state prison. These organizations have long considered the
LAPD, especially the LAPD of departed police chiefs Bill
Parker and his spiritual descendant Darryl Gates, the biggest
and baddest gang in the city. The since disbanded LAPD
anti-gang CRASH unit shared their point of view. As does the
Special Investigations Section, considered by some a Death
Squad, who are reknown for shadowing suspected violent
offenders until they commit a crime, then greeting them in
the parking lot with guns drawn.
I'm no authority, these are merely my impressions after
inhabiting this city for 46 years. Others on the list who
actually research their opinions, (Mr. Lochte perhaps?) can
certainly correct my factual inconsistencies or flat out
lies.
John Lau
-- # To unsubscribe from the regular list, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to # majordomo@icomm.ca. This will not work for the digest version. # The web pages for the list are at http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/ .
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 06 Sep 2001 EDT