Response to "Fortress Los Angeles: The Militarization of Urban Space".
In the effort to upgrade the city that is mainly composed of poor immigrants and homeless into a community that is also "livable" for the white collar families, the.
rich and fortunate ones are seeking to turn Los Angeles into the "urban renaissance" of our society. However, such "celebratory language is only a triumphal gloss laid over the brutalization of its inner-city neighborhoods and the stark divisions of class and race represented in its built environment."(Davis 156) In order to satisfy the demand of the middle class home buyers, many parts of the city are now "militarized" to protect its wealthy residents against the "unpleasant neighbors" who threaten their lives and possessions. As a result, "armed guards, locked gates, and ubiquitous security cameras - to scare away the homeless and the poor" (Davis 164) - have now become an ordinary scene around the rich side of the city. Additionally, the city is even making all its effort to drive out the homeless and poor from "contaminating" the city's public environment by decreasing the numbers of the public bathrooms to avoid homeless residing around the area, modernizing its architectures that are intimidating to a poor residents around the neighborhood and inventing the new type of bus bench that is impossible for a homeless person to sleep on. .
Although, I must admit that I did not feel too safe driving around the South Central part of the Los Angeles by myself, it was really shocking to read how far people have gone in their security measures to protect their own possessions and environments.
It would give a person a sense of comfort and security knowing that his or her house is gated and secured, but I wonder if the community as a whole looks safe and pleasant to have such heavy security in their houses. As the article had mentioned, one has to give up their freedom in order to gain their security.
