Across the tracks

[substitute]

To most people "Orange County" means my town: wealthy, white, beautiful, right-wing, vapid, with a great beach.

It's a big place, though. There's the most Mexican city outside Mexico itself, an entire Vietnamese town, hundreds of light industry and defense factories. There are also some very tough neighborhoods, gang wars, near-homeless poor in bad motels, skinheads, and lots of meth dealers.

Last night a 15-year-old girl was shotgunned in West Costa Mesa's worst neighborhood. She was three miles from my house, which is in the safest reporting district in Newport. If that had happened here you'd all be seeing it on the news right now. There, it's a squib buried in the Register.

We still have "the tracks" around here, even in Paradise. In Santa Ana it's 17th street, and here it's Newport Boulevard. Don't live on the wrong side.

Comments

[substitute.livejournal.com]

Shalimar has been a nightmare for 30 years now.

[sooz.livejournal.com]

maybe we should burn down the area and send all of them back to mexico or something

Guess Not

[mr-flippant.livejournal.com]

Wow...I didn't realize it was still that bad. I remember when they blocked the whole street off because of all the drive-bys. Kind of figured it quieted down since.

[klikitak.livejournal.com]

I am curious to see if the crime has risen/dropped/stayed the same since they blocked off Shalimar in the 90's.

Seriously though, I'd hardly say Costa Mesa is "CRIME PLAGUED". Low on swiss cheese, yes. Crime plagued, ehh.

[federicohayr.livejournal.com]

Almost 30 years ago I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, over that 30 year period I have been in and out of the hospital for my UC, and the whole experience has really been a nightmare.