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You will have your own set of research questions. Respond to each question individually (in their own post) and place your sources in a comment below.

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What schools serve East Los Angeles? What could you find out about the quality of those schools?

What challenges do young people face? How do these challenges differ from the challenges faced by youth in wealthier LA communities?

What programs support youth development? How?

Beyond Homeboy Industries, what are some gang intervention programs in this neighborhood? What impact do they have?

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What role do churches play in East Los Angeles? How?

How do religious organizations support the community? Why and in what ways?

What is special about Dolores Mission Church? Historically? In the present?

How do community members work together to solve problems?

How does the immigration of the 50s-90s shape the Dolores Mission community? What can you say about the "flavor" of Catholicism they were bringing with them?

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How did redlining policies affect where families could live and buy homes?

How did freeway construction (I-5, I-10, I-60, US-101) divide and displace communities?

Which neighborhoods were most impacted by these changes?

What community spaces and connections were lost?

How do these historical decisions still impact the community today?

Historical shaping/identity of the community demographics and make up.

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Two images that help illustrate what you have learned in your research process.

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How did community members organize to resist displacement?

What were the key moments in the Chicano Rights Movement in East LA?

What role did cultural pride play in these movements?

What victories and changes did these movements achieve?

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What were some of the push-pull factors that have drawn immigrants to EastLA?

What supports to recent immigrants have when they arrive to EastLA?

What are some of the challenges recent migrants face when entering this community?

How has the migrant experience shaped Boyle Heights?

Whose stories could be useful to highlight?

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Bella Campos, Caroline Krol, Aisha McCulloch

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Bella Campos, Caroline Krol, Aisha McCulloch

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What job opportunities exist in East Los Angeles?

What barriers to employment do people face? Why?

What programs help people find work or start businesses?

How do organizations like Homeboy Industries make a difference?

What is gentrification and how has it impacted the job/opportunity landscape in the community?

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1. What role do churches play in East Los Angeles? How?

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1. What role do churches play in East Los Angeles? How?

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Boyle Heights Christian Center: Church of Los Angeles

Churches in Bowles heights have helped the numbers of homicides rates decrease

"But gang activity has died down a lot, not just in L.A, and Boyle Heights, but across the nation."

The church has helped gang members change. Around 200 since 1999

The founder of this church was a former gangster which helps show the people that you can change. ( Pete Bradford)

Pete would go out and pray for the gangsters and that how they would recruit members

https://www.christianpost.com/news/east-l-a-church-home-to-former-gangsters-addicts-gets-facelift.html

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East L.A. Church Home to Former Gangsters, Addicts Gets Facelift

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A Los Angeles church known as a home to transformed gang members and drug addicts in the early 1990 s is set for a facelift While a majority of its original members have left, a new pastor has been

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There are a variety of schools in East LA. Public schools are primarily split up into smaller groups that are led by different educational leader, which streamlines the support and almost gives East LA a district system when it comes to schools. While there are some positives, being a strong community-based education and a rigorous academic system, the school system faces problems with funding, staff shortages, and fear due to ICE and immigration battles in East LA.

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How do community members work together to solve problems?

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How do community members work together to solve problems?

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Church community members have worked together to spread news to the rest of the community and across the nation. For instance, a pastor in East LA named Carlos Rincon spoke about attending and observing religious vigils and protests in his community.

Church organizations have also been calling upon the support of their members for donations. These donations go to providing food and aid for people who don’t feel safe to leave their homes.

Sources: https://www.theeastsiderla.com/neighborhoods/east_los_angeles/they-re-willing-to-risk-their-own-lives-what-an-east-la-immigrant-pastor-saw/article_5e590f45-b6f3-4a3e-863a-21188786144e.html

https://www.osvnews.com/la-archbishop-joined-by-business-leaders-starts-fund-to-help-families-affected-by-ice-raids/

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‘They’re willing to risk their own lives’: What an East LA immigrant pastor saw in Minneapolis

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This article was originally published on January 22 by Boyle Heights Beat, a nonprofit newsroom of the Los Angeles Local News Initiative serving Boyle Heights and East L.A.

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What programs support youth development? How?

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What programs support youth development? How?

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-GRYD Program: Historically decreases crime rate and membership through “addressing factors that are known to increase a youth’s risk of gang involvement.“

-YPO Program: Decreases negative interactions between the youth and the Juvenile System to prevent youth behaviors that would harm them academically, socially, or in health. Focuses on education, community building, and relationship building; “promoting healthy youth development and reducing delinquency and victimization.”

-YDD Department: In case of youth conflict with law enforcement or legal issues, the youth and their families receive legal and emotional assistance at no personal cost to them.

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3. What is special about Dolores Mission Church? Historically? In the present?

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3. What is special about Dolores Mission Church? Historically? In the present?

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It is the home parish of Jesuit Fr. Gregory Boyle, who created Homeboy Industries

Homeboy Industries is a rehabilitation center for formerly gang involved and incarcerated people.

The church includes cots and invites homeless people to sleep in the church

They also provide meals (dinner and breakfast) for those who are sleeping in the church that night

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2. Challenges for the Youth vs. Experiences of Wealthier Youth

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2. Challenges for the Youth vs. Experiences of Wealthier Youth

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1. Children in lower-income families have had a significantly more difficult time managing online school than children in wealthier families. For example, in 2019-2020 when schools across the U.S. shifted to online because of COVID, many lower-income children lacked a quiet workspace, internet access, or the device/materials needed to still succeed in school. Meanwhile, wealthier children were able to gain access easily to all these things, allowing them to better succeed. Similarly, many lower-income families today are forced to stay home and not let their children go to school in fear of ICE and dangerous immigration policies.

2. Nov 23, 2025: students protest LA Phil decision to reduce funding in East LA schools for YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Meanwhile children wealthier communities & schools don’t rely on the same funding for basic education/extracurricular activities.

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How did freeway construction divide and displace communities?

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How did freeway construction divide and displace communities?

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I5 construction and expansion displaced thousands of black and Latino families, also deemed as “slum” areas

I5 was routed mainly through low-income areas and communities of color

physical structure of freeway divided neighborhoods and made it hatred to access jobs, schools, and services

pollution, noise, and physical barriers impacted the area

Public and community pressure led LA Metro to cancel the widenings of the 710 Freeways because it would destroy black and Latino communities

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Keelin, A.K., Karina, Alex, Lana

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How did redlining policies affect where families could live and buy homes?

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How did redlining policies affect where families could live and buy homes?

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Boyle Heights was marked as a “hazardous area” on redlining maps by the HOLC (Home Owner’s Loan Corporation)

FHA policies during the 1930s wanted to make neighborhoods racially homogenous —> real estate practices and municipal ordinances worked to keep POC from entering white neighborhoods

“[Boyle Heights] is a 'melting pot' area and is literally honeycombed with diverse and subversive racial elements” - HOLC

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Beyond Homeboy Industries what are some gang intervention programs in this neighborhood? What impact do they have?

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Beyond Homeboy Industries what are some gang intervention programs in this neighborhood? What impact do they have?

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Alma Family service, which has been the Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program (GRYD) provider, is an intervention program in Boyle Heights that provides multiple services like community based service, mental health services, etc to reduce youth gang involvement. Additionally, there are many programs aimed at the youth for gang intervention such as Gang Alternative Programs which give education opportunities for children and for their families. While the program extends through different neighborhoods, Boyle Heights is one of them. These programs has significantly led to a decrease of violence within the neighborhood and has supported the youth greatly with these different services which has allowed the program to address the root causes of gang involvement.

“Youth Development Services.” Alma Family Services, https://www.almafamilyservices.org/our-services/youth-development-services.

Gang Reduction Youth Development. https://www.bresee.org/programs/youth-development-department.html.

https://gangfree.org

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How did community members organize to resist displacement?

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How did community members organize to resist displacement?

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“Solo el pueblo salva el pueblo”

only the people can save the people

Residents would patrol neighborhoods to alert others about ICE activity or suspicious activity in general

People would help immigrants who were too scared to leave their homes by delivering groceries and providing rides for example

students walked out

a strong sense of community

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What were the key moments in the Chicano Rights Movement in East LA?

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What were the key moments in the Chicano Rights Movement in East LA?

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1968, 22,000 Mexican American students organized walkouts (known as Blowouts) spotlighting educational inequality

At the schools involved, Mexican Americans made up 75% of student body

Protested that schools were understaffed, run down, low teacher quality

Many walkout leaders had gone to Chicano Youth Leadership Conference

Schools locked the gates and barred the doors, and police got involved, but students walked out anyway

13 walkout leaders were arrested, but eventually all charges were dropped

How it started:

tens of thousands of high school students walking out to protest against gun violence

they walked out to demand:

more funds for their campuses

better courses to better prepare for college

better teachers

An end to police brutality

these walkouts inspired other walkouts throughout the city

list of demands:

protection of the arts

protection of teachers for their political beliefs

an education that highlights the Chicano community

this escalated to create the Chicano Rights Movement in East LA

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What role did cultural pride play in these movements?

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What role did cultural pride play in these movements?

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Chicanismo- cultural nationalism

Rodolfo Gonzalez :“La raza! / Méjicano! / Español! / Latino! / Chicano! / Or whatever I call myself, / I look the same.”

Chicano and Latin communities assimilated and fought for the white identity to gain civil rights and opportunities. However, in the 1960s, the Chicano movement abandoned those efforts.

Chicano was originally a slur but turned into a prideful name

Farmworker rights: National Farm Workers Association (Cesar Chavez)

Strike for grape workers (Larry Itliong joined)

Chicano movement won many reforms: creation of bilingual and bicultural programs, improved conditions for migrant workers, hiring of Chicano teachers, and Mexican-Americans in government

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What victories and changes did these movements achieve?

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What victories and changes did these movements achieve?

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Didn’t have immediate change, but brought the Chicano Rights Movement to attention and later helped build the Chicano Moratorium

Chicano Moratorium marches were anti-Vietnam War protests between 1969 and 1971

30,000 protestors

Today, the locations of these marches are added to National Register of Historic Places

Eventually contributed to changes in education policies and practices

March 28 board meeting that was largely unsuccessful in creating concrete change, but drastically increased awareness

Represented a call for civil rights

Brought together numerous groups across age and class lines

Firmly developed the Chicano identity as a source of pride

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https://www.almafamilyservices.org/about-alma

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What community spaces and connections were lost? 

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What community spaces and connections were lost? 

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Community Spaces

No loans were given due to redlining

Deteriorated housing

Construction of major freeways obliterated housing and small businesses

Severed Neighborhoods

Connections

East LA contained a variety of different cultures, but redlining separated these communities

Displacement of many families due to the freeways.

Less public and safe places to use

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How do these historical decisions still impact the community today?How do these historical decisions still impact the community today?

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How do these historical decisions still impact the community today?How do these historical decisions still impact the community today?

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When redlining restrictions eased in the 1950s, the Jewish population moved out while the Latinx population stayed behind.

Overtime became isolated

language barriers

income

Less job opportunities

people returning from war were sent to the growing neighborhoods, and so the poor neighborhoods remained and the gap increased between neighborhoods.

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What were some of the push-pull factors that have drawl immigrants to EastLA?

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What were some of the push-pull factors that have drawl immigrants to EastLA?

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EastLA has historically been a hub for immigrants from all over the world, but especially Hispanic/Latin@ populations in the second half of the twentieth century. One of the biggest factors in drawing immigrants was the existence of a community where they were the majority/an ethnic enclave. Immigrants were “Attracted by cheap housing, employment, greater tolerance than anywhere else in the city” and left their countries due to “The unstable government and economy” that existed there.

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refer to question 3

interacts with the community through Christian Base services

services to help the neighborhood’s negative circumstances and help positively impact the community.

https://dolores-mission.org/about#:~:text=Dolores%20Mission%20is%20a%20Jesuit%20Catholic%20parish,by%20poverty%20and%20the%20effects%20of%20gangs.

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Dolores Mission, a Jesuit Catholic Parish, walks with Christ who suffers, dies, and rises with the people in the Boyle Heights Community of East Los Angeles.

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What were some of the push-pull factors that have drawn immigrants to EastLA?

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What were some of the push-pull factors that have drawn immigrants to EastLA?

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EastLA has historically been a hub for immigrants from all over the world, but especially Hispanic/Latin@ populations in the second half of the twentieth century. One of the biggest factors in drawing immigrants was the existence of a community where they were the majority/an ethnic enclave. Immigrants were “Attracted by cheap housing, employment, greater tolerance than anywhere else in the city” and left their countries due to “The unstable government and economy” that existed there.

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How does the immigration of the 50s-90s shape the Dolores Mission community? What can you say about the "flavor" of Catholicism they were bringing with them?

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How does the immigration of the 50s-90s shape the Dolores Mission community? What can you say about the "flavor" of Catholicism they were bringing with them?

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In the 1950s, Boyle Heights was Los Angeles’s most diverse neighborhood. Throughout the next 40 years, multiple conflicts occurred that led to even more diversity and cultural change in Boyle Heights. For instance, in 1975, the Communist governments in Southeast Asia led to an influx of immigrants into Boyle Heights. The experiences of many community members as immigrants pushed them to be a “little parish that picks big fights,” holding protests and hunger strikes against organizations from the president of El Salvador to the Immigration and Naturalization Service to Ronald Reagon. This action-oriented Catholic community’s members are known as “the first ones there,” taking bold actions for justice that put many undocumented members at risk.

Sources:

https://www.janm.org/exhibits/boyle-heights/history

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-30-me-1224-story.html

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What support do recent immigrants have when they arrive to EastLA?

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What support do recent immigrants have when they arrive to EastLA?

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Proyecto Pastoral, a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1986.

donates clothes, food, and resources

reaches Boyle heights in LA

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Redlining Map of LA

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What are some of the challenges recent migrants face when entering this community?

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What are some of the challenges recent migrants face when entering this community?

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2005: construction dug up over 172 graves (Evergreen Cemetery), disturbing community members

Current: restaurants/small business are closing because of the constant threats of ICE in the community

California state detention centers are ‘hell on earth’

operating unlawfully and without permits

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Which neighborhoods were most impacted by these changes?

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Which neighborhoods were most impacted by these changes?

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The development of the neighborhoods were influenced by redlining, and urban renewal projects. These projects focused on connection suburban neighborhoods to downtown.

Boyle Heights

originally very diverse

freeway development led to displacement of roughly 10,000 residents

was the most heavily impacted

redlining, industrial developments, and freeways tore through this community

Lincoln Heights

originally an affluent neighborhood, modeled after European cities

industrialization and transportation expanded through the neighborhood shifting it into a working-class neighborhood

Highland Park

all of these neighborhoods have high renter rates, making them vulnerable to rapid gentrification

1930s redlining, upscale development, and freeway construction gave way to gentrification

freeways divide up the communities- turning affluent communities into

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Historical shaping/identity of the community demographics and make up. 

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Historical shaping/identity of the community demographics and make up. 

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roughly 95% Hispanic

primarily Mexican descent

roughly 75.3% are U.S. citizens

roughly 39.4% are born outside of the US

majority of the population rent rather than own their houses

1,045 are veterans

high school graduate or higher 55.8%

Bachelors degree or higher 11.4%

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How has the migrant experience shaped Boyle Heights?

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How has the migrant experience shaped Boyle Heights?

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Felt discouraged to find better housing and opportunities in other places due to the potential for discrimination

Boyle heights became a hub for many Jewish people and communities coming from the east coast

racial and immigrant enclave

homeboy industries and other organizations born from the migrant experience in Boyle Heights

Forming ethnic communities to support one another

Lots of pressure on public services

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What job opportunities exist in East Los Angeles?

Employment typically consists of truck drivers, forklift operators, warehouse/manufacturing, sanitation, and retail/fast food jobs as well as general labor.

What barriers to employment do people face? Why?

https://ewdd.lacity.gov/images/reports/ap25/APy25_Tab7-Performance.pdf

East LA faces high unemployment, homeless, and mental health professional shortages.

“High levels of unemployment, homelessness, and mental health professional shortages”

https://bestneighborhood.org/employment-rate-east-los-angeles-ca/

The unemployment rate in East Los Angeles, CA, is currently 7.77%. The national average is 4.4%.

https://ewdd.lacity.gov/images/reports/ap25/APy25_Tab7-Performance.pdf

Barriers to unemployment include cyclical poverty, lack of educational access, and language barriers.

Areas like East LA tend to have higher shares of residents without higher education, which statistically correlates with higher unemployment

East LA and neighboring communities historically have high poverty levels and lower average incomes, which are closely linked with unemployment.

What programs help people find work or start businesses?

East LA/ San Gabriel Valley, America’s Job Center of California (https://www.ajcc.lacounty.gov/ajcc/east-la-west-san-gabriel-valley-ajcc)

This allows people to come into their center and get help building their resume, getting outreach, and training for interviews and/or job experience. Works directly with ELAC to help get students job opportunities while in school or after school to help them. Creates services for low-income youth in the area. For businesses it creates help for them to find employees and learn all the paperwork and legal aspects of running a business in order to avoid issues with the law.

How do organizations like Homeboy Industries make a difference?

Homeboy Industries sets (formerly gang-involved and incarcerated) people up with job training/certification, as well as the resources to be successful in their employment. It helps formerly gang-involved individuals steer away from violence and helps them cut their physical (tattoo removal) and mental ties (therapy/substance abuse) with gangs.

What is gentrification and how has it impacted the job/opportunity landscape in the community?

Gentrification is the process where low income urban neighborhoods experience an influx of wealthier residents. Because of this influx, property values, rent and changes to the general area are changed. In turn this area experiences new high-end businesses, replacing traditional and local businesses. It leads to the displacement of lower-class residents. The economic benefits are not evenly distributed within the community.

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Whose stories could be useful to highlight?

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Whose stories could be useful to highlight?

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Other stories: Neighborhood watch for ICE raids, warning neighbors of potential dangers for immigrants.

Community is important in Boyle Heights- standing together because they have to- underresourced

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SvvKzjjBak1U-QM51vvWxI2ePdhubq7WPVxpjTa82Qc/edit?usp=drivesdk