Economic conditions in areas that were heavily damaged during the 1992 Los Angeles riots have not dramatically changed over the past 25 years, and some areas have actually gotten worse, according to a
UCLA study released this week.
The report by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs concluded that unemployment and poverty have worsened in some areas, and per-capita retail sales have dropped, due partially to a lack of large stores.
“By and large, these areas have not gotten better. In some instances, they have actually gotten worse,” said Paul Ong, director of the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge at the Luskin School.
“The lesson of the last quarter-century is that much more work is needed,” he said.
Researchers studied demographic and economic data in the “Rebuild L.A.” area that was established following the 1992 riots. The roughly 50-square-mile area is home to about 1 million people.
The report concluded that with the exception of the northeastern sectiof South Los Angeles, unemployment and poverty have generally worsened in areas that have traditionally been some of the city’s most disadvantaged.
“Before 1992, these areas included some of the most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of L.A.,” according to the report.
“Discontentment and frustration at institutions that had left these areas behind or were hostile to the existence of these communities reached the highest boiling point here.”
“Twenty-five years ago these areas had higher unemployment and poverty rates than the county. These rates from some neighborhoods have not changed since 1990, while others reflect some of the larger county trends of rising unemployment and poverty, the lingering effects of recession.”
