L.A. Gang Tours Paints Better Picture Of Gangs

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Journalists and Thrill Seekers turned out for the 65 dollar Los Angeles gang tour.
‘First of all what it’s not, and what you won’t get, you won’t see us smoking dope and in wife beaters, this is an educational platform’
The tour stopped at Watts Art Gallery, where artwork by gang members is on sale.
Actuality of Lisa Sprinkles selling art
Lisa Sprinkles is the co-manager of the Gallery. She says the exhibition puts forward a different perspective on gangs.
‘They don’t look at gains as, like, inherently negative, they are seeking support and family, and all that. And some of them do things that are violent, but that’s a small percentage of them’
However, most gang art is done on the streets, in a dangerous world. Where taggers, often part of gangs, compete for street cred. In February, Gang intervention worker, Ronald Barron was killed while intercepting a tagger defacing a wall.
L.A. Gang tours saw the creative talent of Graffiti-writers as a real opportunity.
Alfred Lomas is the tour organiser
‘Growth through a positive entrepreneurship, that’s really a result of much of these gang wars is economics’
Critics say that the tour exploits local people, essentially calling it Ghettotainment. Alfred urged those interested to take the tour and to come to their own conclusions. But you could save 65 dollars and see art on the streets or in museums by yourself.
Ken Van der Meeren, Annenberg Radio News