Writing Shotgun

FREE GEOGRAPHY LESSON FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Theo DouglasMon. May 04
 

Los Angeles Times L.A. Now blogger Corina Knoll wrote Sunday evening about that police shoot-out in the 1100 block of Chestnut Avenue–and, basically, handled our geography the way a writer from Los Angeles would handle it: approximately.

Here’s the quote, from the lede (AKA  the first sentence): “Long Beach police shot and killed a man early [Sunday] after a running gun battle with officers in an Eastside neighborhood, officials said,” Knoll wrote. (If you have today’s print edition of the Times, the bad geography lesson should be in there as well.)

Uh, here’s the thing, Los Angeles Times geniuses: no matter where you are in Long Beach–north or south–Chestnut Avenue is not on the Eastside. Just because you’re east of the Los Angeles River does not mean you’re on the Eastside. Ever.

You could be in downtown; you could be in central Long Beach (which is where the shooting took place), or up north in Wrigley or maybe even in north Long Beach–but for crissakes, not the Eastside.

Some real estate territory maps–possibly all–define East Long Beach as beginning east of Redondo Avenue, a fact I used to recite proudly when I lived over by the Machan Sign Company.

Of course, for others of us, East Long Beach means the Ranchos and El Dorado Park, or the Plaza–and yeah, you’re right, too. That sure is east–much farther east.

As for the west side–don’t get me started. I grew up two blocks from Long Beach Poly High School, and back before I knew better I used to refer to that as the west side. It’s not.

If you really want to talk about west Long Beach–and be accurate–you have to go west of the Los Angeles River. That’s true west Long Beach. Of course, the minute you get east of the river, again, you’re still not in east Long Beach.

I think that about covers it–but feel free to chime in with anything I’ve omitted.

And in case you missed ‘em, here’s today’s Press-Telegram story on the shooting; and coverage–with some chilling photos–from LBReport.com.

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  • One more thought--the police substations are "West side," "East side," and "North side." It would be the Westside police who would handle a call in central LB.
  • LA Now changed it to the westside of Long Beach.
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastside,_Long_Bea...

    This article explains that it matters whether it is "Eastside" or "East Side." So in fact, Theo, we may be wrong. I live on the East Side, not the Eastside.
  • Andy
    This is something I should know, but isnt there an Eastside Brewing Company old sign in Joe Josts? That may be an L.A. thing, but I thought it said Long Beach. Some schooners have clouded my memory.
  • Theo Douglas
    Wow! Thanks for that. I'll read it.
  • CCastro
    East side, west side. Who cares? The fact of the matter is that Long Beach homocides are on the rise - and moving to east of Alamitos and South of PCH. Living in Long Beach you always have to be "aware of your surroundings", but WTF. I used to walk home from Alex's, but that is becoming less and less of an option. When co-workers would look at me wide-eyed and say, "You live in Long Beach?" (I work in OC) I used to snicker, "You listen to too many Snoop Dogg records." But now...Is it just me? What's going on?
  • Jen
    So homicides are okay, as long as they stay southwest of Alamitos and PCH and they occur at roughly the same rate as last year? Im so sorry you now have to call a cab to get home from your hipster bar.
  • Dave in Alamitos Beach
    Jen, I don't think that's what s/he's really getting at. It's just a comment that no matter what you call it, it seems to be that murders are on the rise in the city. Nowhere feels safe.

    Oh, and to CCastro, no it's not just you. I feel it too. Things have started to feel much more dangerous lately.
  • Eric
    I don't think it's too egregious an error to call that neighborhood the eastside of Long Beach. Sounds like nitpicking to me.
  • Andy
    I wouldn't give too much geo-cred to any news agency that calls the greater L.A. area "The Southland," even if it is generally accepted. What is San Diego? The sub-Southland? But what do I know, as I was born in the Northland...
  • k ferguson
    i live on 9th and atlantic, and a lot of my neighborhood is east side longo territory. if you ask them, i'm thinking they'd probably beg to differ.
  • Dave in Alamitos Beach
    Actually, I would find it VERY helpful to know what and where the different gang territories are. Around my neighborhood, the graffiti is FST. Is that Fourth Street? Don't know.
  • k ferguson
    as of right now you aren't going to find maps of gang territory in lb, nothing current at least. best place to find out gang info (ie: who they're enemies + friends are, what graffiti means what) is to either google the initials, "long beach" and "gang" or search myspace.
  • Dwight K Snider
    Citizen Journalist Quote of the Day – Eastside / Westside

    “I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . Humans are caught -- in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too -- in a net of good and evil. . . There is no other story.

    “A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well -- or ill?”

    (Source: John Steinbeck – “East of Eden”)
  • I'm going to have to agree with Theo here. The Eastside is east of Redondo. My husband is 4th generation LB, and this is the way he/we have always understood LB. We truly celebrated when we could finally afford to move east of Redondo--we felt like we made it.

    Also, I recently read an article in "Random Lengths" about the area where the proposed Homeless Services will be placed. The article was criticizing area residents for fighting it, and referred to the neighborhood as a wealthy one. "Random Lenghths" needs a lesson in LB geography too-- the neighborhood immediately adjacent is in fact middle to lower middle class community. It includes a large area of duplexes with tenants--no one here is wealthy. But of course, you'd have to actually travel to the location and then actually drive around the neighborhood to see that.

    People outside of LB need to do better research if they are going to write about us.
  • Jen
    When you are talking about neighborhoods/areas within a city, you are talking about a form of geography that is HIGHLY subjective at best. This geography really only exists in the minds of the many people who live there (and you know they dont all agree). As Mike points out, Eastside Longos territory is generally east of the river and west of Cherry. However, if you were to look at the LB City "Residential Communities and Neighborhoods" map, you would see the "East Side" is defined as the area EAST OF CHERRY between 3rd and Anaheim. It goes all the way past Rec Park and stops about Nieto, where "Alamitos Heights" begins.
    At any rate, it's kinda geeky and rude to point something like that out, even if this was a demonstrably egregious error. Which it's not.
  • Theo Douglas
    Jen, I'm sorry, but I don't think it's geeky or rude to have a discussion about what to call the place where we live. I don't know about you, but this post has been very informative for me. Mike reminded of Snoop Dogg's position on where the Eastside starts, and you've pointed out the East of Cherry designation on the map. Thank you for doing that.
    I think LB City Girl has it right when she says "People outside of LB need to do better research if they are going to write about us." And I don't think we should feel uneasy or uncouth for questioning what we read anywhere.
  • Jen
    But your post "Free Geography Lesson" doesnt really read as "a discussion." It was clearly meant to chastise the Times for making a HUGE mistake. Lots of people consider 1100 block of Chestnut to be the eastside. I would further propose that it is only the yuppies, hipsters, soccer moms and east of Redondo wannabes that see the area in question as "central" LB. Or the ghetto, maybe? Some place to get away from or drive through as fast as possible, right? Are you starting to feel uneasy yet? My point is, there are lots of very different people who live in our city and who see the geography in VERY different ways. Consider this before you make your proclaimation on where the eastside is and where it is not.
    Go back to mocking the PT. Or are you tired of shooting fish in a barrel?
  • actually, everybody i know who grew up in west LB (let's say west of Atlantic) would refer to chestnut as the Eastside--they divide west LB so that west of the river is westside and east of it/the 710 is the eastside. that's where the group Eastsiders got their name and why snoop is always saying he's from the eastside, when he grew up near poly.

    not sure how an LA times writer wrangled that terminology though!
  • Theo Douglas
    That's a really good point, Mike, and a great history lesson--but I'm sorry, I have to differ. I know people CALL it the eastside, but to me it's neither east nor west.
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