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Los Angeles
This month we’re heading on over to Los Angeles! Be sure to visit our opportunities page for more information about serving with us in the “City of Angels.”
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News from the Los Angeles Director
Eatin’ Good in the Neighborhood
Los Angeles is known for our fast-food restaurants: birthplace of McDonalds; current headquarters of deliciousness – In-N-Out Burger; and for you real die-hards, Tommy Burger. Tommy’s is open 24-hours and serving up chili burgers. Inquiring minds want to know, ‘When do they clean the chili pot?’
California as a state is also known for all our fresh vegetables and healthy food options. For most Californians it is a choice to drive through and get an unhealthy meal or pick from many healthy food options. Unfortunately, for the people of South Los Angeles, it really isn’t an option to go out for a healthy meal. And it is pretty hard to find healthy food that you can cook at home.
There are about 880,000 people in South LA within about 60 square miles. That is almost 25% of the City of Los Angeles and about 10% of LA County, the largest county in the US. If South LA were its own city it would be the 4th largest city in California, larger than San Francisco and double the size of Oakland. However, there are very few sit down restaurants within South LA. Only fast food restaurants seem to want to set up shop in this notoriously violent part of town. Things have gotten so bad that L.A.’s city council passed a resolution that bans any new fast-food restaurants from being built for a year, to make a statement – People need to start caring about this community and stop ignoring the problems that exist here.
Grocery stores with a decent selection of fresh food are so few and far between that many have started to offer patrons a ride home if they buy more than $30 of food. Most people only have liquor stores as their main option for groceries.
For such a large population to have almost no healthy food options is a great injustice. You would think more business would see how many people need to buy food and would open their doors in South LA. However, fear and prejudice have kept countless establishments away.
We at CSM in Los Angeles have recently been challenged to pray for God’s perspective on South LA. For those of you that served with us in 2008, you have seen firsthand the many hurts in this part of LA. Our housing site has been in the heart of South LA for just over a year now. Our prayer tour, the first night’s ministry opportunity, has now been updated and takes us through South LA on our way into downtown. I hope many of you will get a chance to pray along with us for this often overlooked place.
– Rachel Hamilton, CSM Los Angeles City Director
Local Resources
- LA Times Special: Homeless in America
- Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
- Policy Link: How to Develop New Grocery Stores – a resource explaining why some companies avoid planting stores in the inner-city and some benefits they may find there.
Local News Links
- Clifton’s cafeteria: The place where L.A. finds itself February 4, 2009
- Looking for work, day after day after day February 1, 2009
- L.A. County counts up homeless numbers January 29, 2009
- Video: Changing face of homelessness December 18, 2008
- Free shuttles can close the grocery gap April 8, 2003
CSM Urban Updates
CSM now has its own blog! Find out what’s happening in urban centers throughout North America, make comments and dialogue with others involved in urban missions.
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