107th Street

The City of Watts was founded in 1907 and become part of Los Angeles during the mid-1920s. From the beginning, Watts had a diverse population with Japanese, Mexican and Black Americans residing in the area as laborers and farmers.

Between 1999 and 2002 I taught printmaking and photography to youth in the Watts area. Over those few years I saw the neighborhood slowly change. For example, the candy store on the corner of 107th eventually closed and turned into a crack house. I often stopped at the Food-4-Less supermarket located in the Martin Luther King Jr. Shopping Center to buy groceries. The fact that the shopping center had over four fast food establishments and only one low-end supermarket was shocking until you realized that the center had only been built after the community demanded a local shopping area following the riots in the early 1990s.

Like most inner city this area is plagued by problems related to drugs, teenage pregnancy and the lack of education. Unlike many poor areas, Watts has the landmark of the Watts Towers. The Towers were built by an Italian immigrant, Simon Rodia over a 30 year period and symbolize the strength and beauty that can be found in the area. The Arts Center, situated next to the Towers, provides the community with a range of entertainment.