Graffiti, Street Art, and Neighborhood Change in Los Angeles: Perspectives From a Graffiti Crew

• In Event: The Influence of Gangs Across Diverse Social Contexts

Abstract

One aspect of neighborhood change known as gentrification is often initiated by individual artists, artistic businesses, and/or art spaces (e.g., galleries, music venues) who collectively function as a “colonial arm” for land developers, city planners, and politicians who seek to renovate/restore a district so that it conforms to middle-class tastes (Grodach et al., 2014; Cameron & Coaffee, 2005). In Los Angeles, the hybrid-version of graffiti known as “street art,” has been linked to the gentrification of many lower- and working-class neighborhoods, resulting in the transformation of the geographical spaces (e.g., parks, vacant lots, alleys), that subcultural groups such as gangs and graffiti crews require for functioning and continuity. The current research will interview core members of a long-standing graffiti crew from Los Angeles for their perspectives on the advent of street art and the process of gentrification in their neighborhoods. Special attention will be paid to how these developments have unfolded over time and how they affect the functioning and continuity of their group.


Danny Madrid is a doctoral candidate in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha

Author

• Danny Madrid, University of Nebraska Omaha