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  1. #1
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    Bullet-Proof Buildings and Parks in L.A.!!!

    This is unbelieveable! Instead of throwing all the criminals in prison and/or deporting them, we are building prisons for the citizens!!!! What the article doesn't mention is that this construction is costing taxpayers $750/sq. ft....I hope the rest of the country is listening!!!

    A growing movement in crime-ridden parts of L.A. incorporates safety into parks and residential architecture.
    By Ari B. Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
    March 26, 2008

    Seniors in Steel Plaza's retirement complex in Pico-Union sometimes like to take their morning walks in the building's courtyard, protected by a black wrought-iron fence and perched 30 feet above the intersection of West 3rd Street and South Union Avenue.

    "We're quite safe here," said Victor Gamad, 73, who has lived in the building since it opened a decade ago. "We never get frightened, except for when someone sets the fire alarm off."



    It is one of the early examples of what has become a growing movement in urban sections of Los Angeles to blend public safety with architecture -- with some surprising results.

    Last year, officials built a dirt hill at a new state park north of downtown aimed at shielding a play area from motorists who might commit drive-by shootings. Workers are now building a South L.A. community center with a community garden on the roof rather than at street level to protect against crime.

    "If you just build boxes and windows, you're not going to help," said City Councilman Ed Reyes, an urban planner who has adopted the safety-by-design strategy to deal with increasingly crowded neighborhoods. His 1st District includes the Pico-Union area and MacArthur Park, some of the most densely populated neighborhoods west of the Mississippi with up to 66,000 residents per census tract in some areas.

    "Every development is geared toward the people that have to live there on a day-to-day basis," Reyes said. "When we look at the pragmatism of our neighborhoods, we have to ask questions: Where is the bullet going to come from? What projectile elevation should we adhere to in our development? Where should we situate the trees?"

    Reyes said he had been wrestling with issues of density and urban development since he was chief legislative analyst for the Planning and Land Use Management Committee in the late 1980s. Project after project crossed his desk that increased neighborhood density while reducing open space.

    Reyes said his goal is to reduce the effect of density. "We can either run away from it," he said, "or we can ask how we can create relief so that we have our places of sanctuary."

    Five of 20 staffers in Reyes' office are urban planners who are reshaping his district with design and topographical changes to parks and buildings, particularly those that combine affordable housing with social services. Another goal is to promote open space. By the end of the year, Reyes will have helped add about 70 acres of park space within his district's 13.9-square-mile boundaries.

    One example of his office's work is a 5-foot-high dirt hill built to shield visitors at Rio de Los Angeles State Park from drive-by shootings along San Fernando Road. The 40-acre tract, better known as Taylor Yard Park, opened last year. The hill is fortified by a fence lined with bushes and trees on each side.

    Then there is the new Rampart police station scheduled to open later this year. The station, which was built with tile and glass that gives it a less institutional feel, includes a large community meeting room and an expansive front lawn for residents' picnics, Reyes said.

    Others are adopting a similar design strategy. In South Los Angeles, Councilwoman Jan Perry has already broken ground on the 9th District Constituent Services Center, a $9-million community building at Central and Vernon avenues -- the same intersection where five middle school students were shot in February while waiting after school at a bus stop.

    The building will have bulletproof windows and one of the city's first public rooftop gardens.

    But some area planners cautioned that although "defensive architecture" is sometimes necessary, it is not the ultimate solution to urban problems and should be subtle in its design.

    "I don't think it's part of our obligation to go out there and design fortresses, but you do have to take some steps," said Frank Villalobos, president of Barrio Planners, which develops community projects throughout Los Angeles.

    Meanwhile, Reyes said he is working on more affordable housing projects with designs like Steel Plaza's elevated open-air courtyard, which is barely visible from the street. About one-fifth the size of a football field, it includes benches set between bushes and large plants.

    The neighborhood around Steel Plaza has long grappled with crime. So far this year, one homicide, seven rapes, 60 violent robberies and dozens of aggravated assaults have occurred within a mile of the building, according to LAPD statistics.

    Violence "may exist in the community, but it doesn't happen here," said Catalina Hernandez, the manager at Steel Plaza.

    "We wanted [residents] to be able to go outside at night and see the stars and to be safe."


    http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 0861.story

  2. #2
    Senior Member SOSADFORUS's Avatar
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    What a bunch of idiots!! where does their stupidity end...or does it
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  3. #3
    Senior Member USA_born's Avatar
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    I don't think they're idiots for trying to protect themselves.
    In fact with with all the random shootings on our freeways, someone could get rich by designing a bullet proof attachment for car windows people could attach to their car windows so they wouldn't get shot just driving down the freeway. Its a growing problem. They shoot you just for the fun of it.

  4. #4
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    Bagdad USA!
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  5. #5
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    USA-Born...I understand what you are saying, but why should WE have to live in bullet-proof houses and drive bullet proof vehicles? That's insanity, IMO. The only way we can protect ourselves is by getting rid of the criminals! We need to get the military out on the streets of L.A. to eliminate the problem...one way or the other. Gangbangers have to be "removed" from our soil! They are 99% of the problem! And secondly, we simply deport ALL illegals. Unfortunately, that's NEVER going to happen....

  6. #6
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    Every development is geared toward the people that have to live there on a day-to-day basis," Reyes said. "When we look at the pragmatism of our neighborhoods, we have to ask questions: Where is the bullet going to come from
    With all due respect Mr.Reyes, no neighborhood in America or its people should ever have to ask, "where is the bullet going to come from."

    When we start to accept this as the norm, he have surrendered everything it means to live in a free society! That cannot and should not ever happen!

    Those questions may be relevant in other parts of the world, but they should never be accepted here in this country. We have too many great Americans who have made tremendous sacrifices for this country. We are not going to give it away to criminal gang bangers and thugs who know nothing about the history of this country!
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