How Property Taxes DOOMED Compton

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Compton is synonymous with gangsta rap and gangs, but why did this small bedroom community come to have such a reputation? It turns out municipal tax policy played a role.
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This video is largely based on the great book “Death of a Suburban Dream: Race and Schools in Compton, California” by Emily E. Straus. Consider purchasing! www.amazon.com/Death-Suburban...
Other resources:
lao.ca.gov/reports/2012/tax/p...
scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bi...
www.nytimes.com/2015/08/13/ma...
Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Standard Studios.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.

[@steemlenn8797]

"build a jail because it has recession-safe jobs" is one of the most depressing sentences I ever heard.

[@CleverAccountName303]

Not just recession safe job, recession boom job

[@notastone4832]

firearms manufacturing is also recession proof :) and ammunition manufacturing.. lmfao

[@tomlxyz]

@@CleverAccountName303 might still lose funding during a recession

[@luciferfire1575]

@@tomlxyz on the contrary, recession = more crime because of desperation do to lack of funds. More crime= more arrests. More arrests = more incarceration. More incarceration = more jobs for the Prisons. More jobs for the Private Prison Industrial Complex = higher stocks for said industry. Which means that Corporations can file bankruptcy, go underground, merge with other companies, change the name of the new company. Re emerge in the prisons and receive free labor from inmates. Inmates build roads, manufacture license plates, do brick masonry for local municipalities, make uniforms for companies, do farming for companies, landscaping for the towns around the area including maintenance work. As a former inmate in Florida, I’ve done almost every job I previously mentioned. With the exception of manufacturing. They literally have inmates building prisons. That’s how I learned brick and concrete block masonry. A useful trade after my release though.

[@cageybee7221]

thank god they shot that plan down

[@Chameleox]

1900 Compton: we should start collecting taxes for basic services. Landowners: looks like we’re moving straight outta Compton

[@kaitlyn__L]

Oh crap you genius

[@kendomyers]

Check out the book City of Quartz Southern California residents were all about separating rich and poor neighborhoods so the rich didnt have to pay for the poor, and attracting all the great tax generating stores to the rich neighborhoods who dropped wealthy property taxes even lower.

[@CajunGators]

Compton had a tax base and was beautiful back in my day. Then violence and “gangstas” being idolized made everyone leave. Everyone wants their kids safe and educated. Every demographic. The common denominator in any violent place is lack of accountability.

[@kendomyers]

@@CajunGators But what happened before the gangstas moved in? That wasnt step one. See my previous comment for a clue.

[@CynthiaNotG]

@@kendomyers It had a tax base? Less tax payers means a wider burden for those left or cuts in services. Which chases away business investment next. Seems like y’all want socialism without anybody paying. Idk how Texas is called conservative our property taxes are among the nations highest. It’s how things get funded. Every solution Californians argue against work elsewhere from European high tax countries to Texas. Which is now being ruined by Californians and dangerous af. Straight out of comptom smh

[@peskypigeonx]

10:08 “Sir, our neighborhood is filled with violence, hatred, and drug abuse from our poverty, what should we do to alleviate that?” “A casino of course! That’s surely not going to worsen the addiction and poverty situation, and will make our residents better. Of course” *applause*

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

it's like their town council had just finished watching the simpsons episode with burns casino

[@donaldawillis11]

Wealthy Compton Residents want to Gamble too…

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

@@tornexted5029 as much used quote from famous swindler don king

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

@@donaldawillis11 true, but they can also afford to gamble elsewhere.

[@donaldawillis11]

Their are several casinos built in the 90’s in SoCal : Hawaiian Gardens Commerce Gardena Inglewood are a few ….This is before the Indian Casinos ….Comptons Casino 🎰 had a lot of competition….& don’t forget Vegas…. Compton is a growing city of 95k+ people…. It has wealthy communities, golf courses, an Popular airport, a city college & a few streets no stranger should drive down after dark….

[@serendipity9defined]

People don't understand that just a simple change to tax policy or road infrastructure can lead to massive changes in how people act and their ability to live a good life

[@Jomo326]

If Compton was 100% White or 100% Asian do you think the murder rate would be so high?

[@jumboshrimps4498]

So, you're saying if people don't have good roads, they will start killing each other? There are plenty of poor communities in the U.S. and around the world, most of them don't have the violence that Compton has.

[@ollylevesque3404]

I think Americans don’t understand the amount doors open to them we Nigerians thirst for at home and I don’t get it. It’s almost as if (some) want a journey without any hurdles before they’ll take a first step.

[@altrag]

@@jumboshrimps4498 In a way, yes. But obviously its not a direct "bad roads = violence" connection. Its a correlation, not a causation. Street-level violence is, for the most part, correlated with poverty and low-income communities. Low-income communities also tend to not be able to afford things like proper road maintenance. (Or good schools, meaning the next generation is more likely to remain low-income and continue the cycle for potentially decades, which means higher rates of violence in addition to even further roads deterioration for decades, rinse and repeat.) Its kind of like how a rise in Ben & Jerry's sales is correlated to more drownings. Its not that ice cream makes you forget how to swim, its that summer heat is a root cause for both of those effects. (Credit to kzbin.info for that analogy.) Oh and yes, many poor communities do indeed have significant problems with violence. Maybe not quite to Compton's level - specific history also plays a role - but almost all poor communities have higher-than-average rates of violence and other criminal activity.

[@h0eera.115]

@@jumboshrimps4498 No the point is that if the government fails to even provide their citizens basic amenities like roads, schools, libraries etc. then progress would come very, very slowly, if you want them to raise themselves by their bootstraps then you gotta at least give them some straps. People often underestimate the mental and physical toll of bad schools, dirty surroundings, lack of fresh food options etc., it doesn't really set you and your community up for success. I mean yeah a few people can persevere through that and be successful but what about everyone else? At the end of the day the community it's still crippled. And the only reason why ghettos are violent because of racism and the generational trauma it caused, they had to act intimidating and violent to protect themselves from prejudice and that attitude still persists today. I mean who can blame them, society treated them like crap and pretty much still does. It's really a bad mix of socioeconomic factors, poor places are poor for a reason, and it doesn't boil down to "laziness"...

[@alexullrich5694]

As a fellow Wisconsinite I was recently dumbfounded to learn that my home city of Neenah was once connected to an electric streetcar network running from Appleton to Fond Du Lac. It got me thinking: how much INTERcity transit did the pre-car united states have? I once heard (idk the source) that Neenah ran 5 trains to Chicago once upon a time, I would love to see you do a deep dive on that sometime!

[@worldwarcollector3165]

It’s sad how far we have fallen

[@HTV-2_Hypersonic_Glide_Vehicle]

Oh it was very apparent back in the early 1900s just take Dallas-Fort Worth for example. Interurbans *electric interurbans* linked all of the major hubs, towns and small towns in between. Unfortunately they were "obsolete" and people decided instead of having the option for rail and car, to just have the car. Interurban trolly cars are still seen today in Plano, Fort Worth, Corsicana, and other North Texas towns. I will provide link to YT video of footage of interurbans and the map of the lines...kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJyXlYqaqdeGi7c

[@HTV-2_Hypersonic_Glide_Vehicle]

My hometown of Waxahachie had a Steam train to St. Louis, Diesel train to Houston, and Interurban trolly's to connect itself to surrounding towns all before the mid 60s. All we have now are cars for transportation.

[@lars7935]

The US was once the world leader in rail transportation.

[@mirio-jk]

Mine did too, they ditched the tram and train lines for car infrastructure

[@catriona_drummond]

The US tax system is deeply flawed. municipalities depend way too much on their own tax base to fulfill their tasks. Everyone fending for themselves and against the neighbours.

[@synura8086]

It's shocking that California has a housing crisis, and most of the Compton buildings shown in the video are just single storey. Such inefficient land use so close to the Los Angeles city center. Put in some rail lines and TOD and you have affordable housing and a tax base.

[@fernandoalvarez9613]

Those houses were built before the housing crunch hit and with the history of racist eminent domain seizures, it’s near impossible to kick out the current homeowners.

[@quagengineer1877]

@@fernandoalvarez9613 Allow Adus and fourplexes and the market do its job

[@obfuscated3090]

@@fernandoalvarez9613 Throw them enough money and they'll leave since there is no reason to want to live in that area if you get enough cash to upgrade. Money solves everything and once word of profitable buyouts spreads there will be more sellers.

[@fernandoalvarez9613]

@@obfuscated3090 you really think developers will pay $500K+ by however many single family units they need to buy up, not to mention the expanded water, power, gas infrastructure needed to support the higher density. And that's before the NIMBYs get involved. Too much of a headache for any developer to want to deal with.

[@MistressOP]

also earth quakes.

[@WhatIsThis-zq4hk]

Seceding to avoid taxes, then rejoining when they realize they need paved roads, is the most American logic ever 🇺🇸

[@richardb8104]

They do the same everywhere in the world. Humans don't like taxes. It's a shared value.

[@cooltwittertag]

@@richardb8104 No, it's a very American problem. Yes, many people don't like taxes, but this level of extreme action is very American. At the end of the day, intelligent people realize the need for taxation to provide services.

[@AlabamaBoiz]

@@cooltwittertag wrong just privatize services

[@cooltwittertag]

@@AlabamaBoiz like in Albania? Privatizing works like a charm until the bridge collapses under your feet and they make you choose between feeding your family and having electricity.

[@Lucciii32]

@@AlabamaBoiz exactly services should be privatized allowing people to choose what happens with their money

[@thefrub]

The anti-chinese riot isn't a unique story, it happened all over the US. In 1886, the state of Idaho - pop 12,000 - was 1/3rd Chinese. They held an anti-Chinese conference in Boise, and 10 years later there were none left. All Chinese people in the state were murdered or chased away.

[@Idahoguy10157]

Boise Idaho had a Chinatown until WW2. Forty five years after 1896.

[@ericclaeyborn3600]

BTW... Numbers 5:11-31 doesn't mention a pregnant woman, or a baby in the womb. So, no abortion is implied.

[@ollylevesque3404]

There were also plenty living in extreme poverty in California. The difference was in the prioritization of “gangstas” versus education and hard work.

[@CleverAccountName303]

@@ollylevesque3404 the video mentioned who created the first gangs in Compton. Hint: it wasn't the blacks.

[@hufficag]

And now I'm wondering why the Chinese are racist towards us in China. I was welcomed and asked to come as a foreign expert. Going to a restaurant downstairs from my house the owner said, sir can you come after the dinner rush, my patrons might get scared if they see a white guy dining in our restaurant. Because all white people have covid and aids, is what locals tell me.

[@tekuaniaakab2050]

Compton is what happens when you historically refuse to integrate businesses into your urban landscape, enforce low density housing, and perpetuate systemic inequality. This makes it almost impossible for communities to come up with the money to improve themselves

[@stereo-soulsoundsystem5070]

Thats the point

[@donaldawillis11]

That’s BS… like Detroit- DEINDUSTRIALIZATION destroyed 60’s Compton…. Manufacturing “ Easy Good Paying Jobs” weren’t around….

[@Mikewee777]

Furious styles was a wise man

[@1L6E6VHF]

I don't see how you could find Compton "low density" housing. The lots are quite small by any standard.

[@cockathiel5319]

@@1L6E6VHF if it’s primarily single family homes, it’s low density. Even the smallest lot isn’t going to reach the density achieved by apartments, condos, or even duplexes.

[@sdeepj]

Rappers are some of the best urban geographers. They tell the story of their neighborhoods, giving it a mythic lore to it.

[@aidanw9378]

Rappers are to the urban landscape what indie country singers are to the rural

[@DavidLopez-rk6em]

Thats a great way of viewing it. I grew up in Los Angeles and Compton had this infamous reputation. Everyone in LA knew about Compton even if theyve never been there. Rappers put a lot of attention on their communities and let the world know whats going on. Even if Compton has changed it still has this mythical aura to it. Chicago had the same thing happen to it when Al Capone was alive, there ways always attention put on it because Capone was in the news a lot.

[@AsiaMinor12]

Rappers are basically historians for their neighborhoods. But you have to be a really good rapper to tell a story that will last. Nas is a good example.

[@grimey78]

rap is heavily influenced by geography different cities have completely different sounds

[@pongop]

@@AsiaMinor12 Carrying on the Griot tradition

[@Unmannedperson]

Not to mention the effects of Prop 13 on gutting municipal and school district budgets, which often rely heavily on property taxes.

[@tomm1109]

We need that though. Its ok for business, but not for homeowners. My home has gone up 400k in value since 2013. That isn't money in my pocket unless I sell. I don't want to sell I shouldn't have to take money out of my house to pay taxes on value I don't have access to.

[@kingsfan9280]

Because keeping government from reassessing your property randomly and then taxing you out of your own home is such a bad thing 😆

[@sandal_thong8631]

@@tomm1109 But you could sell it if you want or borrow against it. Sounds similar to someone who owns an empty lot on a corner of crossroads. It's valuable, but he's holding on to it until the price is right because the taxes are low. Chances are it's the location that's gone up in value in your case. Doubtful that you've added on to the house or otherwise contributed to the neighborhood's increase in value. I suspect the new owner would tear it down and put up an apartment building to get their money's worth, or build a multi-million dollar home, if you're at a million now. Or one of those mixed-use developments with shops on the ground floor and apartments upstairs.

[@TohaBgood2]

@@tomm1109 And that's exactly why you have no interest whatsoever to push for more housing! Your taxes are completely uncoupled from the housing prices unlike almost everywhere else in country or the world. The more housing prices go up the wealthier you become! It creates perverse incentives for you and the rest of the CA homeowners to make the housing crisis as drastic as possible, even if merely by inaction. Think conversely what would happen had there been no Prop 13. You and the other homeowners would be the first in line at city hall meetings demanding that more housing be built at transit stations to keep your own taxes down! Your interests would be aligned with the interests of the working class and the wider society. What would be good for you would also be good for everybody! And that in a nutshell is the problem with Prop 13. Not only does it gut municipal budgets and make housing a net loss for a city budget, but it also creates a landed gentry class that benefits from the suffering of the poor and the non-homeowners. Basically, in order to keep you happy we need to regularly shaft the renters and young families trying to buy a house. You, meanwhile, get incredibly poor city services and degrading infrastructure because no one pays enough taxes to keep up with city worker salaries and pensions. And those salaries are driven primarily by housing prices which you want to keep increasing as high as possible. So this carousel of suffering just goes round and round and round!

[@burgerman101]

@@TohaBgood2 If I were in his position and prop 13 were to get removed I would probably just become homeless. Not everyone has the time and patience to go to city hall meetings and demand more housing.

[@simonphoenix3789]

property tax is a ridiculous thing to begin with. You can never own a home completely in this country. No matter what, if you fail to make your property tax payments, the city can just seize your house from you.

[@jayrob846]

I see elderly couples that spent their lives paying off their house get it repod by the state when they are too old to pay it gotta love the U.S.

[@__-nd5qi]

Homesteads can’t be taken for debt

[@KB4QAA]

@@jayrob846 There is no right to live beyond your means. Those who cannot afford to maintain a house and property need to sell and move to more affordable housing. Or get a 'reverse mortgage". Of course, there will always be people in situations that are unsolvable. Life is like that.

[@JohnDoe-zb5mt]

@@KB4QAA From what I understand, property taxes in america is not about maintaining the house itself rather about funding the local area (cops, roads etc)?

[@GraceAloneThroughFaithAlone]

@@JohnDoe-zb5mt So they say, but it never goes to that. Regardless, it deprives people from owning property because with property taxes they are essentially renting it.

[@AliciaTheTroonSlayer]

As someone from Compton who left the second I could, I’m disappointed. The glorification of criminality and blame shift. Honest question - if I as a black woman can’t let my kids play in my own yard, why would anyone open a business in our community? And why should we want to when our own will take us out without hesitation? It wasn’t the system who made it a war zone, it was people who look like me! Who is rioting and tearing down blk businesses? OTHER BLK PEOPLE. They aren’t street historians they are cold blooded killers. I never looked over my shoulder for “the government” give me a break. The Chinese in San Francisco at one point were in extreme poverty and never had violence. They don’t glorify it. They don’t get “street cred” for going to prison. Why are we pretending anyone should invest their hard earned money there to have it or their life taken? Ridiculous.

[@daftwod]

Black conservatives are beautiful

[@carolinegaleano3427]

Thank you. As someone who still lives in Compton I hate how they try and portray it as if the people who live here have no other choice but to commit crimes in order to survive when the majority of the people are working class and the percent that choose to commit crimes do it because they want to do it.

[@khaldrago911]

I totally agree. So true.

[@KSS5]

He literally just explained in the video how a city is built affects its residents. The video itself says that lack of businesses in a city leave its residents UNABLE to get the services they need due to tax bases. He went through hundreds of years of explaining how Compton ended up the way it is yet you're only focusing on a 30yr period of time that revolves around Black residents and gang violence. He literally Juxtaposed the decisions of Pasadena to Compton based on the choices they made as cities that began around the same time. So what does that tell you 🤔 And who will build a business in a violent community 🤔 well ask the developers that are doing just that in Compton right now. I bet you missed that part of the video though.

[@carolinegaleano3427]

@@KSS5 first of all I really don’t care what the people did in the past in Compton because that’s not what’s affecting the city now. They may have tried to avoid taxes before but once it was implemented they still didn’t do what was needed for the city. Just last year they started to fix the streets and patch the potholes that we have been trying to get fixed for years. They put a couple of center dividers and some palm trees and called it a day. Crime is bad and has been for years. Just because you don’t see it on the news doesn’t mean nothing is happening. Several people have been killed in front of my house and we never saw anything about it because it’s perceived as normal. That’s what people expect. Business are getting robbed every single day and nothing is done about it. The open new stores for like a day only to be robbed closed down and turned into an empty lot because nobody wants to take a chance. The only business doing well are the drug dealers and and the gangs that steal to resell stuff for cheaper than the stores. So taxes are high for the residents that own homes here and for what? Cause if you call the cops they don’t show up or take forever, roads are still messed up, traffic lights blinking red for weeks even months, schools have the worst grading compared to other cities. All I see is the city taking money but not trying to fix the problems. You can upgrade buildings plant all the palm trees they want but that’s still not going to change anything for the city. Not until they accept that the problem is gangs and drugs. Which actual residents already know cause we live with it. So what are they doing to better the city to get business back?

[@stickynorth]

This video is both a frank depiction of American socio-political trends on a microscale but also a refreshingly packed with juicy tidbits of pop culture gems. Kudos! Two thumbs up! Fine Holiday Fare! PS, I wanna see that West Side Story sequel/remake... SOUTH SIDE STORY! I'd pay to see that all day! Bloods vs Crypts who rap-talk about Compton and its problems for 2+ hours while ending in bloody gunfights. Not pretty but that's pretty real if you ask me!

[@myerloeb4948]

Crips*

[@donaldawillis11]

It’s plays on White Flight Fears & Gangsta Rap

[@VeganV5912]

@@myerloeb4948 ... 👈.. Like CharIes Man🖕son. Murder by proxy... 👈🤥🍖🔴.... 🙄. Over a burger. 5 minute burger etc !!! Animals life gone for good !! 🤦🏼‍♂️. Twiice🔴a🔴Cooward !!!! Murder by proxy. Big time. I was a hypocrite. But now I’m vegan. I don’t hurt animals. Simple really. ✅🤷🏼‍♂️. KZbin delicious vegan food. Time to change.... ✅ kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4elpJuvlLGYrLs .. You don’t hurt your cute little dog 😍🤗🐶🤥. Or a cute parrot 😍🤓🦜🤥. Hypocrite. Big time !!!

[@2stroketyson79]

Ice Cube not even from compton

[@mcspikesky]

And what the police

[@Connor_Herman]

Listening to Dave talk about gang violence in the same breath as tax policy is a juxtaposition I can't help but laugh at.

[@ampersand2001]

You should feel lucky you have the privilege to laugh at such a thing. Violence doesn't just happen, there are reasons.

[@Connor_Herman]

@@ampersand2001 thanks! I actually just watched a video about that. It was called “How Property Taxes DOOMED Compton” by CityBeautiful

[@Pootie_Tang]

@@Connor_Herman round!:-)

[@njkauto2394]

Are you inferring tax policies are completely separate to the realities of gang violence being the result of adverse poverty being the result of government policies which include tax policies?

[@Hooberschmit1]

@@njkauto2394 No he is just suggesting that this video's content betrayed his expectations based on his prior knowledge and experience, and that the reality of the situation appears to border on absurd until fully fleshed out. He's right. You're right. The video is right.

[@MetallicAddict15]

2:13 "Pasadena has one of the most charming downtowns you'll find anywhere" - *Shows a sea of concrete, asphalt and parking spaces with not a human in sight*

[@Game_Hero]

American low standards

[@waifubreaks1572]

Pasadena is really nice.

[@sor3999]

Sounds like someone's never been to Downtown Pasadena.

[@MetallicAddict15]

@@sor3999 Correct. Maybe it's a lovely place, I was just pointing out how the video really didn't reflect that at all :)

[@sciontcfanclub]

@@MetallicAddict15 It's really nice and full of life at night in my experience

[@fernandoalvarez9613]

Compton is a textbook case on why Libertarian ideals are horrible for municipal governance.

[@daveharrison84]

(not a libertarian but) libertarian ideals would allow businesses in neighborhoods

[@Mikewee777]

@@daveharrison84 prostitution is not a legitimate business .

[@CleverAccountName303]

@@daveharrison84 It wouldn't matter if they allow businesses in the neighborhoods if the businesses aren't taxed. But maybe the businesses will need roads, so it will build toll roads all around the city. Same effect I guess, just a little bit more expensive since the roads now have profit taking baked into the cost.

[@fernandoalvarez9613]

@@daveharrison84 and Libertarian ideals would never allow for the neighborhood to be built. See the long history of NIMBYs.

[@theinternetsavedmylife]

Compton was libertarian? Wow that's a first...

[@95jAlfinse]

I hate it when I’m in Compton and the property taxes pull up in a 73 el Camino and unload the tech-9 on my slacking ass

[@RonSommar]

Great work, very high quality elaboration. Thank you!

[@thecroc]

Tying the municipal budget to property values just seems like a bad idea.

[@BarnyWaterg8]

I agree.

[@Robbedem]

tying schools to the municipal budget is even worse!

[@thecroc]

It also seems like the unwillingness to pay tax is at the center of most funding issues.

[@gladitsnotme]

If you're not a white supremacist. If you are one, it's the best way to ensure the wealth distribution remains white.

[@Riyoshi000]

@@thecroc You have to keep in mind that this unwillingness by poor people and small businesses is justified when the State directly funds or provides immense (billionaire) tax breaks (theft of public funds) to the ultra rich/mega corps while it ignores basic HUMAN RIGHTS such as HEALTHCARE AND HOUSING FOR ALL.

[@saynotop2w]

Uberlyft driver here, most outsiders won't be able to tell where Compton is by looking at it. It doesn't look like a "bad neighborhood" at all. The only difference is that people hang out super late at night.

[@GeeEm1313]

$400,000 homes

[@PlaystationMasterPS3]

@@GeeEm1313 which is sadly cheap for the area. I can't even afford compton :(

[@toddjones1480]

Yeah. Last time I was there I was picking up an order at a factory during the day. It seemed like any other business park in any other town.

[@jaymarcase9737]

That’s most of the West Coast. Our bad neighborhoods look beautiful compared to let’s say bad neighborhoods in New Jersey.

[@chocolatechipslime]

@@GeeEm1313 how do people get a 400,000 loan for a house?

[@endrankluvsda4loko172]

This was absolutely fascinating! I don't know if you'll ever read this, but if you do, I really hope you do more in-depth histories on various cities across the US

[@nattygirldred]

Thank you for breaking this down. Well done! I went to school in Compton in the 80’s, my mom worked for the school district and my aunt bought a home there in the early 70’s. Looking at the old school yearbooks at Davis Jr. High, I realized Compton used to be ALL white. And I’ve always wondered where they went 🤣. I recently watched the T.V. show “Them” which begins with a black family moving to Compton in I think the 50’s (of course it’s a horror series LOL).

[@csn6234]

Did you move straight outta Compton after high school?

[@nattygirldred]

@@csn6234 🤭 No I never lived there. My mom worked for the school district. We lived in a place called Willowbrook, an unincorporated city sandwiched between Compton to the south and Watts to the North. Many of the homes owned by blacks in that area were purchased to make way for the 105 Freeway. Eventually me and my mom moved to Long Beach.

[@csn6234]

@@nattygirldred I read about Willowbrook when I was doing some reading about the Watts riots. Thanks for sharing. So, you and your ma lived in the LBC ...

[@nattygirldred]

Yep

[@pantone369c]

Now I want to hear an NWA track about municipal tax policy.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I bet that would be awesome. There’s been other great “big socioeconomic picture” narrative hiphop tracks.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

😂. F the tax

[@kendomyers]

Check out the book City of Quartz; Southern California has a long history of separating rich and poor neighborhoods so the wealthy dont have to pay for services in poor areas. Also, the rich areas could attract great stores, patronized by the poor as well, which subsidized the rich neighborhoods and kept rich property taxes low. Then on top of segregation and racial violence as bad as or worse than the Deep South, the wealthy took the language of environmentalism to ensure single family zoning drove up the cost of housing by preventing the construction of multi family homes and dense urban development in city centers.

[@kendomyers]

Bonus if you read this book, since it was written in the 90s, it has some leftist crticisms of a young city councilwoman named Maxine Waters who bowed to pressure and went along with "tough on crime" policies. Interesting to see how times and people change.

[@peppapickmeisha]

Y’all get on my nerves. First it’s white flight, then if they or the Mexicans and increase the value by investing businesses, it’s gentrification. Where is Patrise with our 60 million??

[@auraguard0212]

NIMBYism. Nothing but NIMBYism.

[@sdorn]

So happy to see Straus's book inspired this video!

[@b_uppy]

What they needed were some mixed-use zoning rather than malls. That's a different issue.

[@mariusfacktor3597]

You're absolutely right. It was the racist exclusionary policies that turned Compton into an underfunded city. The fact they keep exclusionary policies like single-family zoning after the horrors it caused for their city is depressing.

[@b_uppy]

@@mariusfacktor3597 California has always had a very racist history. That Compton also messed up and failed to encourage denser usage of land through mixed usage was another bad decision of theirs...

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@mariusfacktor3597 the fact they’ve been treading water in a death spiral for 90 years is an astounding condemnation of suburban zoning with outside malls

[@TurtleGamers1]

@@mariusfacktor3597 Idk how single-family zoning is racist, considering it's an issue all over the US, not just impoverished neighborhoods.

[@mariusfacktor3597]

@@TurtleGamers1 Single-family zoning was implemented in many cities after racial covenants were outlawed as a way to keep minorities and poor people out of white neighborhoods. If you think about it, banning any form of housing besides a large house is inherently exclusionary. You're totally right, it is all over the US.

[@OneNewHope]

Dave saying, "Gansta" has brought me so much joy!

[@achka]

So you saying tax policy made that urban youth shoot me in the leg back in 1983? Gives you a new perspective.

[@FatherElectric]

Speaking of perspective, what does a political unit have to do with gun violence at all? People get shot in many places. The topic is Compton California, and not stupid people.

[@lenfer1607]

He never said that.

[@808buksi]

I was waiting for this video in a while, in fact i just love old school hip hop music. I heard a lot of things about Compton. Thx for the video ❤🥷

[@statik310]

as a Compton native and current resident. Thank you for this video!

[@SaveMoneySavethePlanet]

The portion on the earthquake is why I proudly pay my taxes every year. The city needs money in order to weather natural and economic disasters like this. That’s why I don’t mind paying high taxes, but I still have LOTS to say about HOW my tax dollars are spent!

[@JohnPrepuce]

That's the crux of the issue, isn't it? I think most civic minded people would gladly give our fair share in taxes but when we see government squander it away it angers us to no end, thereby eroding whatever sense of trust we had in our public officials.

[@Korina42]

@@JohnPrepuce And that's why I vote. Every. Time.

[@richardmenz3257]

@@Korina42 you can vote for who may use the money slightly less corruptly. We need more then just 2 political parties.

[@cobaltclass.]

@@Korina42 The problem is that too mnay people vote for their 'team' and not for politicians that aren't corrupt and will get the job done. They don't care to be informed, they don't care to know the issues, they don't care if the person has been robbing the taxpayers blind, they don't care if they're being lied to or if the 'good policies' promised are ever accomplished, they care they have the right political letter next to their name.

[@Korina42]

@@cobaltclass. Tribalism never really left us, did it? I hope we live long enough to grow past it.

[@russellcoleman1923]

Amazing production quality, loving the animations!!

[@CityBeautiful]

Thanks! Can't take credit; I have some great motion graphics people helping me now.

[@NDUWUISI]

Dang! You finally got me. I'm dying to see that inner ring suburb video. I'm gonna have to sign up for Nebula

[@sandrajones8245]

This was really good and actually deserved to be longer.

[@JustinPitera]

Would you mind talking about Camden, NJ? I feel as tho this is also a great example of an inner ring city. And it doesn't seem to be getting better, with even public transportation (GCL) between there and more well to do towns are being blocked by the public interests as they believe it will bring crime, drugs, and other issues to their towns.

[@googleaccount6761]

Back in 1993 I was a truck driver and had to deliver a load in Compton, I was held overnight till the next morning to unload. Me being a young white male, I was told by an older black man to lock my truck, and close all shades and windows and don't leave out for anything!! Don't even let anyone know I was there basically. All night long I heard gunshots, ambulance, and police sirens!! It was straight outta a movie! Over the years I have refused many loads going to Compton and nearly quit the best paying job I've had over the place..people make the community what it is anywhere you go. If you want a peaceful hometown then live a peaceful life.. those nuts back then only had killing and crime on their minds.with that said, Compton can still kiss my but I won't ever never ever go back. Not even for. Million dollars.

[@SVC96.]

Even though that happened in 93 if you where to go and visit today nothing wouldn't happen because nobody does shit anymore everybody is on their phones distracted reminding there own business or a bunch of homeless people asking for money that's about it. It still looks ghetto but crime wise it's not how it was 2 to 3 decades ago

[@mike-sk2li]

I deliver to Ralph's grocery distribution in Compton every few weeks. It is actually very safe and truck friendly now. I feel safe enough to hit a side street and hit the bunk for my 10 with no problems

[@jasminewilliams1673]

You didn’t get to know the community, you sat in your trunk and listened to sirens… I can understand being robbed or mistreated or something. But making generalizations about the entire community filled with older citizens, kids, employed people traveling to the white side of town to work less desirable jobs has nothing to do with anything you experience. And you should lock your truck regardless.

[@UzumakiNaruto_]

@@jasminewilliams1673 *But making generalizations about the entire community filled with older citizens, kids, employed people traveling to the white side of town to work less desirable jobs has nothing to do with anything you experience.* Broad generalizations. You mean like how many black people do it towards white and non-white people and we all have to go along with or else we're racist? Seems like its always the same few groups of people who are allowed to make broad generalizations of other people without facing much backlash that other groups of people would for doing the same.

[@micahhayes8770]

Not for a million dollars? Bro STFU. The story was good till that bullshit at the end.

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

This is an incredibly fascinating social history. Thank you! 🙏

[@NAVYABHAN]

1st time visitor, I enjoyed your presentation enough to watch till the end and post it on Twitter!👍

[@JordanFreshour]

This is fascinating! Content like this makes a difference. Thanks for educating us on the truth.

[@ai_product_manager]

As a city planner, how do you know if your community wants mixed-use walkable development? And on the flip side, as a resident, how do I let my city planner that I want a walkable community?

[@ai_product_manager]

@@ichijofestival2576 yea I've already looked into that and found nothing. But since Dave is a city planner, I wanted to hear from him in terms of how he takes feedback from the community.

[@ai_product_manager]

@Zaydan Naufal America

[@Ronniezim]

@@ai_product_manager most communities have public meetings when developing/updating their masters plans. Find out when comment periods / public meetings are for that and attend to provide input. Your city undoubtedly has their master plan online somewhere.

[@blitzn00dle50]

can you walk to the grocery store? can you walk to the school? can you walk to the bar? do you feel safe during all of these walks? if the answer to any of these questions is "no," your city is not walkable

[@paddaydaddy]

Great video!

[@garrettosborne4364]

Great video, I know Compton from a number of prospectives. This was very, very informative.

[@MyHellaKitty]

Compton is one of those places that didn't have a chance, due to bad leadership from the start. Then it trickles down into the community. It seems like it survived because it was the affordable option. Once you're there it's hard to break free from. Generations later, you have people born into generational poverty. It just becomes the way of life.

[@UzumakiNaruto_]

It doesn't have to be that way. Its only that way because the people there allow it to happen and refuse to do anything about it even if it destroys their communities. Poor asian people who came to western nations with little to nothing could've easily fallen into the same trap, but instead the vast majority of them took a different path where they saw a great opportunity to build a new life in a peaceful and largely stable new homeland and they took advantage of it rather than settling in their new homeland and proceed to tear it down.

[@seane6616]

Yeah, if it stayed only 14% B, would of remained awesome. B ruin things

[@Therealw1]

@@UzumakiNaruto_ Many Asian groups who immigrated such as the Vietnamese and Cambodians still live in poverty and are heavily involved in gangs.

[@raaaaaaaaaam496]

Hey Dave, what’s your opinion of the video “The housing crisis is the everything crisis” by youtuber britmonkey. It talks a lot about the things you discuss on your channel.

[@PlaystationMasterPS3]

I liked that video but britmonkey is too liberal for my tastes (as in, he could be farther left)

[@raaaaaaaaaam496]

@@PlaystationMasterPS3 cringe, he’s a based centrist deal with it

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@raaaaaaaaaam496 you both agree he’s a centrist, you just have different opinions on how good that is

[@raaaaaaaaaam496]

@@kaitlyn__L anyone that isn’t a filthy populist is fine in my opinion.

[@memcore1312]

@@raaaaaaaaaam496 "based" and "centrist" are diametrically opposed

[@RestoreSanityFear]

Fantastic video

[@muffinmonk]

Great example to Illinois is Maywood. Town was a big victim of white flight. The images from the 50s are so clean and proper than what you see today. Tax base left and it's been stagnant for decades because they literally cannot afford large scale improvements.

[@jaymarcase9737]

Not that they couldn’t afford, the federal government and banks colluded to not give loans to Black Americans.

[@thesteelecrusader7778]

Sounds like desegregation was a mistake

[@Rachild101]

Love seeing this topic get the attention it deserves, too many fail to think critically about how cities function, or fail. I also love that you quote Dr. Straus's book Death of a Suburban Dream, which is a fantastic read for anyone wanting to learn more about how Compton and places like it have been systematically undercut.

[@aaronescobar2057]

Love to hear you talk about my neighborhood, Culver City

[@musclecarfan74]

Great video

[@gameexpert2011]

Compton's story reminds me of Anacostia's story in Washington DC. Anacostia used to be a predominantly White neighboorhood up until in the 1960s. When African Americans moved into Anacostia and pretty much the majority of SE DC, the Whites moved out. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Anacostia was the epicenter of the crack epidemic. Nowadays, Anacostia isn't as bad or dangerous as how it was but it's still not a very safe area to be around, especially at night. I'm saying this as a local Washingtonian that was born and raised here my entire life.

[@Lyerbait13]

I live in an inner ring suburb and I love it!

[@a2d]

I just signed up for curiositystream and nebula just for you.

[@mikegaravani7309]

loved this video do more like these

[@alexwellerstein4829]

Given that this video is so heavily indebted to a single book (Emily E. Straus' "Death of a Suburban Dream: Race and Schools in Compton, California"), it would be more appropriate to feature that citation in the video itself, rather than just buried in the "Show More" part... it would only have taken 5 seconds, but would have meant a lot to the person who spent literally years doing the research that this video is based on.

[@CleverAccountName303]

I agree 100%. It would fit perfectly at the end of the presentation: "if you want to learn more about this topic, read this book that led to this video..."

[@hoangle2483]

absolutely this, the way this dude presents this video makes it feels that HE's the one to come up with everything and gives very little credit to the book. Bad taste in my mouth.

[@hillogical]

Rockford IL. I read somewhere and it could be wrong, but Rockford has some of the highest property tax assessments per home value in the US. Illinois has an issue where over half of all municipal tax budgets go to paying pensions, and an IL Supreme Court ruling will make it so that local municipalities can't change their pension plans to make them more affordable. This is leading to a cascading failure in IL. This whole state is on the path to look like Compton or Rockford.

[@tartrazine5]

The "issue" is that they signed contracts with overly generous pensions.

[@JohnQPublic345]

I met a few retired gym teachers that were pulling in 100k per year, and were under 60 years old. good gig

[@HarvestStore]

Great video.

[@The88trainwreck]

Where did you get that light up city grid map you have behind you? I want one for my city.

[@FimiliarGalaxy9]

I hate to say this buuuut….There’s a glaringly large elephant in the room on this one

[@FPOAK]

All social problems are downstream of land use

[@maxdondada]

Good breakdown.

[@MrMasterJones]

For some reason I’ve always been fascinated with Compton. Cheers for this

[@AaronSmith-sx4ez]

Topic Suggestion: You should do a video on the types of property tax and this can influence communities. Most property taxes are subdivided between land and improvements. Some (like Henry George) have suggested shifting the burden more toward land vs improvements. The idea being that it would reward efficient/dense development. Japan to a degree practices this and it has aided in the dense urban environment. The other issue with property taxes is exceptions and intentional undervaluations. Some corporations despite having huge sprawling campuses pay no property tax, because they are favored by local politicians. Yet a small business who may produce the same thing could pay much in property taxes. Similar concept with golf courses...most would not survive in urban environments without being intentionally undervalued because they such a waste of space. A lot of property tax information is available online from "plat maps". It could be a neat video to go into a well known city and compare lot sizes and tax bills for the different areas.

[@KB4QAA]

"Golf courses...waste of space". Hmm. Why yes! Look at all the playgrounds, school yards, football stadiums and basketball courts that are just wasting space. Let's tax them out of existence too! ;0 Ahem.

[@trevinbeattie4888]

So, did you mean it was the _lack_ of taxes that doomed Compton?

[@angelfigueroa310]

This is amazing info

[@rashb3994]

Man this is fascinating!

[@fernbedek6302]

I worry that signing up to Nebula/Curiosity Stream would kill my productivity because there’d be so much good to watch.

[@daveharrison84]

It will improve your productivity because it doesn't have ads.

[@hansjuker8296]

Is there a single community in the U.S. that improved when the blacks moved there? Legitimate question.

[@FatherElectric]

Compton is over 70 percent Hispanic. By the way, California recently was ranked 50th (dead last) in quality of life out of all states. Did "The Blacks" who moved into Compton ruin the whole state?

[@bracedgod4505]

​@@FatherElectric Yes.

[@kazuhirala]

What’s wild and somewhat sad is that the city still don’t have a Cinema. I remember when the film Straight Outta Compton released they makers couldn’t fully enjoyed the release of the film in Compton due to what little venues it offers. Everything is Outta Compton.

[@GooglyBear]

I like the random tree in the middle of the boulevard of Pasadena photo

[@AtomixIGN]

Dissolve it into LA. Incorporate everything from Burbank to Longbeach into the City of Los Angeles. Remove redundancy in government, broaden the tax base, share services better, and most importantly - obliterate every zoning law on the books. Plan bigger.

[@dnavid]

1976 it was noticeable that there were city funded arts programs and when these were cut trouble started. Also I caught a ride once with an elderly gentleman who had been an LA fire chief in the 60's who told me "Watts? we let it burn."

[@KiraDaBeastNY]

Recreation is necessary for young people or it becomes more likely they end up doin crazy shit.

[@dnavid]

@@KiraDaBeastNY while violence rose so did the level of creativity to counter it, the culture was not improved, it was made more valiant.

[@freeman10000]

Best thumbnail ever...great video too.

[@Mosscatski]

Really good job.

[@richtygart6855]

I'm from California and the reason that Compton went to s*** is a reason that you're never going to mention in this video

[@kaitlyn__L]

I love the “budget advisory no money” in the thumbnail! And Straight Outta Compton is such a good album. Would you consider doing videos on some other “hip hop neighbourhoods”, for instance Queensbridge which Nas raps about? In seemingly every city there’s always some neighbourhoods that get a reputation, and indeed some other MCs try to pretend they’re from there even when they aren’t!

[@mariawesley7583]

That sounds interesting! Several years ago I was reading about how there was a group (not sure in what capacity) that was putting markers, similar to historical markers, in neighborhoods or on streets to commemorate their relevance in hip hop music. I'd watch a video like that.

[@afroceltduck]

1970s South Bronx, NYC, would be a great candidate for a video topic.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@mariawesley7583 ooh yeah, an overview of a few of them rather than one video per could be good.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@afroceltduck oh absoLUTELY! The lack of investment in the social housing and deliberate neglect from planners and public services, and how that influence led to the B-boys parties, which spawned the original hiphop DJs&MCs. Plus I’m sure there’s more that I’m not currently aware of! I’ve mostly just seen what the first generation says in interviews.

[@polarisjustdothework2258]

Thank you for this 🙏🏼❤️

[@jacktattersall9457]

I'm curious about your thoughts on this @City Beautiful: In Canada, provincial law requires municipalities to have balanced budgets? Would that help places like Crompton and American cities that have gone bankrupt?

[@jamesbarton1969]

Interesting, I was aware of how crime and violence could drive larger, more efficient businesses out of an area reducing jobs and increasing prices. I never thought of how this would reduce the tax base. As population increases the cost of required services such as schools, police, firefighting, and trash removal. Gentrification begins to make more sense as low income apartment buildings are replaced with higher value less densely occupied residences occupied by people who can afford higher taxes. For buildings underwater on taxes and maintenance and only sellable for a fraction of their book value selling even at a discount to those who can rebuild or replace the buildings must be irresistible to municipalities.

[@SomeUserNameBlahBlah]

Look what White flight did to Detroit, that city is in shambles.

[@jamesbarton1969]

@@SomeUserNameBlahBlah sorry but no, see Thomas Sowell and reason tv cancel out Richard Wolff on the fall of Detroit.

[@SomeUserNameBlahBlah]

@@jamesbarton1969 Sowell is a smart guy, but there are times he skirts the race issue. Detroit faced White flight prior to the automotive industry going oversees. The flight was sparked after race riots in the area. Detroit starting failing in the 60s/70s. Central planning didn't help for economic reasons, but central planning brought racial tensions too. In the end, if White people stayed, the city would have had their tax revenue to continue functioning.

[@jamesbarton1969]

@@SomeUserNameBlahBlah high taxes and rioting drove out businesses and a city income tax and lack of jobs drove out people who could afford to leave, both White and Black. The gas crisis of 73 and 74 hit auto manufacturing hard. Not everything is about race.

[@SomeUserNameBlahBlah]

@@jamesbarton1969 Watch interviews of people living in Detroit suburbs in the 70s. They openly state on camera that racial tensions drove them out and they refused to let Black people move into their neighborhood. Even today, there are neighborhoods on the outskirts of Detroit that are doing just fine, you can guess the demographic that lives there. People will slowly react to taxes, but will quickly react to rioting and violence.

[@zombiexsix]

I would love to see more of this. I know you're not a "political" channel, but people might lable you that. But race and history are not political, it's just the facts. And it really helps understand current news.

[@Game_Hero]

what is political then?

[@shayan_idk]

@@Game_Hero fuck do u mean by that? race is just political to u?

[@whathell6t]

@@Game_Hero being political means the platform of policies you want on certain topic of action.

[@diestormlie]

Well... Race *is* inherently political, because it only exists because we, humans, decide that it exists.

[@daftwod]

@@diestormlie Bull S. Race is as real as species.

[@TWolfe777]

Great video! 💯

[@MrDRSMAX]

I would love more content on outer ring suburbs.

[@PaigeWylderOwO]

Don't forget the devastating effects of Prop 13 on municipal budgets across California, including Compton. Though it was intended to keep old people from losing their homes from increasing property tax rates, (and for companies to pay less taxes through property transfer loopholes among others), it wound up destroying the tax bases of bedroom districts like Compton, San Jose, and more for decades to come.

[@sor3999]

Prop 13 was entirely about commercial property. "Think of the old people!" is about the same as "think of the children!" It's the marketing to get people on board with a corporate sweat heart deal.

[@PaigeWylderOwO]

@@sor3999 Glad to hear it's intentions were as bad as the outcome I described in parentheses.

[@seijinakaki1860]

Thank you for making videos on these often overlooked neighborhoods in LA! Despite growing up in SoCal, I learned little to nothing about places like Compton and Skid Row. Learning about city planning from your channel, especially about these two areas, has been an absolute game-changer for me. Your channel and knowledge has added another layer of depth to look into when contextualizing the city my family grew up in/anywhere really.

[@fredfrond6148]

Wow the butterfly flapped it wings.

[@njv1234]

I used to live in Compton, but I moved to Riverside to be closer to my music manager. Going to his son’s bar mizvah in a week!

[@JB-xj4rn]

OH VEY! Go wreck another white town or country right?

[@matthewowens9057]

So we're calling them "Taxes" now? lol

[@scottanos9981]

I remember seeing a bunch of taxes get together in a flash mob and loot a JC Penney in 5 minutes flat

[@dempa3]

From this video it is evident that the explanation lies very little in property tax, and very much in class struggle, which in the context of US, is very much tied to discrimination based on skin colour.

[@Salsmachev]

Exactly! I'm glad I'm not the only one saying this.

[@Nobilitism]

Disagree. There could be multiple reasons why Compton is the way it is. Because the city emphasized low taxes, it could never really generate the wealth that it needed to fix its issues.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Those aren’t really two separate issues, as it’s middle classes who push for those policies explicitly to be hostile to the working class, under the guise of “protecting the character of our region”

[@robb0995]

Right? I walked away trying to synthesize those ideas and all I could come up with was “it wouldn’t have had poor blacks if it had Pasadena’s tax base” Yeahhhhhh… that’s not exactly better.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@Zaydan Naufal right, the middle class are sold a message that our interests align with the upper class because we have some financial stability, but that’s really a distraction tactic because middle classes are overwhelmingly still workers rather than capital owners. Missing a mortgage payment can get you kicked out even faster than missing rent! Middle and working class material interests are overwhelmingly aligned, but the _psychological interests_ have made many feel in opposition.

[@NoorquackerInd]

Today on City Beautiful: How municipal taxes led to the creation of the NWA As someone that was an NWA fan many years ago, this is probably one of the most unusual videos I've seen so far

[@thomasculshaw8843]

I didn't think I'd like this video, but it was great . Really interesting and we'll thought out

[@alexsmith854]

Just realised I was watching on KZbin, now I've got to go to Nebula to find out if you added any bonus content to this video. I always watch your videos twice anyway, once straight through then again pausing and googling things I don't fully understand or need to know more about to fully understand what I'm watching.

[@RollerBladingSuxs]

Compton was world-renowned for its safety these past couple of years. It is a beacon and epitome of what an ideal city should be.

[@Virru112]

even with the Bloods and the Crips?

[@RollerBladingSuxs]

@@Virru112 Indeed. A lot of countries model their cities after Compton. It is a model of how society and cities should be.

[@pongop]

Very informative video on an interesting story! I hadn't heard the term 'inner ring suburbs' but it makes sense. Love The Office clip!

[@cyberpotato63]

Trying to picture this presentation about tax policy as a gangster rap song. I need to think up a few good hooks so it' sounds catchy.

[@bananian]

gosh this is some frustrating history.

[@vespa9566]

The first white gang is called neighborhood watch

[@A.R.G.N]

Great video. Please make a video about watts riots.

[@drjny]

I love the cutaway at 1:49!

[@ToneyRome]

Cube isn't from Compton. Keep the great videos coming!

[@CityBeautiful]

True!

[@rackss1661]

He’s from South Los Angeles.