http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7044669/Former-Los-Angeles-gang-members-launch-guided-bus-tours.htmlOnly a few miles from the celebrity mansions of Hollywood, they are getting their first glimpse into the gang heartland of America on a guided tour with a big difference.
Passengers embarking on the "Los Angeles Gang Tour" sign release forms acknowledging they could be crime victims and put their fate in the hands of a group of former gangsters who act as guides and protection.
Organisers say they have negotiated a "ceasefire" with active gangs in the notorious South Central district, parts of which are still widely considered no-go areas, allowing the bus to pass in safety.
South Central was the birthplace of the infamous Crips and Bloods gangs and the tour sights include the county jail, the impoverished Skid Row area and the place where the Black Panthers were founded.
It also takes in the scene of an infamous 1974 shoot-out between the Symbionese Liberation Army and 400 police officers, the 1965 Watts Riots in which 34 people died, and where riots ensued after the acquittal of officers in the Rodney King beating. At one point a sign for Compton Avenue is scarred by a bullet hole.
The bus also passes the spot where a gang called the "Mass Transit Assassins" created the longest graffiti "tag" in the world – the letters MTA could be seen from space and cost the city £2.2 million to remove.
The tour is the latest in a series of efforts to revitalise South Central, which was renamed South Los Angeles in 2003 in an attempt to change its deep association with urban strife.
Those behind it they are trying to build a business venture that provides a glimpse into gang life while showcasing efforts to improve conditions in gang-plagued communities.
An early proposal for residents to shoot water guns at the bus and sell "I got shot in South Central" T-shirts was abandoned.
Alfred Lomas, 45, a former member of Latino gang Florencia 13, leads the tour and details how 10,000 people have been killed in gang warfare over the decades. He also cites a study saying one third of children in the area are suffering from post-traumatic stress.
Mr Lomas, who left gang life about five years ago, said the tour would bring jobs to communities along the route.
"We don't glamorise violence. This is a chance to tell the stories of individuals who have made an effort to change," he said.
One of those is Max Maersk, who successfully fought the death penalty after killing a man over a drug deal in the early 1990s.
He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is now a "gang intervention specialist" who talks about his experiences on the tour.
"All I knew was to harm people but now I want to give back. I believe there is a chance for change," he told The Daily Telegraph. "We need to give people opportunities. We don't want people to think we are animals because we are not."
The tour is billed as "the first in the history of Los Angeles to experience areas that were forbidden" but organisers insist it is educational rather than voyeuristic.
Frederick "Scorpio" Smith, an ex-Crip and now a gang intervention specialist, said: "We ain't going on no tour saying 'Look at them Crips, look at them Bloods, look at them crack heads'. I'm 38-years-old and I spent most of my life in jail. I'm not never going back."
However, the tour has been questioned by some local politicians.
City Councilman Dennis Zine said: "It's a terrible idea. Is it worth that thrill for 65 bucks? You can go to a gang movie for a lot less and not put yourself at risk."
Topic: Ex-L.A. gang members launch guided bus tours (Read 1067 times)