A nonprofit Los Angeles tour operator plans bus circuits of some of that city's most notorious gang turf, "including decayed public housing, sites of deadly shootouts and streets ravaged by racial unrest." It's a tourist's quest for authenticity on one end, and a micro-financing plan on the other:
After a VIP preview last weekend, L.A. Gang Tours expects to open to the public in January, giving tourists a look at the cradle of the nation's gang culture -- the birthplace of many of the city's gangs, including Crips and Bloods, Florencia 13 and 18th Street. "This is ground zero for a lot of the bad in this city. It could be ground zero for a lot of the good too," said Alfred Lomas, a former Florencia member who has become a leading gang intervention worker in South Los Angeles and is spearheading the tours. "This is true community empowerment."
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