Tour Los Angeles Gang Make La Visitors People

Visitors to Los Angeles have many tour options. Many people "opt for" (choose) star tours, which are tours that take visitors to the site of celebrities' homes, or at least the outside of what are supposed to be their homes. Others like to visit famous Los Angeles sites, such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, and the beaches.

Beginning in 2010, visitors arriving to Los Angeles have a new option: a tour of areas with "high" (a lot of) gang activity. "Gangs"-organized groups of criminals, usually of young people-have been part of Los Angeles for a very long time. Creator of LA Gang Tours, Alfred Lomas, thinks it is time for people to learn more about this "aspect" (part) of the city. Lomas is himself a former gang member, and the goal of the "non-profit" (not intended to make money) LA Gang Tours is to make "profits" (earnings) that can then be used for "micro-loans" (small loans) for businesses in the community to promote more jobs.

To make the tour safe, Lomas said that he has the "assurance" (promise) of four gangs that they will not harm or "harass" (frighten and bother) the tour bus as it goes through their "turf" (territory). If you go on one of these tours, however, you know that there is some "inherent" (built-in; essential) danger. In fact, each person who goes on one of these tours has to sign a "liability waiver," which is a legal agreement that says that the tour company is not legally responsible for anything bad that happens to you. Even with these dangers, however, the tours have been popular. The tour itself is two hours, includes lunch, and makes 12 stops.

These gangland tours are not without "critics" (people who think they are a bad idea). Some local leaders believe that the tours will give people an even worse image of these parts of the city, turning away potential "investors" (people who might put their money into something, which they expect will make them more money).