This Is Compton
Every place in America has its own history and its many stories. Compton's stories are notorious. Located about ten miles from downtown Los Angeles, Compton has been a violent place, full of gangs, killings, and drug wars and to gangsta rap music. It isn't necessary to look far to discover these aspects of Compton. An introduction might be the rap song and video "This is Compton" by the group Compton's Most Wanted. Revealing video tours of the streets of Compton are accessible on media. And then, there is the popular 2015 movie, "Straight Outta Compton". The documentation of Compton could go on and on.
Yet there is more to Compton. It is valuable to step back to look at Compton's varied history to see the many sides of Compton and to think about where the city might go. Robert Lee Johnson does so in his book "Compton" (2012), part of the series of photographic local American histories published by Images of America. Johnson, a long time Compton resident, is chairman of the projects committee of the History Council at the California African American Museum and was co-coordinator of the Compton branch of the Black Panther Party. He lectures on Compton history at a local community college. His book offers an informed pictorial history of Compton from its earliest days beginning in the mid-19th century when a hardy group of settlers moved to Compton from Stockton and found remarkably fertile farmland, enriched by the periodic flooding of the Los Angeles River over the years.
The book has rare photographs of Compton from the early days. It shows dusty western streets, old fashioned stores, early schools and churches, and a pioneering, hard-working community. Compton gradually becomes more urban, and with the growth comes problems. Johnson devotes a chapter to the many floods the plagued Compton through the middle of the 20th century that in the earlier years often left the downtown under water. Then, in 1933, Compton suffered a devastating earthquake which destroyed many buildings and schools and claimed 15 lives within the city boundaries. The photographs of the floods and earthquake are well-chosen and well-annotated. Johnson shows how Compton rebuilt itself after each disaster. After the earthquake, the military, local groups, and many citizens worked to mitigate the disaster. Compton residents rebuilt their city, including the business district which the earthquake had destroyed. The California legislature enacted new and successful building codes for schools to reduce the danger of earthquakes.
Johnson describes the growth and changing character of Compton through the WW II years. In 1948. the Supreme Court invalidated racial covenants on the sale of property. Many of the residents of Compton began to move, a trend that assumed panic proportions following the 1965 Watts riots. Compton lost its economic base and soon through various exacerbating conditions became home to the drugs, murders, and gangs for which it is known. In his book, Johnson discusses this history and seems to assume some basic familiarity on behalf of his readers but does not dwell on it. At the end of the book, Johnson writes:
"Compton has always been at the forefront on important history. It was part of the second Spanish land grant awarded to a former Spanish soldier; however, it was the first land grant to be developed. The site was part of a famous battle during the Mexican-American War that denied American forces the retaking of Los Angeles. The first International Air Meet ever held in the United States occurred in Compton in 1910. The laws and regulations, which led to better school construction after the 1933 earthquake, started in Compton. The city has been the place of racial turmoil and urban flight, as well as the birthplace of gangster rap and now rebirth of a city. Compton has always been the 'Hub City.'"
The book thus ends with the shope that Compton and its people will reinvent themselves and move forward yet again. I appreciated the opportunity to learn something about Compton and its history.
