nfluence on the development of the city and its capitalist structure.Although, Capitalism brought change to the city of Los Angeles, it also created racial apprehension. As described by Sanchez, “deportation and repatriation campaigns pushed almost one-third of the Mexican community back to Mexico…. Increasingly, changing demographics and limited economic resources stunted the growth of the ethnic market, reflecting the changing composition and nature of the Mexican/Chicano community.” (Sanchez, pgs184-185) Growth of cultural diverse communities established ethnic centers of culture. Chinatown, Olvera Street, and Compton all contributed to culturally diversity and the expansion of Los Angeles. Although Los Angeles has become rich in cultures, its evolution did not go without racial tensions and segregation. With the arrival of blacks from the south, white-Los Angeles did always recognize the minority community. Angelenos did not always embrace diversity with pride, but perhaps the sad part is not the fact that racial segregation took place, but the fact that it was not created by just the individual, but also by the organization. Federal programs like the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Homeowner’s Loan Corporation (HOLC) divided up Los Angeles into a complex socio-economic racial-class system. The influences of the local level influenced the federal level and revolutionized the finance industry. (Avila, lecture 2/5/02) These federal organizations blatantly labeled minorities as derogatory, uneducated, second-class citizens that brought down property value in “white” neighborhoods. Latinos and Black were often labeled as a “minority problem” and even as a “disease” on official HOLC documents. The HOLC implemented strict government guidelines and kept maps of white neighborhoods confidential. It also devised a formal and uniform style of appraising homes...
