From the City of Compton to Dale City

Earl Dixon
Published: August 6, 2008

I was born in 1971, in the semi-peaceful city of Compton California, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton,_California, where our current leadership, the Bush family, even once resided. As a youth, I grew
up in a nice neighborhood where the little old ladies still sat in larger picture windows just watching the kids in the community. By the time I reached the age of 12 years old, Compton had become a war
zone for gangs and drugs. Drive by shootings and nightly police helicopters flying by became the norm. By 16 I had been shot at at least three times,

Gangs control the city after dark and the school yards in the day.

The reason I have shared this story is because strangely I see it happening again in my beloved Dale City.  Everyday on my way to work on my drive down Dale Boulevard, I see the signs of a new
Compton developing.

The Graffiti marking on the neighborhood fencing, that read MS-13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms13. Every morning my co-worker and I speak about the impending nightmare that is brewing in Dale City if
we remain passive to the signs that our city is under siege.

My biggest fear is that Dale City turns into a new drug-ridden war zone, like the city I grew up in. I read this paper everyday. The police blotter or brief is always my first stop. 

The lady across the street from my home was robbed a few months ago. She was under the impression that one of her kids had returned home when she heard noise downstairs. That same night my car
was invaded and items were removed. 

Parents need to talk to their kids and keep an ear to the pulse of the neighborhood. Get to know your neighbor, understanding that we all enjoy our clandestine lifestyles; however we need to ban together
as a community for the sake of our children, property and our peace of mind. This reader fears Dale City will mirror the City Of Compton sooner rather then later. 

EARL DIXON

Dale City