ABSTRACT
I.. Introduction Los Angeles in the early 1990s was rocked by riots after police officers were acquitted in the videotaped beating of Rodney King and recurring gang violence. Amid a fear of cascading crime and increasing numbers of homeless people, the actions of Los Angeles police officers made it seem that life in Los Angeles was defined by conflicts and violence. The popular 1991 movie Grand Canyon seemed to capture the essence of Los Angeles’ image. After rescuing a white motorist being taunted by gun-wielding gang members, a lead character laments that things were not supposed to be this way. Another character wrestled with the moral issues raised by the homeless. The bleak future predicted for Los Angeles in an earlier movie, Blade Runner, seemed to be an emerging reality.
