Los Angeles 'is a Third World city'

Took this photo of downtown LA from the inside of my car just off the Harbor Freeway.

okayIdidit. has contributed a photo to this story.

I live in Los Angeles and I do not think it is "On The Way" to becoming a third world city. It ALREADY is one. There is trash everywhere, graffiti, poor and hungry people begging in the streets. The crime has increased tenfold. I am afraid to go out at night. There are crowds everywhere!

The immigrants left thier countries to make a better life for themselves and they are ruining it. No one speaks english at the store, the gas station or restaurants. The call it "The Concrete Jungle" jokingly. This is not funny! This is my home.

There are over 20 thousand illegal immigrants in our county jails. They are killing our citizens. This has to stop.

Enough said...

Oh... Where is the hell is John Galt?

L.A. IS a great city, great in culture, and uniqueness. It is, however, an exact example of what the article says it to be.

Starmaniack77 has contributed a photo to this story.

Pay money to see if you can see through the smog. A view of downtown Los Angeles from Griffith Park Observatory (in the hills near the Hollywood sign)

svosicka has contributed a photo to this story.

good stuff:

amyjudd, I like this story. It's really good stuff.

Honestly I think that the Telegraph is not a good source of news. It raises issues in a really naive way, showing just one side of the increasing immigration rates without offering examples of integration. Anyhow I like crowd powered medias and therefore here's my picture.

verou has contributed a photo to this story.

Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities on earth, and the most that can be said about cultural assimilation is that it's a "Third World" city? Check in on New York in 1910 -- would anyone reserve the same criticism for it back then?

I think a lot of isolationist Angelenos need to adjust -- quickly -- to what reality is dictating. Besides, where else in the U.S. can you get such good Oaxacan food?

i must agree with americanceasar. this city is an example of globalization. there are people from all walks of life living in this glorious city. yes, it's polluted and dirty and a lot of people here don't speak english. in spite of those things this is a city of creativity and a city of the future. the immigrants who flock to the us are not "killing our citizens" as one commenter put it. we are killing ourselves by continuing to allow our government to destroy the economies of these other countries preventing people there from getting living wages and proper work and forcing them to seek a better life here in the states.

los angeles is far from perfect, but the idea of calling the city third world solely based on the numbers of immigrants seems far fetched. have they looked into the insane number of homeless on our streets? they aren't there because a couple thousand latinos crossed over illegally. they're there because there is unaffordable housing, unemployment is up state wide, there are no medical  benefits for those who have nothing. these are contributing factors to a third world state. the idea that the 1/3 of the immigrant population that has not finished high school contributes in some way to the third world-ness of this city, seems like a stretch. how many white and black americans have not? in what ways does their non-completion of high school help make l.a. more third world? we need to invest in education in the state of california. it all boils down to providing the basics for growing minds. if we can educate the population, provide money for college to fill the jobs of the future (i.t., nursing) with well qualified candidates. there and only there will be begin to fix the problems at home.

Taken from the Getty Museum.

kidtrip has contributed a photo to this story.

I love LA with a big red heart.  I don't think it's on it's way to becoming a third world city, on the contrary, I think it is a rather diverse and beautiful place..  There is a certain appreciation only those of us from here could actually have, I guess. 

I take offense on behalf of our immigrant community that they are in some way to blame or the reason we are fast becoming this supposed third world city, because many don't speak English?  That sounds very racist.  It's that very thinking that would devalue any city for the same reasons. 

If anyone knows anything about our smog and our geography, you'd know about the offshore and onshore winds that trap air (good or bad), making it look worse than it is.   Much of the poor air quality actually comes from inland farms valleys and gets pushed into our basin.  Sure, our cars do not help, but in this day in age (and years into emissions control), we don't have many sources right here in Los Angeles that are to cause for the smog. 

Anyways, I love L.A. If you don't like it, well there's the door and don't let it hit you on the way out. 

LA is one of the biggest & lovely city for those Immagrates,which look for needs & news opportunities to Trying to make come true their dream. As well,to being in better conditions & help their families as what they can do for succes.

.Freshie Face. has contributed a photo to this story.