The noir world of Los Angeles

First of all the locations in both short stories I am very familiar with. I was raised on the southwest side of Los Angeles and lived there until 1995. I pass Leimert Park every time I am in Los Angeles, which is often as my parents and friends still live there. I occasionally still patronize a bakery in Arcadia. For me this area is a small world, with even smaller culters in the various areas.

Leimert Park, View park, Inglewood, and closely surrounding areas will have the some of the same types of people, with the same type of mentality, street wise. This is a land of gang violence, drug dealers and users. Turf wars, crimes commited and murder, all with good people trying to do the right thing and survive the drama. Mostly Hispanics and African Americans fighting oneanother. John Hannible Cravitz also known as "Quick" appreared to have made something out of hisself since View Park is one of the better neighborhoods, and his successful business. His relationship with Detective Yippie Calzone was a true friendship even though they were both flexible when it came to Justice if nesscessary. With the other charaters all willing to let greed get the best of them, let the street way of life lead them to destruction. It is common for guns to be concealed and used in this area. It is a way of the life on the streets. Even the people who are law abiding citizens choose to carry a gun just for protection. This has been the way of life since I can remember in this area. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of professional people living very good lives still in Los Angeles, but also a lot of them have gotten out of the street mindset and left the area. Street smarts never really leave you though.

Midnight in Silicon Alley, white coller crime with one of the usual twist at it's best. This area is a high rent district, filled with professionals and successful people. Chen had a very hot commodity sold to businesses,corporations and even government agencies. The funny part, both markets have the potenial to make the same type of money. Chen's product came with less risk with the cost of doing business, or did it? There was still murder in both. Greed played a part as well, although we had another factor. A fed up wife. I knew it was one of his women, but I thought it was his mistress Yashi. The wife Leila had a very well thought out calculated plan down to the time. Steet crime or white collor crime location does not matter, Murder Is Murder.