Florence and Normandie is the intersection where the 1992 Los Angeles uprising began--a chaotic response to the police beating of Rodney King. Horrible images of the riot's beginnings were captured by news helicopters, and, to this very day, these images come to mind when people pass by the Florence off ramp on the nearby Harbor Freeway. They are part of LA's collective memory.

It's a tough neighborhood. It's gang territory. According to LA crime writer Michael Connelly, "Murder in this neighborhood [is] not that much of a curiosity. The people here [have] seen it before--many times."

When you arrive at Florence and Normandie, it's easy to see that you're in a changing neighborhood. Latinos are moving in. African-Americans are moving out. Institutions that had been established to serve African-Americans are having a hard time surviving. Soul food stands serve tacos and tomales, too.

This is a bus stop intersection. In the morning, people (mostly women, mostly Latino/a) use buses to go to work in far away neighborhoods. In the afternoon and evening, the buses bring these same people back to their homes.

I was impressed by the friendly, good spirits of the people I met during my hours near Florence and Normandie. Life was flowing along. At least in the morning, fathers and mothers were comfortable being with their children here.

There are bars on windows all over the area. These can't be ignored. But the people I met seemed like they would be wonderful neighbors.