L.A.'s Most Civil Neighborhood

"Lafayette Square is bounded on three sides by Crenshaw, Venice and Washington boulevards, streets that otherwise epitomize city life in all its gritty, 21st century glory. The neighborhood's single auto entrance is off Crenshaw, protected only by a traffic light. Residents, mainly upper-middle-class African Americans, defend the gates as a legitimate way of protecting their children and their homes, and insist that there's nothing elitist about them, no matter what the outside world thinks."

Thanks to Chris Steins