Wilmington--Battered but Not Broken : Pride and Community Spirit Persevere Despite Area’s Problems

Alfredo Pacheco sat in his living room amid tables covered with family photographs and talked fondly of Wilmington, his lifelong home.

“People plant their roots here and they feel secure here,” said the 51-year-old retired police officer, who lives just nine blocks from the house where he grew up.

“You go to the market or the cleaners, and there is always someone there to greet you and ask how your family is--your parents, your brothers and sisters, your offspring. It is a very stable area. When there is a death in the family, especially with one of the old-timers, there is tremendous support.”

Pacheco paused. “A lot of people have misperceptions about Wilmington,” he said. “We have our share of problems here, but there is a lot more to Wilmington than most people think.”

Industrial Landscape

A community long overshadowed by its imposing industrial landscape, Wilmington appears to be an unkempt, nine-square-mile sprawl of oil refineries, factories and auto-wrecking yards. It has other visible problems: heavy truck traffic, haphazard land-use patterns, pollution, litter, commercial decline.

It is often perceived, residents say, as a place where industry stays but people come and go, or as an impoverished, high-crime district where no one would want to live.

“My sister is a beautician in Torrance and people ask her, ‘Gee, aren’t you scared out there?’ ” said Ramon Madrigal, a community social service worker whose family lives in Wilmington. “Crime and Wilmington’s negative aspects are always highlighted.”

But Wilmington residents--perhaps bound by adversity--say a sense of pride and community spirit perseveres in spite of the area’s problems and rough reputation. Residents see Wilmington as a hub of family-oriented traditions, where churches are avidly supported, Latino culture colorfully celebrated and education emphasized as a way for the next generation to do better.

Now residents are organizing to combat Wilmington’s longstanding problems and they are drawing attention to a community they say has long been misunderstood or unnoticed by outsiders. Indeed, many say they are trying to protect a community they don’t want to leave.

A mid- to low-income enclave of 40,000 at the southern tip of Los Angeles, Wilmington is mostly a mix of recent Latino immigrants and old-timers of various ethnic backgrounds. It is a place to which most people first move out of economic necessity--housing is less expensive than in neighboring areas--but where many remain by choice.

“Now we can afford to move out,” said Barbara Guajaca, 59, a resident for 36 years, “but we decided not to. All my children and grandchildren live here. This is our community. I have nothing against the people in Palos Verdes, but I have nothing in common with them either. With the people in Wilmington, I went through what many of them are going through: I was poor and I raised a family and I struggled.”

“People have long-term affairs with Wilmington despite its problems,” agreed Edmundo Fimbres, 35, an optometrist who lives next door to the home in which he was raised. “It’s actually a nice place to live. It’s home. This is a phenomenon that happens to a lot of people: They have the money to move out and they don’t, or some move out and come back.”

What keeps people in Wilmington, many say, is its sense of being a cohesive community, a distinct niche in the sprawl of Los Angeles where people know one another. About 45% of Wilmington’s 11,518 dwelling units are owner-occupied homes; the Los Angeles average is about 40%.

“I have fallen in love with Wilmington,” said Alicia Moreno, 53, who bought a house in Wilmington three years ago when she married. “When my husband had cancer in March, my neighbors were so kind. We hardly knew them, but they came over and mowed the lawn and were there and willing to help. . . . Before we had said we’d move anywhere but Wilmington and here you have nice people like this.”

If Wilmington’s small-town flavor brings people together, though, it has also spurred dissension. As in many urban areas, Wilmington’s changes and problems--the recent and steady growth of its immigrant population, for example--have drawn disparate reactions.

An old community that dates back to 1863, when founder and developer Phineas Banning named it after his birthplace, Wilmington, Del., this harbor town has long had its own identity. Wilmington was an incorporated city until 1909, when residents voted to become part of Los Angeles.

“Wilmington has a strong sense of identity” in a way that other Los Angeles communities do not, said Scott Hanlon, chairman of a city-appointed community advisory group that is studying the area for possible rezoning.

That identity, many say, has been strengthened by Wilmington’s geographical isolation, bounded roughly by two freeways and the ocean and located 25 miles south of City Hall. In addition, Wilmington has always been more industrial than its neighbors because of its proximity to the Port of Los Angeles and its location atop one of the nation’s most productive oil fields.

Because of its numerous industries, Wilmington has long had a mostly working-class population. While there is some question about how much of the population works in Wilmington-based industries, the area remains largely blue-collar and union-oriented, with 63% of its population employed as laborers and 12 union halls located in the community.

Large Latino Population

In recent years, Wilmington also has been distinguished by its large Latino population, which grew as the Anglo population steadily declined--by 96% between 1960 and 1970 and again by 51% between 1970 and 1980. Latinos now make up at least 67% of Wilmington’s population, compared to 27.5% citywide, according to the Los Angeles Planning Department.

While these factors have helped cultivate a sense of identity within the community, residents say, among outsiders Wilmington has an identity problem.

“There are all kinds of misperceptions--all the bad connotations of a barrio, “ said resident Elsa Herrera, a Wilmington school teacher and mother of two. “People think Wilmington is gangland, that if you come here, you’ll be shot or mugged or someone will break into your car.” Crime statistics show the community to be among the safest in the city.

“Wilmington has been misunderstood for a long time,” agreed Estela Pena, principal at Wilmington’s Banning High School. When she was assigned to Banning two years ago, her school district colleagues told her she was going to a dangerous campus in a gang-ridden community.

Instead, Pena said, she found it “a safe place where parents support their children.”

“It’s a neat little small town in the middle of big Los Angeles,” she continued. “It’s a strong community for family--you take care of your family and you do things with them. It’s very close-knit, and the churches are big here. Many of the kids at Banning go to church, which is unusual.”

While the community does have crime, some of which is caused by its two major gangs, Police Department statistics show Wilmington and its three surrounding harbor communities for five of the last six years have had the lowest crime rate for serious offenses among the 18 divisions in the Los Angeles Police Department, said Lt. Mike Markulis. Although those records are combined for Wilmington, San Pedro, Harbor City and part of Harbor Gateway, police officials say that Wilmington has no more crime than the other areas in the Harbor Division.

Residents say Wilmington’s rough reputation--along with its steamy industrial skyline, low-income stigma and aura of neglect--has often concealed the community’s colorful, tradition-bound character. Unlike many other areas of Los Angeles, residents say, Wilmington remains a town with a strong sense of community spirit and pride.

“Wilmington has a valid community spirit,” said the Rev. Herb Ezell, pastor of Wilmington’s Harbor Christian Center, which operates an expanse of church and school buildings on north Wilmington Boulevard. “A lot of areas of the sprawling city of Los Angeles have lost that, but Wilmington has retained it.”

That spirit, many say, is perhaps best exhibited in the community’s dedication to its youth, which spurred the Wilmington Jaycees Foundation to spend more than 10 years constructing two parks, mostly with donated materials. It also prompted more than 10,000 residents to sign petitions seeking to levy additional taxes to help pay for a community swimming pool. (The pool was eventually paid for with a combination of federal and city grants.)

The spirit is reflected, too, in the pride Wilmington residents exude over almost anything that is Wilmington’s own. Ask residents to talk about Wilmington and they talk about Banning High School, which generations of Wilmington families have attended. They boast about Banning’s fund-raisers, its scholarship awards, its league-leading attendance at football games.

Football Games

“Everybody goes to Banning football games,” said resident Gloria Rivaldo. “You see the entire community at these games and these are people whose kids have graduated long before.”

And if common ties foster community spirit, they also strengthen traditions.

Latino culture flourishes in Wilmington. Pinatas are broken at birthday parties every weekend in Banning Park; Mexican restaurants are everywhere; the Christmas holidays bring Las Posadas celebrations to almost every school.

“It’s like a cultural center,” said Carlos Villalobos, a resident and notary public. “We have our share of fiestas. People go to the Mexican markets on Sundays; everybody walks out with their carnitas .”

The community’s 21 churches are widely supported. Just three of them--Holy Family and Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic churches and Harbor Christian, affiliated with the Assemblies of God--have a combined attendance of more than 14,000 for weekend services and several thousand for an array of organizations and activities.

Largest and perhaps best-known is Holy Family, which has become as much a center of social service activities as a house of worship.

The gold-colored stucco church draws overflow crowds for each of its 10 weekend Masses and holds 50 to 60 baptisms every Saturday. It sponsors dozens of well-attended classes, youth programs and such social services as a credit union, a food co-op and a legal service.

“If you don’t get to Mass early, you’re in trouble because there won’t be any room,” said longtime resident Villalobos. “It has a big place in Wilmington.”

As does education. With an average family income of $17,754 and 16.8% of the population below the poverty level, many residents believe that schooling is the only way to increase opportunities for the next generation.

An Immigrant’s Dreams

“Sometimes I think to myself, I would like to be a lawyer or a doctor because I like medicine and I like law,” said Maria Mendoza, a 35-year-old immigrant from Mexico with four children. “But I’m too old for that now and I have children to raise.

“I came from a poor family and there were too many kids to keep everyone in school. That’s why it’s important for me to have my kids get a good education. If they are educated, they can be somebody. I want them not to do what I did; I want them to be something better than me.”

Such feelings have fostered a sizable enrollment--about 1,300--in Wilmington’s five church-run elementary schools, where many feel their children will have a better chance.

“They make big sacrifices to come here,” said Sister Angela Mannion of Sts. Peter and Paul, where tuition is $600 a year for one child, $750 for two children and $800 for three or more. “A lot of these families don’t have money to pay for private education, but they just make very big sacrifices in other areas of their lives.”

If the community’s traditional values have gone unnoticed by the outside world, they have not been lost on some of Wilmington’s younger residents.

“It’s a nice place to stay,” said 18-year-old Carlos Maldonado, a recent Banning graduate. “It’s like a big family in Wilmington. Moving away would be like running away from home.”

The closeness of the community stems partly from its working-class character, said George De La Torre, co-owner of Harbor Canning Co. Inc., a 40-year-old Wilmington business. “When you’re not part of the country club set, you find things to do with your neighbors, you participate more in youth and church activities,” he said.

But while the Latino and working-class populations are dominant, Wilmington’s population is diverse. About 22% of the population is Anglo, while 8% of its residents are Asian and American Indian and blacks account for 4%. Wilmington has a middle-class, largely Anglo neighborhood on the west and a mostly low-income, Latino pocket on the east.

8% Unemployment

It is a community where unemployment is estimated at 8%, compared to 6.7% last month for the Los Angeles and Long Beach area, said Henry Kaneshiro, manager of the Carson Job Service, which serves Wilmington.

“It’s probably just under 8%, predominantly because of factors like the language barrier and less-educated and less-skilled workers,” Kaneshiro said. “Wilmington is a funny kind of community. You find a lot of it is unionized, and some are paid very well. But there are also many semi-skilled workers who speak little English; they grab whatever they can, whether it’s part-time or temporary.”

Indeed, Wilmington is a place where longshoremen average $35,000 a year, while food-service workers earn minimum wage. There also is a sizable range in house prices. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Wilmington can range in price from $75,000 to $150,000, according to Coldwell Banker Real Estate. A similar house would cost an average of $212,500 in Torrance and $275,000 in Long Beach, according to Coldwell Banker.

“Houses aren’t selling in Wilmington any more than any other place,” said Fredric Elliott of Coldwell Banker, “but because it’s an industrial area, it’s lower-priced than other neighboring areas. Most of the buyers seem to work for the harbor or industrial-type operations. A lot of immigrants look at it as affordable. . . . I think Wilmington is a sleeper for good investments, with its location between Long Beach and Los Angeles and the harbor.”

New Immigrants

There also is diversity between those who have lived in Wilmington for several generations and those who have recently immigrated, mostly from Mexico. About 25% of those who own their homes in Wilmington have lived there for more than 20 years and 48% for more than 10 years, U.S. Census statistics show. But many residents say one of Wilmington’s biggest changes during the last 15 years has been a heavy influx of new immigrants. The change has fostered some grumbling.

“There are problems of assimilation that lead to a disharmony between local Mexicans and new arrivals,” said Pacheco, the longtime resident and retired police officer. “The new arrivals drive old clunker cars that are unsafe. They are not used to our sanitary practices. . . . We are used to two kids to a room and they have two and three families to a house.”

Some residents and workers go a step further. They believe their charming old community is disappearing.

Edward J. Kaveney, who lived in Wilmington for 25 years and still works there, said he remembers when the community was a clean seaport village and thinks the demographic changes have not been for the better. “Wilmington is beginning to look like Tijuana and Ensenada. . . . Now it’s mostly illegal aliens.”

Undocumented Workers

While others have welcomed the new immigrants, they also acknowledge that they face great struggles, with mostly minimum-wage salaries and few benefits like insurance or sick leave. Residents estimate that 10% to 20% of the population is made up of undocumented aliens.

“Sometimes I don’t see how many of these people live,” said the Rev. Luis Valbuena, pastor at Holy Family. “There’s no controlling the rents; then you add in food plus clothing. Pray to God they don’t get sick because they don’t have insurance and they can’t afford to take time off.”

But many also say the new immigrants contribute to the culture of the community. They sell fruit and imported handbags on street corners; they peddle paletas --Mexican frozen fruit bars--on side streets and in parks. They keep alive the Spanish language that some of the children from the established families no longer understand.

And some believe the new immigrants, like those that preceded them, will eventually plant roots in Wilmington.

“Eventually the new arrivals, too, will entrench themselves here and stay,” Pacheco said. “I think it will probably be the same for them: The children will move two or three blocks from the parents after they grow up. Most people don’t make a complete break from Wilmington.”

WILMINGTON AT A GLANCE 1984 Population Estimate: 40,279 Square Miles: 9 BB RESIDENTS Ethnic/racial composition Wilmington City of Los Angeles Anglo 22% 48.3% Black 4% 17% Latino 67% 27.5% Asian/Pacific Islander & American Indian 8% 7.2% Average Household Income Wilmington City of Los Angeles $17,754 $21,714 Average Number of Pople in Household Wilmington City of Los Angeles 2.59 to 3.78 2.55 Housing Wilmington City of Los Angeles Owner-occupied 44.7% 40.3% Rental 55.3% 59.7% Average House Price $125,000 $175,000 Employment Wilmington City of Los Angeles Professional 5% 14% Management/Administration 5% 12% Technical 1% 3% Sales 5% 10% Clerical 15% 20% Labor/Manufacturing/Services 63% 37% Other 8% 4% Unemployment 8% 6.7% EB Note: Population statistics were provided by the Los Angeles Planning Department, based on 1980 U.S. Census figures. Housing prices were estimated by Coldwell Banker Real Estate for an average home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Unemployment estimates are from the Carson Job Service.