The blogger at Spanglish Gringo lives in Boyle Heights and recently was told by the Los Angeles Times that he can no longer receive the paper at home. Baffled, he asked why.

She informed me that it was canceled because we are in a dangerous environment. When I expressed my shock at this discovery, she said the delivery person complained of being chased by gangs in this neighborhood and that they wouldn’t be able to continue service.

Having lived in Boyle Heights for 8 years now, I’m not naive to the presence and activity of the local gangs. Near the end of our first year here, 2 young men were shot and killed about 100 feet from our front door in a 2am shooting. For several years, the main conduit for drugs was run through a neighbors house.

And yet, we’ve never so much as had an awkward moment, let alone a dangerous one, due to the gangs here. Despite the ultr-violent, you-could-get-shot-at-any-moment caricature of urban life in the movie & TV industry, East LA doesn’t have the threat level that is perceived. And particularly in the blocks surrounding our house.

By the way, he adds, "I get the Wall Street Journal delivered & have not heard of any problems from them."