Sitting on the railing in a deserted parking lot behind Marinello Schools of Beauty, Kelly Caohoun, 34, and his friend share a cigarette in the middle of the day as they talk music and sports. Caohoun, whose family moved to Inglewood in 1985 when he was just 4, has witnessed a lot of changes in his neighborhood. In the early 70's, he saw hope turn into despair as many businesses were forced to close down during the economic crisis.
One thing that kept Inglewood afloat was the arrival of the Lakers. During the recession, the team moved from Minneapolis to Inglewood — a hub they would call home for more than 30 years.
While the Lakers were playing at The Forum, the NBA team won six championships and made the finals 14 times, bringing massive crowds to the city. But after the Lakers relocated to downtown Los Angeles' then-new Staples Center, Inglewood went from being a thriving city to a sleepy town east of LAX. Businesses shuttered and the streets died. Now, with a new stadium being built for the Rams, many are excited to see the revival of Inglewood. But not Caohoun.
"I think by the Rams coming, a lot of things are going to change," he said. "I think it's a bad idea bringing a football team over here now. Businesses won't take it well."
Caohoun, a representative of a music group called Purple Leaf, doesn't believe the Rams' arrival will have the same impact as the Lakers' residency in Inglewood.
"It's not like how it was when the Lakers were here 20 years ago. Back then, you can get $500 for a two-bedroom apartment. Now it's twice as much. Triple," Caohoun said. He is paying $1,350 per month for a two-bedroom apartment.
The changes in the real estate market concern Caohoun about the future of Inglewood residents who might end up displaced because of the gentrification, that he believes the construction of the football stadium will inevitably cause.
Commercial real estate agent Matt Crabbs told the Los Angeles Times in January 2016 that he's seen a sudden interest from investors. His listing for a vacant retail building on La Brea Avenue had seen almost no interest before the Rams' announcement, but since then, about six parties showed interest in purchasing a property listed at $4 million.
"You're going to bring bigger businesses over here and then the smaller businesses are going to go out of business," Caohun said. "They're going to have a hard time."
Right now, Caohoun still describes his hometown as "dead." He uses the swap meets as an example of how things are today.
"The swap meet's not like how it used to be 20 years ago. Back then, the swap meet was the best thing going on here," he said. "But now, over the last 20 years, the swap meets are dead and small businesses are gone."
Caohoun knows there are people excited for the arrival of the Rams, thinking that the NFL team will bring them customers and help Inglewood return to its 'City of Champions' days. He describes those people as "near-sighted" and points to downtown L.A.'s transformation to support his argument that the stadium will have negative consequences on lower-income families.
"They don't know it yet. I'm just hoping they bring more jobs over here to counter the cost of living because it's going to be tough. It's going to be hard."
Annenberg Media