A&E takes viewers straight back to ‘Compton’
People have a hard time understanding how hard it is for any kid to avoid gang affiliation in Compton. The observation by rapper the Game proves to be an understatement as he and others take us on an eye-opening tour of “The Streets of Compton,” a three-hour docu-series premiering Thursday, June 9, on A&E. The history of the Southern California city is more complicated, and “Streets of Compton” makes that provocatively clear through testimony from former residents like Paul Rodriguez, Anthony Anderson, Niecy Nash and the Game, as well as Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus Williams, current and former Compton politicians, and former gang members. Many may not realize that Compton was a white suburb of Los Angeles in the 1940s — former President George W. Bush lived there for a time as a kid — but that began to change after the war, until the city was essentially divided into white Compton and black Compton, separated by Alameda Street. The 1965 riots in adjacent Watts were instrumental in driving white residents out of Compton over the next few years. “I’m from Piru,” says the former gang member turned businessman known as Wacko. [...] I knew I’d end up dying for this, but I didn’t mind at the time. “We’re all young African Americans and we’re all lost,” says the Game, who spent eight days in a coma after being shot in the chest several years ago. A former member of N.W.A, Dr. Dre has played a critical role in the careers of several young hip-hop artists and rappers, including Kendrick Lamar, another former Compton resident. Four letters: Compton is home. For one thing, California’s three-strikes law, which imposes mandatory life sentences for those convicted of a third violent felony, has had a measurable impact on the murder rate, according to law enforcement officers. David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: Parts one and two, 9 p.m. Thursday, June 9; part three, 10 p.m. Thursday, June 16, on A&E.