The Changing South

One of the main areas of focus of the chapter, The Changing South was racism and poverty. Simi Valley doesn't really have too much experience with either one. In Simi Valley, only 7.4% of families are below the poverty line compared with 17.2% of families below the poverty line in a southern city such as Atlanta, Georgia.

In my opinion, Simi Valley is in a perfect location, as it is close to so many businesses and manufacturing cores, it allows the city to grow easily demographically and economically.

One big racial event that took place in Simi Valley was the Rodney King trial. On November 27, 1991, Judge Stanley Weisberg of the California Court of Appeals selected Simi Valley as the venue for the case against four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department. The four officers were accused of unnecessary force and beating of African-American Rodney King on March 3, 1991.

Simi Valley courthouse, where the Rodney King trial took place

Credit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta#Economy
http://www.ventura.courts.ca.gov/East_County_Courthouse.htm