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Saturday, November 15, 2003

Shielded from Reality
A reminder that Los Angeles and Hollywood are two different worlds: The L.A. Times writes of anger in Lincoln Heights over a scene recently shot in the neighborhood for FX's "The Shield."

According to the paper, a real gang name was painted on the side of the house -- by a real gangbanger, who was allowed to even tag his moniker.

Um, that just sounded like trouble waiting to happen. The "Shield" crew (a) didn't realize the gang name painted was a real gang and (b) didn't know the dude doing the job was a real gang member.

Fascinating reminder that at the end of the day, "The Shield" may be an edgy portrayal of the tough Los Angeles patrol... but it's still a TV show. And yet, somewhere not too far away, that fiction is all too real. The cameras aren't rolling there. (Elsewhere in the same edition of the Times: A 17-year-old Lincoln Heights boy was shot in an apparent drive-by as he was eating at a sidewalk restaurant table with friends on Friday afternoon.)

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