Compton was the american dream
Sunny california with a palm tree in the front yard, the camper, the boat
Temptingly close to the los angeles ghetto in the 50's and 60's
It became "the black american dream."
Open housing paved the way as middle-class blacks flooded into the city
Whites don't buy houses in compton anymore
Now with 74% of the population, black power is the fact of life
From banks to bowling alleys
But the dream that many blacks thought they were buying has turned sour
Though the mayor and four out of five city councilmen are black
They have been unable to solve the problems of crime
And growing welfare which is slowing turning suburban
Compton into an extension of the black inner city
Crime is now as high as the ghetto
47 homicides last year gave compton one of the highest per capita rates in the country
Juvenile gang activity, muggings, small robberies make some blacks want to leave