Gangs at Disneyland

[LOLA2]

I heard that CALIFORNIA has a lot of gangs, how is Anaheim and San Diego in that aspect. I have never felt threatened at Disneyworld and am hoping for the same wonderful experience in Disneyland.

 

[hlbtimes2]

I've never had a problem or felt fearful in the area. There are areas in LA that I wouldnt wander around in (LOL), but they are far enough from DLR that you wouldnt even know they exist.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Yes, lots and lots of gangs with shooting infront of all the rides! You better stay home.

Just like any part of the country, there are areas in every city you want to stay away from.

If you're talking about San Diego near the zoo, sea world, wild animal park you'll be fine. If you go driving down to Chula Vista, National City, Santee you'll probably not want to get out and wander around at 2am. If you don't know where those are don't worry about it; they are nowhere near touristy stuff.

 

[tigger0215]

lol... i've never had a problem at DLR or Sea World

 

[lulubelle]

I tell you this very seriously.
I live here and yes, we have gangs.
I have NEVER seen anything gang like or gang related at DL and I have been there over 50 times. Do not worry or stress about this. But of course always use common sense when out and about, especially at night. That is true in any city or town.

Have a great vacation.

 

[Friend_of_Piglet]

Yes, lots and lots of gangs with shooting infront of all the rides! You better stay home.

I have never seen "Gangs" at Disneyland. Magic Mountain and Knotts,yes. Down the street, yes. Disneyland, no. I think IASW is not their style.
I say be aware, just as you would at home. Don't worry.

Sooz

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Think of it this way. If there was gang activity at Disneyland you would be hearing about it on the national news.

 

[wackywexler]

Disneyland gets our annual pass money and one of the reasons is that there is not any gang activity there. My brother says I am too G rated to hang out with, but I can't help it, I am just a Pollyanna and I like to be around similarly minded folks. I am very comfortable at Disneyland. Our kids are 10 and 8 and we have not taken them to Knott's Berry Farm or to Six Flags Magic Mountain because of the gang type activity that is often found there. We are considering Universal Studios in a few years. When I was in high school there was a stabbing at Magic Mountain so it got nick-named "Six Stabs Tragic Mountain". Anyway, my point is that you will be safe in Disneyland, but use caution in the surrounding areas.

 

[dbanzai]

I heard Mickey was starting one called "The Rat Pack."

 

[Brina78]

Probably the one place I saw the most gangs was at Six Flags in the early 90's. We were going on a church trip in 1991 and I saw them grouping around. I avoid them at all costs. As for Disneyland, I've never had any problems and I actually feel safer there. My co-worker and I had to walk back to our hotel room late at night and no one bothered us. And that was outside the park, too.

 

[LOLA2]

Yes, lots and lots of gangs with shooting infront of all the rides! You better stay home.

Just like any part of the country, there are areas in every city you want to stay away from.

If you're talking about San Diego near the zoo, sea world, wild animal park you'll be fine. If you go driving down to Chula Vista, National City, Santee you'll probably not want to get out and wander around at 2am. If you don't know where those are don't worry about it; they are nowhere near touristy stuff.

LOL Yeah, I knew I would get a couple of responses like that. I am not a nervous person by any means, I guess motherhood just makes me overprotective. I watched Oprah one day when they had the episode about gang growth in America. I guess it freaked me out a little. I am glad I heard about Six Flags though because we were seriously considering going there.

How is Universal Area?

 

[mickeysgal]

I am very comfortable at Disneyland. Our kids are 10 and 8 and we have not taken them to Knott's Berry Farm or to Six Flags Magic Mountain because of the gang type activity that is often found there. We are considering Universal Studios in a few years.

We were planning on going to Knott's Berry Farm and Universal this trip (City Pass tickets). Our kids range from 10 to 16. Are you saying that these are places we should avoid? Is it that rough there that personal safety is a definite issue?

 

[FirstTimeCruiser]

Before we had our son, my husband and I used to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain, but we would make sure to leave before it got dark. Now that we have our son, I don't feel safe going there at all. We feel totally and completely safe at Disneyland day or night!!

 

[azolivas]

Six Flags is not the place for you if you fear gangs. It is definitely not a place to take young children. I am a middle school teacher from AZ, and last year we took a group of students to Six Flags for the day, and it was ridiculous. The smell of marijuana was everywhere and gangs were rampant. Gang members would line cut and no one would say anything in fear of retaliation.

I take my family to Knotts twice a year, and we have never encountered any trouble there or felt threatened in any way. We are very comfortable when we visit.

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

Six Flags is not the place for you if you fear gangs. It is definitely not a place to take young children. I am a middle school teacher from AZ, and last year we took a group of students to Six Flags for the day, and it was ridiculous. The smell of marijuana was everywhere and gangs were rampant. Gang members would line cut and no one would say anything in fear of retaliation.

I take my family to Knotts twice a year, and we have never encountered any trouble there or felt threatened in any way. We are very comfortable when we visit.

I live here - have visited all these places several times and never had any problems. Yes Sis Flags does have group of people I would not socialize with but the security usually controlls them well. I have never smelt anything, never had anyone cut in front of us in line at either of the three places mentioned. I don't go to Six Flags as much as my kids are not thrill ride riders. We live at DIsneyland and visit Knotts several times each year. Never once an issue!

 

[mickeysgal]

I take my family to Knotts twice a year, and we have never encountered any trouble there or felt threatened in any way. We are very comfortable when we visit.

How about Knotts after hours? I hear there is an after 4pm rate...would it be safe to take kids there for the evening?

 

[Luvmy2Js]

We have been to Magic Mountain many times and never had a problem with gangs. Seriously they are around but really there is no telling if they are a gang or if they are just a group of kids sagging their pants and wearing huge shirts. We took my daughter with us when we went but it really is an adult/older child place. We only took our daughter because she was small and we were with another couple and could take turns riding. For small kids I would stick to a different park.

 

[LukenDC]

I used to live in southern California and Disneyland used to have a gang problem. There were instances of gangs intimidating visitors and there was even a shooting in the parking lot in the late 1980s/early 1990s. As a result of this, Disney became very proactive in addressing the problem. Their security folks are well-trained to deal with gangs and to identify gang members on the premises. I believe that Disney also denies admission to people who are dressed in gang attire (this definitely used to be the case, but I'm not sure if this practice is still in place). I spent three days at Disneyland last month and felt perfectly safe and did not see any suspicious activity.

As for San Diego, yes there are gangs in the rough neighborhoods. I lived in San Diego for many years and have spent several long vacations there and I have never been threatened by gangs or detected their presence in my vicinity. Just use the same common sense that you should exercise in any urban environment and you will be fine.

 

[PrincessSitka]

I have stayed on site Disnely Hotel and each time I have seen police walking the area. They also check bags when you go into the park I feel safe.

 

[kymma]

I go to Disneyland once a month and have always felt safe there. Never seen any "gang activity".

I live really close to Six Flags but don't go there much. It's kinda dirty and there are a lot of teenagers hanging out. It really is for the older kids/adults. I prefer Disneyland and it's happy atmosphere.