Advertisement

The peacekeeper of Chesterfield Square

Share via

The South L.A. community of Chesterfield Square has the city’s highest violent crime rate. But the stretch of Manhattan Place between 54th and 57th streets, a palm-lined row of aging homes and ungated lawns, has managed to become an oasis from crime. And a lot of people say Rita Banks, a 55-year-old grandmother, is a big reason why.

Advertisement