Photographer Dana Lixenberg has created a web documentary telling the stories of the Imperial Courts residents over a 22 year period. The project consists of three parts; Portraits, Stories and contributions by the Imperial Courts residents. With a collection of video, audio and photography the project depicts the history, the residents, and the day to day life of what it is like to live in one of America’s most known housing projects.
Imperial Courts is a housing project that was built in 1944 in Watts, Los Angeles on the corner of 116th Street and Imperial Highway. This housing project attracted a predominate African- American population from the southern states of America. Imperial Courts and other surrounding projects soon became the ghetto.
With American history drenched in radical discrimination and social isolation, riots began in Watts in 1992 following the acquittal of four white LAPD officers accused of the tragic beating of Rodney King. These riots made world wide news and was one of the many examples of discrimination that plagued America. Over the years, Imperial Courts has gone from being a stage for race riots to dissolving to an anonymous neighborhood.
To see the project or find out more about the history, the people and the stories of Imperial Courts visit imperialcourtsproject.com.