I'm of Asian descent. My uncle had the only supermarket in Watts, L.A. He had surveillance cameras in every aisle. His family lived in a house right in the middle of Watts. I would go visit him every once in a while and it would be commonplace to hear gunshot fire almost every night. I'd imagine American Jewelery and Loan is in a similar position. As far as I know the people in Watts were thankful to my uncle because it was one of the few places to go to cash their welfare checks and buy food. Hardcore Pawn reminds me of my time spent in Watts with my uncle and cousins. The irate customers on HP are real and hats off to Les Gold and family to be able to deal with it day in and day out. Is the show completely staged? I don't think so. You won't see much interesting merchandise but you'll see a lot of interesting people to people interaction. I only wish the show wouldn't edit the sound so much. More raw realism please.
