there were other factors for social tensions: high rates of poverty and unemployment among the residents of south central los angeles, which had been deeply affected by the nationwide recession. articles in the "los angeles times" and "the new york times" linked the economic deterioration of south central to the declining living conditions of the residents, and reported that local resentments about these conditions helped to fuel the riots. other scholars compare these riots to those in detroit in the 1920s, when whites rioted against blacks.but instead of african-americans as victims, the race riots "represent backlash violence in response to recent latino and asian immigration into african-american neighborhoods."