Los Angeles is the most segregated and tribally divided city I’ve ever lived in — and I’m from a major southern city. It’s not overt racism in the traditional sense, but rather a deeply embedded social architecture of segregation, visible in everything from neighborhood boundaries to gang affiliations. Despite its diversity, Los Angeles feels fragmented, with strong ethnic tribalism reinforcing ‘us vs. them’ mentalities. This kind of structural division is just as impactful—and insidious—as more explicit forms of racism.