'Black Ink' looks to change negative stereotypes of Compton

Danny "KP" Kilpatrick has inked tattoos for Diddy, Nas, Taraji P. Henson and numerous other stars, but his latest venture aims to create a safe space in his hometown of Compton.

Kilpatrick stars in "Black Ink Crew: Compton," the newest VH1 series that chronicles prominent tattoo artists. He hopes his shop can help change the image of a city known for gang culture and high murder rate.

"We're showing we can unite. We're shedding a different light of Compton through art, our ink and music," he said of the series, which airs Wednesdays on VH1. He's a native of the area and owner of iAMCompton, which is considered the community's first black-owned tattoo shop.

This Aug. 15, 2019 combination photo photo shows, from left, Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, Erica "Barbie" Thompson and Timothy "Tim" Simmons, cast members in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Kilpatrick and his crew of tattoo artists attempt to make the shop a "safe zone" in Compton and help build up one of the most economically underserved communities in the United States. He believes attracting a mix of outside clients and locals to the appointment-only shop can start to make that happen.

The reality series is the third spinoff of the "Black Ink Crew" franchise. The other locations include Chicago and New York, which is currently airing its eighth season on Sundays.

Kilpatrick, 36, has already made his mark as a famed tattoo artist for several celebrities including Travis Scott. He could have opened a tattoo shop in a more popular area in Los Angeles, but he felt compelled to plant roots where he grew up to show that a black-owned business can thrive in Compton, a city of roughly 100,000 people south of downtown Los Angeles.

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Before that could happened, Kilpatrick and his cousin Tim Simmons met with Compton's rival gang leaders at a dimly lit warehouse to seek their approval to open the shop, which turned into a small scuffle. He later got the blessing from a group of gang members who barged into the shop's ground-breaking party.

Those scenes were intense, but some on social media said they thought the interactions with gangs were staged. The cast insists everything they filmed is real, especially the aftermath of a shooting at a barbershop near their business.

"We've had some negative press saying 'Oh, you're making Compton look bad.'" said Erica "Barbie" Thompson, a receptionist at the shop. "At the end of the day, the stuff that's being shown is real. This is really happening in Compton. We're just now seeing it on VH1 instead of the news. We're not showing anything that's not happening. Our goal is to try to clean this up the best way we can. We're not making up false gang allegations. It's real out here."

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Kilpatrick said he was grateful to earn the gang leaders' support to bring peace to the neighborhood. He envisions a day when he'll have his celeb friends and other clients feeling comfortable enough to visit Compton without any worries.

"People in this city actually want change," said Kilpatrick, a former college football player who was kicked out of school after a drug charge. He learned the art of tattooing after selling his drawings to a local tattoo parlor more than a decade ago.

"This is my second chance," he said. "And honestly, nobody wants to be going to funerals all the time. I grew up and ran these streets. For me now, I'm really telling the homies like 'Yo, I'm doing something. It could be big for all of us.' This show will show that people can positively change the way they live."

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

Simmons said their meeting with gang leaders was imperative, calling it "hood politics." He said they couldn't safely open their shop or film the show in Compton without the gangster's permission first.

"You have to start with the homies," said Simmons, who is also a former college football player. "They are the ones who keep the violence up or down. You get them, then corporate sees that and now they want to invite you in. You got power. Once you show you got power, then you can change the environment."

Christian "Ink" Thomas wants to connect the divided worlds between the city's black and Mexican residents, some of whom have been at odds for years.

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Danny "KP" Kilpatrick, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

"The two people who damn near hate each other the most, that's who I am," said Thomas, a tattoo artist at iAMCompton who is Mexican and black. "I want to show that you can be whatever you are mixed with. You can be bigger than what your mix came out to be. When you start with the color of your skin, then it goes to the color of your rag, then to the color of your laces. We're artists. We make that perfect blend work."

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Erica "Barbie" Thompson, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Christian "Ink Drippin'" Thomas, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

This Aug. 15, 2019 photo shows Timothy "Tim" Simmons, a cast member in the reality television series "Black Ink Crew: Compton," at the IAM Compton tattoo shop in Compton, Calif. The show, which airs Wednesdays on VH1, follows the cast who attempt to create a “safe zone” in one of the tougher cities in California. The reality series is the third spinoff of the “Black Ink Crew” franchise. (Photo by Chris PizzelloInvisionAP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran's ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic's rural provinces, with at least six people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said.

The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran’s theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere. The fatalities, one on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in three cities predominantly home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group.

The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.

The most-intense violence appeared to strike Azna, a city in Iran's Lorestan province, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Tehran. There, online videos purported to show objects in the street ablaze and gunfire echoing as people shouted: “Shameless! Shameless!”

The semiofficial Fars news agency reported three people had been killed. Other media, including pro-reform outlets, cited Fars for the report while state-run media did not fully acknowledge the violence there or elsewhere. It wasn't clear why there wasn't more reporting over the unrest, but journalists had faced arrest over their reporting in 2022.

In Lordegan, a city in Iran's Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, online videos showed demonstrators gathered on a street, with the sound of gunfire in the background. The footage matched known features of Lordegan, some 470 kilometers (290 miles) south of Tehran.

Fars, citing an anonymous official, said two people had been killed during the protests Thursday.

The Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said two people had been killed there, identifying the dead as demonstrators. It also shared a still image of what appeared to be an Iranian police officer, wearing body armor and wielding a shotgun.

In 2019, the area around Lordegan saw widespread protests and demonstrators reportedly damaged government buildings after a report said people there had been infected with HIV by contaminated needles used at a local health care clinic.

A separate demonstration Wednesday night reportedly led to the 21-year-old volunteer in the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's Basij force.

The state-run IRNA news agency reported on the Guard member’s death but did not elaborate. An Iranian news agency called the Student News Network, which is believed to be close to the Basij, directly blamed demonstrators for the Guard member's death, citing comments from Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in Lorestan province.

The Guard member “was martyred ... at the hands of rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,” he reportedly said. Another 13 Basij members and police officers suffered injuries, he added.

“The protests that have occurred are due to economic pressures, inflation and currency fluctuations, and are an expression of livelihood concerns," Pourali said. "The voices of citizens must be heard carefully and tactfully, but people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seeking individuals.”

The protests took place in the city of Kouhdasht, over 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Tehran. Local prosecutor Kazem Nazari said 20 people had been arrested after the protests and that calm had returned to the city, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported.

Iran's civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with protesters. However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is not much he can do as Iran's rial currency has rapidly depreciated, with $1 now costing some 1.4 million rials.

Meanwhile, state television separately reported on the arrests of seven people, including five it described as monarchists and two others it said had linked to European-based groups. State TV also said another operation saw security forces confiscate 100 smuggled pistols, without elaborating.

Iran's theocracy had declared Wednesday a public holiday across much of the country, citing cold weather, likely as a bid to get people out of the capital for a long weekend. The Iranian weekend is Thursday and Friday, while Saturday marks Imam Ali's birthday, another holiday for many.

The protests, taking root in economic issues, have heard demonstrators chant against Iran's theocracy as well. The country's leaders are still reeling after Israel launched a 12-day war against the country in June. The U.S. also bombed Iranian nuclear sites during the war.

Iran has said it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program to ease sanctions. However, those talks have yet to happen as U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned Tehran against reconstituting its atomic program.

A woman chants slogans as she holds up a poster of the late commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, during a ceremony commemorating his death anniversary at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman shows a portrait of the late commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, on her smartphone during a ceremony commemorating his death anniversary at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Women wave national flags as they hold up posters of the late commander of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, during a ceremony commemorating his death anniversary at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)

Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)