Crisis at the Border- Tijuana, Mexico Pt. 2
April 27th, 2021
On this last visit to the Chaparral migrant encampment, I met many Mexicans that have joined the caravans on the way up to the border. They all came from Michoacan except for one family that comes from Chiapas. Vanessa, a single mother from Michoacán, talks about her experience in the Chaparral encampment and the cartel violence in Michoacán that she escaped. Vanessa is seeking asylum in America. The camp’s size has more than doubled since my first visit and one restaurant worker, Mario, said migrants arrive every day and that it has negatively impacted the businesses in the vicinity.
Crisis at the Border- McAllen, Texas(Cont.)
April 20th, 2021
Jorge Ventura and I speak with two single mothers from Honduras after they crossed into La Joya, Texas from Reynosa, Mexico. we ask the first mother holding her 3yo son, Esteban, where she plans to go after being apprehended and processed, “It’s a surprise I want to give my brother.” When asked where her brother lives she replies “My brother lives in Lexington, Kentucky.” For over a month, she and her son endured a long and dangerous journey up to our southern border. She also adds “I know god takes care of all his angels and that he is with every single one of us.” Towards the end she becomes emotional and expresses how thankful she is to have made it to La Joya, Texas alive and unharmed.
When we asked the second mother how she feels she said “It’s a dream, honestly. I come from my town where I’ve been forced out of and this was my only solution.” She along with her 15yo and 5yo daughters left their home in Honduras nearly 2 months ago and told us she has a brother in Florida. when asked if her brother knows she is going to Florida, she answers “No. he doesn’t know, yet. I hope he can give me a hand because things are difficult.” Her daughter, Claudia, tells us “I’m excited to have arrived here.” When asked how her life was back in Honduras she replies “It was normal until they kicked us out of our home.”
Crisis at the Border- McAllen, Texas(Cont.)
March 28th, 2021
Crisis at the Border- McAllen, Texas
March 26th-27th, 2021
Night 1: Less than an hour into arriving in the Rio Grande Valley, I witnessed over 300 migrants crossed the Reynosa, Mexico and La Joya, Texas border. One small group said their three children ranged in ages from 6 months, 8 months, and 8 years. Most of the migrants say they are from Honduras. Some concealed their identities and declined to speak on camera. Many young children accompany adults on this long and dangerous journey from Central America to our Southern border. After crossing into McAllen, Texas, migrants are apprehended by Border Patrol agents who then segregate the single men from the caravan. A record 2800 migrants were detained in the last day alone.
Night 2: 41 migrants with 12 unaccompanied children were detained by border patrol in the Rio Grande Valley of La Joya, Texas. An hour later, the group of detained migrants had doubled in size. A single mother joined by her two young daughters(ages 2 and 8) shared with us about the conditions in her home country, how she and her family wandered Mexico for 3 months after leaving Honduras, and her hopes of a better future for her two girls. Anthony Cabassas(@informedwithanthony) interviewed the mother of 2 moments before turning herself over to Border Patrol custody. Aerial footage of the abandoned border wall construction site is in La Joya, Texas.
Crisis at the Border- Tijuana, Mexico(Cont.)
March 19th, 2021
Aerial footage of the Central American migrant encampment currently holding space near El Chaparral port of entry in Tijuana, Mexico.
Crisis at the Border- Tijuana, Mexico
March 19th, 2021
Portraits and aerial footage from inside the #CentralAmerican #migrant camp found nearby El Chaparral port of entry in #Tijuana, #Mexico. During the surveying of the encampment, one male mentioned that there were around 400 children at the time of my visit. Children can be heard inside many of the tents that are placed inches from one another. From the people I met with, the average number of days a Central American migrant will risk on the way up to Tijuana is 30 to 45; A single-mother to one boy said that it took her 8 months to arrive in Tijuana. Another male who preferred not be photographed said that the camp was hoping that by March 21st they would have some news about whether they would be crossing into San Ysidro, or not.
Justice for Monique Muñoz
March 14th, 2021
On February 17th, 2021, shortly after 5:00 pm, Monique Amanda Muñoz was killed when 17-year-old Brendan Khuri driving a black Lamborghini SUV collided with Monique's vehicle at 120mph on the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Overland Avenue.
On February 17th, 2021, shortly after 5:00 pm, Monique Amanda Muñoz was killed when 17-year-old Brendan Khuri driving a black Lamborghini SUV collided with Monique's vehicle at 120mph on the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Overland Avenue.
The Chicano Prohibition/The Grapes of Aztlan
January 22, 2021
January 22, 2021
Since the start of the pandemic, Chicano people were time, after time, forced to adapt to reimagined regulations and restrictions. Time and time again, we persevered, rejoiced, and repeated the process. Despite the ongoing criticism, surprise police shutdowns, and regularly risking exposure to the Coronavirus, we are very well aware of the risk we take to bring a sense of normalcy to those seeking an escape to recent memory. Oddly enough, most having difficulty accepting that Chicanos/Latinos want to live freely are White American leftists/progressives.
These furthering obstacles have positioned us to organize and function as more of an underground network. Amid this ongoing pandemic: is a Chicano prohibition beginning to surface in twenty-first-century America?
These furthering obstacles have positioned us to organize and function as more of an underground network. Amid this ongoing pandemic: is a Chicano prohibition beginning to surface in twenty-first-century America?
People drove to Santa Ana from surrounding cities to celebrate Sugabear's birthday and boogie on his day. Switching from LPs to 45s to laptop: the DJs transition sets smoothly, all while never missing a beat. Beer seemed to flow endlessly; glass shards begin to show up on the floor, marijuana smoke from outside begins to make its way to the dance floor. It felt like I was a teenager back at another late night kickback party with the cholo kids from high school. Singles spanning from Jocelyn Brown to Fabiolous Barker, Vaughan Mason & Butch Dayo to Too Short played until two o'clock in the morning.
Chicanos must never allow for their existence to become demonized. No matter how you interpret our actions, we deliver people the memory of feeling like a human being. We never know when the next party will take place- all we know is that wherever we go, the Raza will come.
Night Brigade
December 12th, 2020
After sunset, I made my way towards Harry's Bar where I ran into a mob of Proud Boys rushing towards Freedom Plaza. The circulating videos of Antifa/BLM violence from the previous night placed all Proud Boys on high alert as they patrolled the streets of Washington ready to reply with force at any second. *The police in Washington did close to nothing to stop any of the violence.*
What I witnessed in roughly a 6-hour timespan: a rainbow Gadsden flag carried by a Proud Boy; a larger presence of Black Proud Boys than I have seen before; Antifa/BLM utilized a large professional-grade firework as an improvised mortar near the intersection of L & 14th street against the group Proud Boys I was with; Anthony(@theconservative.latino) had been maced by Antifa/BLM moments before I reconnected with him and his group; four people are stabbed; Before the night's end, Alex Jones reinvigorates a crowd of Proud Boys and supporters of President Trump with a final speech at the entrance of the JW Marriot. A Proud Boy that referred to himself as “Nick” said that were roughly 500 Proud Boys in the streets of DC last night.
What I witnessed in roughly a 6-hour timespan: a rainbow Gadsden flag carried by a Proud Boy; a larger presence of Black Proud Boys than I have seen before; Antifa/BLM utilized a large professional-grade firework as an improvised mortar near the intersection of L & 14th street against the group Proud Boys I was with; Anthony(@theconservative.latino) had been maced by Antifa/BLM moments before I reconnected with him and his group; four people are stabbed; Before the night's end, Alex Jones reinvigorates a crowd of Proud Boys and supporters of President Trump with a final speech at the entrance of the JW Marriot. A Proud Boy that referred to himself as “Nick” said that were roughly 500 Proud Boys in the streets of DC last night.
Before Nightfall
December 12th, 2020
The March for Trump in Washington D.C. brought many thousands of people from all over the country to display support for President Trump despite the Supreme Court’s rulings against each attempt brought forward. Notable figures such as Michael Lindell, Gen. Michael J. Flynn, Bob McEwen, including Alex Jones, spoke to the masses in D.C. and online to express their solidarity with the millions of Americans who feel betrayed by their government.
An eroding foundation
January 4th, 2018
My father called to inform me that my tio Antonio would be taken off life support. He had health complications that put him in a coma soon after my dad and I left Mexico last November. He regained consciousness after some time and was brought back to the states to receive further treatment. Unfortunately, he fell into a vegetative state that he would never come out of. The last thing mentioned during this call was that my grandfather had passed away in his sleep that same morning. I love and miss you both. I'm very thankful to have shared some time on the ranch with you both before your death. Rest in peace grandpa and tio Antonio.
El Mundo Herrera: The drive back home
November 3rd, 2018
After staying a week at my grandparents home it was time for my father and I to return to California. My tio Antonio was picked up by us in Phoenix on our way to Durango, but he had to stay behind due to health concerns regarding his dialysis. We packed our bags last night and started our day and a half drive around 4:00-5:00am. My father and grandpa had a moment during our last couple days in which my father said to him "we all love you.", grandpa replied "Yes. I believe you all."
El Mundo Herrera
October 25th, 2018
A couple weeks after my birthday, my father received word that his father was in very poor health. I accompanied my father on a very short notice trip to the state of Durango in Mexico to help him care for my grandfather. My 83 year old grandpa has lived a rough life that has unfortunately left him with many physical heath problems. Being a father, cowboy, farmer, police officer, and farmer again, has had him living a life of mostly work. He has been farming before I was even conceived, but unfortunately that lifestyle came to an end around 5-7 years ago...his body simply cannot keep up. My grandfathers health has also been slowly declining ever since my grandmother passed away. I greeted my grandfather as soon as we arrived; he said he didn't remember me.
*Pictured below left to right*
1.)My grandfather in his living room; 2.)My father and his younger brother(w/red cap)Antonio; 3.)My father, tio Lupe(in background w/white hat), tia Mari(tio Lupes wife), my grandfather and tio Abel(identical twin w/Antonio) mourning at my grandmothers grave during Day of the Dead.
Malibu resurfaces
September 18th, 2018
I had a couple rolls of film developed and completely forgot about the shots I had taken at a Malibu house party the WEDIDIT label had earlier in the year. A$AP NAST(pictured below w/black jacket) and I took each others picture. He also shoots film and uses a small Yashica p&s.
Chicano Park
February 3rd, 2018
A pro-Trump San Diegan conservative group hosted it's 2nd annual Patriot Picnic in Barrio Logan. Their controversial picnic/protest was held in Chicano Park; a historical location which is at the heart and center of Barrio Logan, and local Chicano culture with historic murals that tell the story of the parks creation. The group of roughly 50 conservatives were met with around 500-600 Chicanos(with allies including Antifa) in counter protest. The interactions with both groups were hostile and violent once both sides took to the streets.
