Life On the Cross (Vida En La Cruz) | Photography by Robert Yager “Many in our communities ask or wonder why our youngsters join gangs. The answer is sometimes very simple: the love, attention and respect that are lacking in many of our single- or working-parent homes push our kids on the streets looking for what they cannot find at home. Homeboys will empower these youngsters with the rites of passage by committing crimes like drive-bys, felony assaults, robberies and murder, lifting their self-esteem, neighborhood pride and and loyalty to their gang. The sad thing is that most of today’s homeboys lack the survival skills to live a full life past the age of 21. Many have had a hard time with being accountable for their actions, understanding the consequences of those actions, and accepting defeat as well as victory. The homies in these photos are a few of the estimated 100,000 gang members that are on the loose in the City of Angels, where in 1993 gang-related homicides averaged 60 per month, and in the last 10 years over 6,000 people have died. I have witnessed many homeboys make wrong decisions; rivals who fought each other now lie buried next to one another. But there is hope. This year many Chicago gangs have called a truce. In some parts of L.A. there have been zero gang-related homicides, and in other parts gang homicides dropped almost 50 percent. I hope that homeboys who read this realize—when they decide to become a gang banger—that they are putting their family roots and loved ones on the cross” - Manuel Velazquez
Mary J. Blige, Essence, November 2001 Photo by Daniela Federici
Comic for VICE
“Tomato Heart” by Haejin Park
