SIDEBAR

Concrete Cowboy

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May 07 2015
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Hailing from the barren lands of West Texas, former councilmember of Long Beach built eight large skate parks from scratch with the help of his wife Kris Donelon, and by corralling local skateboarders and politicians. Mike is a rebel, and a take no shit type of guy. He’ll tell you to your face. How else would you be able to acquire this type of attitude other than having long brown hair during turbulent sixties and a blue-collar work culture? If you want it, you work for it. On the weekends fled a small town where he grew up to drink beer […]

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Shadow Line

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May 06 2015
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Two hours past noon, during the hottest part of the day, Daniel Johnson executed a standard kick flip in a harsh environment. He landed perfectly on the skateboard like an exotic big cat. The pigmentation of the pixels are deeply saturated. An energy meter affixed to a common utility pole stained by Latino gang graffiti became a signpost. The characters are territorial in nature, but far more menacing behind the characters is the adopted gang policy by some Latino gangs: ethnic cleansing. In Southern California, primarily in Los Angeles County, there’s a directional chain of command from prisons to the […]

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Got Justice?

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May 05 2015
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At the Long Beach Civic Center’s parking structure, parked next to the parking attendant’s shed, was where I handed over the final seven dollars and fifty cents to pay for a bluish-purple payment receipt. She courteously handed me the change. Smiles were exchanged. The gate arm lifted: free to go. Receipts are generally thrown away, but I wrote something on the receipt that was received like a gift; it wasn’t something I could discard. “Blacc Mike receives justice.” The trial is finished. Proceeding outside of the parking structure across the street from the Long Beach Police Station on Chestnut Avenue and […]

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Flip

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May 01 2015
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The official F-word for Geoff Rowley is fatherhood. His best man Rex sits on the flannel-covered strong arm of his father. The statement, Geoff co-founder Flip Skateboards, makes with his son is focused on the family. Along the crowded backdrop of people there’s some who do not have a father. There’s a couple of verses in Psalms 68 that fire truth in love like a nifty revolver. “God is in his holy temple. He is a father to children whose fathers have died. He takes care of women whose husbands have died. God gives lonely people a family. He sets prisoners free, and they […]

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Coffin Street

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May 01 2015
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Quise Packer leans against a bright yellow apartment building. He steadies himself. The rough backdrop like the grip tape ingrains tact for the tough. He’s next to his skateboard near the south east corner. This time he didn’t have to kick-push all the way home from Ghetto Park against the sidewalk’s topography. When he didn’t receive a ride, he would cut through gang territories and ethnically distinct neighborhoods; untold miles with motion stories. Fast bearings perform for Quise with the safest path in mind as a single rider. The tactile vibration of the foot stops when the board is kicked upward and caught […]

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California Recreation

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Apr 29 2015
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Look up through the viewfinder and listen to the men that have gone before you. Being present, like in homeroom when the teacher takes attendance is infinitely better than being absent. The subjects in this photograph taken outside the California Recreation Center have taught me about what really matters by listening to their personal journeys. The first professional black skateboarder out of Long Beach, California, Ron Chatman poses with praying hands between two more professional skateboarders out of Long Beach, California Rob Gonzalez (left) and Danny Montoya (right). These gentlemen rip on the streets, but extend kindness like the grace […]

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Gritty Valor

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Apr 28 2015
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Just before I left ‘Ghetto Park’, the western sunlight made Kevin “Juice” Paylor jut out in a stark way against the earth tone cylinder and concrete walls. The low angle position was shot multiple times on a car seat. It was framed portrait style to avoid including the wide- open car door inside the viewfinder. Shadows reveal the muscular contours of a lean fighting machine. Almost inside the center of the frame is Juice’s right hand positioned much like an ‘I love you’ sign language gesture; however, the thumb and middle and index finger are curled into a ‘C’ formation […]

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Justice Journey

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Apr 27 2015
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The Greyhound bus station welcomes you to Long Beach, California on a large plaque just under the chrome greyhound dog, all four legs and arms are extended as far forward and backward as possible to maximize each stride toward finishing the race well. I believe this is how Ms. King has responded to the murder of her son Michael K. Green or Blacc Mike, by traveling 72 miles from Perris, California to the Long Beach Courthouse and back for just over two years, two or more days per week. She met many people along the way who listened to her […]

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Olive Green

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Apr 26 2015
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In the unmarked police cruiser’s backseat, the Eastside building facades passed by as we got farther away from the police department headquarters. Where we’d end up wasn’t known. Would the location look aesthetically sufficient for the story?  The tension preceding actuation was punctuated by riding along with three Long Beach Police Detectives assigned to the homicide unit. My body bounced up and down as we sped through the backstreets and alleyway shortcuts. Before we arrived at the final destination they told me this alleyway intersection was a previous crime scene investigation site. Det. Daniel Mendoza (left), Det. Scott Lasch (centered) […]

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Local Harvest

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Apr 26 2015
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Crouched to the right of two skateboarder spectators, I held my position with patient expectation. The main attraction ran across Cherry Park’s historical stage with his organic vehicle tossed down and pounced upon like a warrior cat. The skateboarder spectator moved into the right frame to my discontentment. The saying has given way to come what may. The variety of onlookers set in the right frame of the background have their mobile devices set-up to record the noteworthy feat. We’re all ready for this moment. The perseverance in practice pays off in a moment of perfection. In a divided second, […]

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