2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Jadon came from Texas with his family to swim in the waters off Santa Monica Beach. Santa Monica, California. June, 2018.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Frank Phelps has slowly taken over the family's body shop in Bowling Green as his father Andrew has become too old to work. He spends every day working on his and clients' cars in the shop and sleeps most evenings in or around his cars. Bowling Green, Kentucky. October, 2017.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Jennifer and Cameron share ice cubes and a few kisses on a hot evening in Tevistion, California. Both their parents emigrated from Oklahoma with the rest of the Black Okies in mid-twentieth century to work the fields of the Central Valley. Jennifer moved to the cities briefly but has been forced to return to her familys crumbling home to raise her two children.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Kansas Shepherd holds her baby doll Jovy Marie, who is two days old. She raises Jovy Marie with her husband Ben at their motel room in Cave City. "When you live with them, they are no different than a real baby," she explains. "Every day that I take a breath, it's because of her. I believe she is the reason I am here. She gives me life like I used to have with my kids."
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Nathaniel works his uncle Dennis farm at dawn in Allensworth. Dennis recently purchased a 60-acre farm with hopes of employing a majority black workforce to reinvigorate this town that was founded and once run completely by African-American farmers. "He keeps reminding me that this isnt just a pipe dream," says Nathaniel of Dennis. "Its a lot of hard work. One step at a time.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
My mother, my sister, and her baby Imogen. My sister recalls the times of strife between my mother and her, religious and social differences that she felt that might never overcome. But time heals and family forgives and Imogen has been, in some ways, that gift that brings these two women together. Bonded by a shared motherhood.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Jordan helps Naynay to walk through the stickers and thorns in the alkali soil outside the Teviston Community Center. Without funds to keep the center open during the heat of the summer, children can play on the playground equipment and in the surrounding fields.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Story Description: The palomilla, a Spanish word meaning flock of doves, were groups of young Mexican men who banded together for solidarity and fraternity. These were the precursors to the the Latino gangs of the American Southwest, that kill for pride and territory in cities like Los Angeles and Oakland and Pueblo, Colorado. Pueblo is a city that has seen the loss of over 5,000 steel manufacturing jobs since the 1960s, and the gangs have become a reality faced by much of Pueblos youth. Police have identified more than 1,000 gang members within Pueblo, roughly nearly two percent of its population. The murder rate has soared, pushing it to the highest per capita in the state. Police Chief Luis Velez attributes this to gang rivalries over the gun trade and the exploding drug market. But what is often lost in most narratives on gang violence is a community of voices demanding change. Frontline churches welcome gang members, addicts, and dealers while former gang bangers have begun to mentor the youth and steer them away from repeating their pasts. Mothers and fathers who raise babies in gang territory speak of a sacrificial love that they must model for their children who are recruited by the gangs as early as 10 and 11. These images are of and for them. Caption: Mourning doves on a wire in Pueblo's East Side, the sight of most gang violence and the territory of the Los Carnales Dukes. The palomilla, Spanish for "flock of doves," were groups of young Mexican men who banded together for solidarity and protection. They were the precursors to the Latino gangs of the American Southwest.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Julian Rodriguez holds his son Christopher after a bath. Julian says that Christopher is the child that changed his life. Two years ago, with Christopher on the way, Julian achieved sobriety. When I cried, I cried alone. I decided that I was done crying alone.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
A gang banger or youngin', age 14, visits a roadside memorial for one of his fallen brothers, another teenage member of the Los Carnales East Side Dukes. He has embraced this dangerous lifestyle and says that he wants to bang for the rest of his life, just like his family members before him. "Ya know, you just gotta be out here and follow orders and do what you're told," he said. "That's how I'mma make a name for myself." He describes being estranged from his father, a drug user who he at times encounters on the streets and to whom he has at times sold drugs.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
A current Pueblo gang member displays the pistol he illegally carries for protection. Having been locked up for shooting a rival, he has lost his right to bear arms but feels he must keep at least a pistol for fear of retaliation. He explains that when more firepower is needed, he and fellow gang members might use "choppers," illegal AK-47s that they hide outside of town.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Matthew Padilla was 9 years old the first time he had a gun leveled at his head. Now 15, he estimates that he has been threatened with a gun or shot at more than half a dozen times since then. He operates on the fringes of Pueblos East Side gangs, not wanting to get too deeply involved but also not backing down from a fight. He hopes to survive until college, earn his bachelors degree, move away from Pueblo, and he wants others to understand the childhood he has lived.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Bill Goodrich, a former member of the Young Crowd, displays the area code from Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Released from prison in May, he is determined not to fall in with that crowd again. "The gangs and your homies are not really there for you when it comes down to it. Really only your family is always there for you. For me, that was my mom when I was in lockup."
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Mark Salazar, founder of Hardknox Gang Prevention and Intervention teaches a class on values to children at James H. Risley Middle School in Pueblo. When asked to write down their most important values, nearly every student listed "loyalty" and "honesty".
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
10-year-old Devida sleeps at her home in Pueblo Colorado. With her older brother, a 16-year-old East Side Duke, in lockup, she now stays in his bed so that she can feel close to him. "Sometimes when I wasn't feeling good, I used to sleep in with him because he made me feel protected. Now I try to think about him keeping me safe." With her father and brother both behind bars, she has lost her best friends and protectors. "Sometimes I cry because I miss them so much. I just go into my room to be alone."
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Pueblo police clear abandoned houses in Bessemer on the city's South Side that are suspected of being used for prostitution and drug use. Officers describe a difficult and delicate balance that must be walked between proactive community policing and the ability to flip a switch when called upon in violent situations. Nearly half of the police force has participated in officer-involved shootings.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Released from Pueblos jail this morning, Richard is reunited with his wife Laura. After two dozen stints in jail or prison, he is trying to transition away from his leadership role in the Varrio Raza Grande gang. He has put us all through so much, but I love him and I love the way he makes us all laugh. I could never picture myself without him.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
A body awaits the coroner following a rollover on Pueblo's South Side. Police suspected that the truck's driver was intoxicated following a party and attempted to street race a smaller vehicle before overturning on the median. The driver's wife was crushed beneath the hood. An empty carseat was thrown from the truck, and one officer said that she feared a child had probably just lost its mother that night and its father to a long prison sentence. Some Pueblo gangs prey on the youth, recruiting them as young as 10 and 11 at libraries, schools, and parks.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Julian Rodriguez plays with his son Christopher at their home on Pueblo's East Side. Julian's decades-long struggle with addiction brought him intimately close to the gang operations as he often bought from and sold for the gangs in order to support his own addiction. "Everything that I desire and want in this life is for that boy," he explains. Christopher will grow up on the East Side, deep in Duke territory, but Julian hopes that a loving relationship with his father can keep him away from the gang lifestyle.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Story Description: Jose Luis Garcia was picked up from his lawn early in the morning on a Sunday in June. Garcia has lived in America for nearly fifty years and holds a green card, but due to recent Trump administration policies, a misdemeanor conviction from 17 years ago made him eligible for deportation. Critics of the policies say that in a supposed effort to round up dangerous criminals and gang members, innocent immigrants are being swept up by ICE agents because they take fewer resources to arrest and deport. Through his 19 day imprisonment, his daughter Natalie fought for his release through the media. Prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue deportation charges, in an unprecedented decision change. According to Jose's legal representation, they were contacted asking to have the case "go away quietly." Since his release, Jose has returned to his three jobs and caring for his family and granddaughter Marley. His greatest wish is to become a full US citizen and be able to vote in the next presidential election. Caption: More than a week after the arrest of her father Jose (who is a green card holder), Natalie Garcia tries to console her daughter Marley outside their home in Arleta, California from which Jose was taken. He had been watering his lawn and preparing for a shift driving for Uber, one of his three jobs, when ICE officials detained him for deportation for a charge from two decades ago. Since his arrest, Marley has slept in his bed and lays out his clothes each day to pretend that he is there.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Before bedtime, Marley lays out her grandfather's clothes to sleep beside during the night. I put his perfume on sometimes, Marley explains. I close my eyes. I cry.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
On the night of Marley's kindergarten graduation, Natalie takes a moment to herself. Every day since her father's arrest, Natalie worked to see him freed. As a public relations professional in Los Angeles, she understands the importance of involving the national media and was trying to book time to speak on CNN about her father's situation.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Marley runs inside after her kindergarten graduation, which her grandfather missed. She explains that even though Jose is her grandfather, she calls him "Dad." Her biological father is not as active in her life and Jose fills that role, taking her to and from school and spoiling her when he can.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Natalie and Marley visit with Rosa and Kati, another mother and daughter who's husband and father is being held in the same detention facility as Jose. Natalie made it her mission to help others in the same situation as she worked continually on her father's behalf. She procured a lawyer for Rosa and drove Rosa and Kati to the Orange County Jail on a visit.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Natalie Garcia and her daughter Marley Hodges wait in a line for a visit with Natalie's father, Jose Garcia, at the Theo Lacy Detention Facility in Orange, CA. Throughout the visit, Marley says that she tried not to cry in front of her grandfather, but upon leaving the facility she was overcome with emotion. "He told me he's happy I graduated [Kindergarten] and that he misses me and loves me," Marley explains.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Natalie and Marley rest on a bench following an emotional visit with Jose. Marley said that she did not want her grandfather to see her cry, but after the visit she broke down in her mother's arms. "I miss him, mommy. I miss him," she said repeatedly.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Natalie reacts to the announcement that her father's case would be dropped by the immigration court. Due to the media attention and public outcry, prosecutors declined to pursue deportation. According to Jose's representation, they were contacted asking for "the case to go away quietly."
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
After 19 days of imprisonment and 12 hours of transportation between facilities, Jose Luis Garcia is released to his family and friends. As one last added insult, ICE agents drove Jose around for hours to avoid the media seeing his release. After changing the release location twice, he was dropped on a street corner alone.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Less than a week after his release, Jose plays with his granddaughters at his home in Arleta, California. He said that spending time with family and catching up were his main priorities.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Jose watches fireworks from his rooftop on July 4th. For weeks after his imprisonment, he suffered from nightmares and sleepless nights. But he remains positive and says that achieving his full citizenship is his number one priority. I will continue to do the right things with my family and I will become a U.S. citizen in no time.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Story Description: A summer spent in California revealed to me a state and a people burning with color and life. Assignments and simple wanderings brought me close to the flame. California burned itself into me and these photographs are my incomplete record of a place so vast that I will always long for more. California, burn on without me. Caption: Homeless in Los Angeles. Jalen takes great pride in his hygiene and physique, despite his daily struggles. He skateboards ferociously each night until he works up a sheen of sweat, thenwhen the weather is warmhe jumps into the surf in Santa Monica. This clears his mind and gives him focus.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
The Holy Fire burns near Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, California. August, 2018.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Although technically illegal, citizens all across Los Angeles shoot off fireworks on July 4th. East Los Angeles. July, 2018.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
A car sits in East Los Angeles. July, 2018.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
As a young teenager growing up in San Franciscos Hunters Point Projects, Candice Pierson says I can remember a time when it felt like I was going to a funeral every single Friday. With support from her two parents and the Hunters Point Family Girls 2000 program, Candice chose a very different life for herself and her daughter Malia. I raise [Malia] like, girl, you are independent, you are wonderful, you are great, you can do whatever you want to doand it really comes out in her personality.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
A man is baptized in the waters of Venice Beach during an annual event in which the public and members of Skid Row's homeless population gather to worship and be baptized. Venice, California. August, 2018.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
The crowd stands for the singing of the national anthem at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo in City of Industry, California. "The vision of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is to continue to educate everyone about Black Western Heritage and the significance of Black Cowboys and Cowgirls." City of Industry, California. August, 2018.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Derion Chavis before his bull ride at the all-black rodeo. City of Industry, California. August, 2018.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
James Jones brought his boy Rayjon to Los Angeles to visit family and to swim in the ocean for the first time. Santa Monica. June, 2018.
Gabriel Scarlett
2018 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Obdulio Vasquez-Puac was separated from his 8 year old son after they crossed the Mexican-American border in Texas in May. Caught up in the Trump administration's short-lived family separation policy, Obdulio has been told little of the whereabouts of his son and does not know when they will be reunited. Obdulio primarily speaks Mam, a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala and South Mexico, further complicating his situation. He also recalled being robbed by coyotes on the crossing.
Gabriel Scarlett