The Outcast Project

Genesis , 0.2

2008-06-27T03:37:00.000-07:00

"My will shall shape the future.
Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own.

I am the force- I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze.

My choice.
My responsibility.
Win or lose.
Only I hold the key to my destiny."

The first couple of times while my friend Welch introduced me to everyone around East LA's boxing Gyms, he'd have an arm full of prints and CDs with photographs of the kids he's been taking pictures of.

Upon entering the gyms, he'd quickly be surrounded by youngsters and teenage boxers, excited to see him.
Thankful for the attention, thankful for returning to them.

"Gracias!" they'd say to him and quickly return to their training, most not even knowing his name , Welch, even though he's been around them for years.

Names not needed around here, I suppose.
Instead, warm smiles, sparkling eyes.

"The Kids" , he'd say....
"It's all about the Kids.But I think I need the kids more than they need me."

I think I'm starting to understand.
A little.

The Battle Of Beijing Fundraiser July 3rd

2008-06-26T23:37:00.001-07:00

Shawn Estrada of East L.A. became the ninth American to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Come and support East L.A.'s amazing fighters !

Graceful Warrior

2008-06-24T03:14:00.000-07:00

" I'm More Than Pretty Good - I Make Boys Bleed."
-Seniesa Estrada

My friend Whelch introduced me to boxer girlie Seniesa Estrada, a rising star from East LA who's about to compete in the Junior Olympic National Championships in Michigan this upcoming weekend.

Of course I was curious how powerful a punch from a 110 lbs / 5'2" teenager could be?

I'd say that my strength is way above average , so I asked her if she'd throw a few punches at me.
Having just watched her I was slightly scared but curious.

She laughed at me at first but then decided to (be polite?) and do it (I guess taking it easy on me?).

As she carefully increased the force of her punches (while checking if I could keep up), I started to feel extremely weak after about a minute and asked her to stop.

Of course everyone was laughing when I asked:

"Soooo.... on a scale from 1 to 10, how hard did you hit me?"

After another round of laughter and giggles quieted down, she quietly said:

"4".

© Welch Golightly

Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve ....

2008-06-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

I've seen all kinds of things in my life, but never met a 16 year old girl like this one, and you'll learn a lot about the city you live in once you're ready to dig a little deeper.

Boyle Heights is a good place to start.

"All Roads lead to Boyle Heights"

Boyle Heights is a district just east of Downtown Los Angeles on the East Side and was once called 'Paradon Blanco' when California was part of Mexico.
Boyle Heights has long been a destination for newcomers to Los Angeles.

Unlike the middle- and lower-middle-class neighborhoods on the bluffs, "The Flats" was one of the most impoverished areas of the city, and by the 1930s was considered one of the last remaining slums in the United States.
Reformer Jacob Riis had visited The Flats in the early 1910s and declared them worse than anything in New York; a survey conducted by the city in the 1937 deemed 20% of the city's dwellings "unfit for human habitation," including most of The Flats.

Soon after the end the war, Aliso Village and Pico Gardens lost most of their non-Latino populations, and were increasingly populated by Mexican immigrants. With the river on one side and a massive rail yard on another, the construction of the East Los Angeles Interchange further isolated them from the rest of the city, and the closure of the Pacific Electric Railway dramatically reduced the mobility of many of the projects' residents.
By the 1970s, overcrowding had eliminated much of Aliso Village's once-vaunted green spaces, physical deterioration had become rampant, and gangs were an increasing problem.

As of the census of 2000, there are 86,734 people in the neighborhood.

The racial identification of the neighborhood is 93.73% Latino, 2.44% Asian, 2.18% White and 1.65% "Other races".

Genesis , 0.1

2008-06-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness

to pull another hand into the light."

-Norman B. Rice-

I have started this blog to share my experiences : rather than sappy stories of the anonymous needy , I have found inspiration in a world that I was introduced to by a friend a few months ago.

Having seen many fail on their paths, pursuing the arts, acting or the likes; I have found myself in that very same struggle, moving forward against the odds, or sometimes stagnating, questioning the meaning of it all.

Just watching the news can be depressing.
Sure thing: the world is falling apart.

Run for your life
Drown your sorrows
Get a better shrink
Eat more happy pills.

Is it some obscure, newly discovered religion perhaps?

Not quite.

A group of young athletes on the east side of LA - amidst crime infested neighborhoods, they've found a different path, against the odds.

Rewind.

A few months ago I mentioned to my friend that I was interested in photographing fighters for a portrait series, and not more than a couple of days later he dragged me across the grittiest boxing gyms of East LA.

I was a bit frazzled - driving around in gang neighborhoods was not my idea of spending quality time: I've always been aware of "The Hoods" and stayed away from them.

Upon entering a dozen "Hole In The Wall" gyms a whole new world unfolded right in front of my eyes.

Instantly smitten, I've been returning frequently ever since.

-TO BE CONTINUED-