Anaheim California is mostly known for Disneyland, therefore most of the 50 mile square radius might not be seen by the millions of tourists that imbibe the city to escape reality for a weekend. My photographs show the people, landscapes, and scenes I encountered everyday from childhood to adulthood. It shows a predominantly Mexican-American perspective of the city, which is now 52% Hispanic, and often ignored.
In my ongoing project I started contacting people from my past. These people included old friends from high school, family, and other members of the community.
The landscapes and street scenes I am photographing include areas from my childhood. They are landmarks I became very familiar with, as I used to pass them everyday walking home from school or visiting friends.
Anaheim is populated by an immigrant and low socioeconomic demographic, that often has gone unheard. During the summer of 2012, the city saw it’s first street riots in its history, due to the killings of two unarmed Hispanic men by Anaheim police officers. This was one of the few times that the unheard majority rose to voice its opinion and was able to be heard across Southern California. My photographs show the reality of the city and the people, not the areas that are known by tourists.
