An authoritative walk through the train

Busted 

The LA metro system is lightyears behind the rest of the other major cities in the world in several aspects. I've said this before and I'm not the only one. The part of the metro system I've never understood is the "honor" system when it comes to the fare. Paper tickets are sold at each rail station where you could buy a day pass for $5 or a one way ticket for $1.50. There are also plastic "tap" passes that you can reload and pay your fare on special tap stands as you walk through any train platform. There isn't anyone you show your pass to, and there aren't any turnstiles on the majority of the stations. If you're strapped for cash, forgot to break change or don't have time to buy a ticket as the train approaches, it's understandable if you skip buying a ticket. The likelyhood of metro sheriffs citing you are quite low even though there are warning signs everywhere about the consequence of breaking this rule. A $250 fine if you're caught without the proper ticket. So when the metro police suddenly decide they want to enforce the rules, they can rake in a good amount of money. I read the MTA want to make some major changes to address this problem.  To be honest, I don't know why this loose fare method was ever the norm in the first place.

That said, everytime I've seen someone get busted I can't help but feel bad for them. Sure, it's their own fault and that's the gamble they decided to take. But I've risked it before, especially when I was in high school and I got lucky. $250 is a devastating setback for many of these violators and conversely patrons not paying their fare is devastating to the city since it quickly adds up.

Whenever I hear the occassional "TICKETS AND PASSES" echo through the train, I panic for a split second and make sure I have my pass on me. I'd rather complain about money slipping through my fingers rather than knowing exactly where that money went. My final thought on the issue? I'm quite sure less people would take that $250 risk if the MTA didn't make it so incredibly easy. 

damn...

A walk through multiple roadblocks

Los Angeles isn’t a city that is synonymous with the act of walking. Geographically, this city is incredibly spread out and lacks an efficient public transportation system. We do have one, but it fails miserably in comparison to other metropolitan cities in this country and the world.

I’ve lived in some major pockets of Los Angeles throughout my life. I lived in Lincoln Heights, East Los Angeles and South L.A.. My family never owned a car while I was growing up and our only means of transportation were the available rails and buses.

Sunday bus schedule C.2007 Los Angeles, CA

We were completely at their mercy. Hour long waits were normal as were multiple transfers. 3 buses to get to my elementary school. I remember the lines too. The 18 westbound on whittier blvd, the 251 northbound on soto street, and the 68 westbound on Brooklyn Ave(Cesar Chavez). K- 6^th grade. Once we moved to Florence, I was set on not changing schools again. My commute consisted of the blue line to downtown, run to 6^th and hope to catch the 18 Eastbound to Garfield high school. It was during this time that I witnessed the demolition of a section of the convention center and the day to day construction of the staples center. I remember at age 16, wishing I had a camera to capture the daily progress.

Upon graduating from college, I decided I desperately needed a car to advance in this city and not merely survive in it. Upon finally saving up enough to buy a car, I never looked back. I figured I had paid my public transportation dues for a lifetime and kissed this city’s system goodbye.

Sunset on Hope C.2007 Los Angeles, CA

Then I came upon a turning point 4 years later in 2008. I had to readjust some of my big plans and had to pursue them in a different order. I was on a photoshoot for a class project in the desert one January weekend and my car simply gave out on the way home. I was immediately wiped out of any savings I had acquired in order to fix it. Not only that, I had to drop out of school in the evenings. I was back to the 4 hour daily commute and back to taking 3 buses to get to work.

The coverup C.2007 Cabazon, CA

I didn’t understand what the lesson was. I had paid my transit dues, I was finally at a place in my life where I could begin my photographic education and I was never unappreciative of my vehicle. But there I was again, spending more money on a daily basis because I was taking multi city transit lines.

During this month and a half period, a lifetime of bad metro memories flooded back. After working so hard I felt like I had taken a million steps back for several reasons. However, it was during this month and a half that I began to see things in a new light.

While walking and waiting, I began to pay attention to things that were disappearing before my eyes. Mailboxes, newspaper stands, and phone booths. I didn’t wonder why they were disappearing. Of course I knew. What I did wonder was just how “obsolete” theses objects were since I constantly witnessed people using them. I was walking more, and revisiting crevasses I hadn’t walked through in years.

Eventually I got out of that minor hole and began to execute an idea I put on the back burner for years as well as refine my ideas into my transportation “roots” What little things have I missed and ignored as I zoom through the streets of LA?

I began to notice phone booths more and more. I was able to put this idea into practice when I was able to go back to school once again. What started out as a simple typological study for a class project has evolved into a very personal project of mine.

Untitled series 1 of 500 C.2008 Los Angeles, CA

I understand the idea of photographing the decaying and the disappearing isn’t new and discovered other images of a similar nature after I had started. But my approach to this has been refined to the city of Los Angeles, and the avenues of my various commutes in my life. In this sense, it belongs to me.

Most importantly, my objective is to collect the disappearing through a disappearing medium, 35mm film. On several occasions I’ve been tempted to switch to the digital format on this project only because the access to develop and print film isn’t convenient at all and quite expensive. But I truly feel like I have to stick to my guns on this one. Plus black and white prints are simply richer than digital grayscale, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

Departure C.2007 Los Angeles, CA

Even though I feel a very special attachment to this horrid city, I’m only one of several million Los Angelenos and this is simply one person’s point of view.