The guardian of the alley: JOSE HERNANDEZ
2014 - 2022
In 2014, I was photographing in downtown Los Angeles and came upon an alley enclosed by a fortress of buildings covered in colorful graffiti. The 10-foot Joker at the end of the alley led me down and it was there that I met Jose Hernandez, who lived there, though not like one might imagine a homeless encampment in an alley to be. I would learn over the years of dropping by to visit that he lived amongst a community of people who live and work much like the norm, just without a roof. People respect and like Jose and count on him for many things. Other homeless people wander through, as do the workers and business owners of the buildings that surround the alley.
This alley has five different ways in, like arteries to the heart of the alley, and all five of them have gates with locks. At night Jose locks himself in before sleeping under his tent-like tarp. Jose is the Keeper of the Alley. The Guardian. The Godfather. He provides a watchful eye over the business owners’ property, keeps the alley clean, and has a say about who comes through and who stays, which has endeared him to the business owners around the block. He has a few plants, a flat screen TV plugged into a neighbor’s electrical socket, an altar, and a weather-beaten print of the Virgin Mary that sits out of its wooden frame. He earns money by unloading fabric for the businesses on the block and in recycling.
Over the years Jose has had a dog, up to 22 chickens, and a couple of domesticated cats, both whom met tragic ends from being on the street. This “concrete jungle,” as Jose calls it, has resembled a farm.
I have been photographing Jose for nine years now, but most notably since late 2019 after he invited me to tell his story in more depth. There is a lot to tell, starting at the age of 14 when he fled his home in Mexico City because of daily beatings from his stepfather. He crossed the border at 22. Now, at 55, he wants to make a change.
“I have a second chance,” Jose said, well aware of his age, “for my body, heart, and mind.”
This story is about one undocumented immigrant’s life, his friends, his work, his day. His story is about the destiny of one man, begun by the chance of being born to a poor family in Mexico.
