Return to Zapata

I returned to an alley that is close to Mateo Street in the Los Angeles industrial district. I wanted to take a picture of a street painting of Emilio Zapata, the Mexican revolutionary hero. I also wanted to reconnect with a homeless man who lived in the alley. I can't say I knew him well, but we had enjoyed a brief conversation not long before.

The juxtaposition of the alley's homeless population and the radical Zapata mural had been haunting. LA's homelessness problem is, by any measure, shameful.

When I arrived in the alley, everything had changed. That often happens in the industrial district. The homeless population had moved on. And the picture of Zapata was not what I remembered. For the first time, I noticed that it had been painted over an alley door. The door was open. Behind it was a dark hallway that led to God-knows-where.