When first told that I would be doing a documentary project that would be in production over a time period of 6 months I didn’t believe that I would end with a final product that gave me a new perspective on how to view life. When I first presented the idea of doing a documentary on Homeboy Industries, I didn’t really know all that much about the organization except for that it was a place of second chances for people who were formerly in gangs. Homeboy offers everything from tattoo removal to getting former gang members their GED’s or even long term jobs.

But coming from such a sheltered community we really don’t realize how good we have it here. The main character of our (Me, Wesley Smart, and Julia Arciga) documentary, Vance Webster (our tour guide), was in the gangs living off  food from the trash of the streets at just twelve years old. This may seem like just a meager fact to many, because in Manhattan Beach things like that just don’t exist. The worst thing that happens in Manhattan Beach is the occasional break in, but just 25 miles away someones whole life can fall to pieces in an instant. When Vance was telling us his story I couldn’t believe something like that could happen to someone. I couldn’t believe how he could really hit rock bottom (to the point where he ended up in solitary confinement for 29 years) to now being back on your feet with a real life ahead of you. And the fact that every single person at Homeboy Industries has gone through the same (or even worse) experiences blows my mind. Everyone working there seemed to have so much joy in the life they were living and were so open and welcoming to my group and I despite everything that had happened to them. It was truly a humbling experience that made me realize how good I have it and really made my awareness grow for something that is so foreign to manhattan beach.