Memento Mori

Abstract

I grew up in South Central L.A. My father also lived in South Central L.A. at the peak of its notoriety in the '70s and '80s. Growing up, I was told about the horrors he witnessed and lived through, but what stood out to me was something he told me: "On every corner of every block in any given direction, at least five people died there." Walking to and from school, I passed by several "altars" dedicated to the lives lost, I also saw people trample them, destroy them both unintentionally, and intentionally which I felt like only I understood the weight of those altars, being a reminder of the days when you could die over colored shoelaces, or even looking at someone for too long. However, in my time, South Central wasn't quite as lethal as it was back then, so these altars are just visions I peered into on my way home, which helped me understand the violent past that no longer exists (For the most part).