A Photographer's Journey from Behind Bars to Behind the Lens

3 minute read

Over a career spanning more than 25 years, photographer Joseph Rodriguez has been photographing the “other” America: Latino and African American communities on the margins of mainstream society. Rodriguez, who is of Latino descent, is an unlikely photographer – the camera became a personal salvation much later in his life after having spent time in and out of jail in Rikers Island, New York. He went, in his words, from shooting dope to shooting photos. This background colors his work with a profound sense of urgency: Rodriguez connects with his subjects in a way few photographers can.

This is poignantly clear in his most recent body of work, an extension of East Side Stories and Reentry, his decades long project on Latino gangs and the struggle to readjust in society after incarceration. This spring, with funding from the Dart Society, Rodriguez photographed Jesse De La Cruz, a former gang member turned author and activist in Stockton and Woodlake, Calif.

The similarities between subject and photographer are striking: while Rodriguez found salvation through a camera, De La Cruz found salvation through writing. He is the author of Detoured: My Journey From Darkness to Light, a memoir chronicling a life of poverty, crime, drugs, imprisonment, and ultimately, redemption.

Rodriguez and De La Cruz both say gang life fills a gaping hole for young men in need of male role models, respect, authority and love: things that are painfully absent from home and the classroom but are abundant on the street. The lack of resources for ex-offenders to ease into the transition, in addition to an overwhelming sense of isolation and alienation from mainstream society, further exacerbates the cycle of imprisonment.

Like Rodriguez, De La Cruz seeks to break this cycle of violence and poverty that has institutionalized an entire generation of young men by sharing his story with others. Speaking to young men in juvenile hall on the visceral realities of incarceration, he challenges them to question their glorification of gang life. And he seeks to replicate, in Stockton, an anti-gang program created in Chicago called the Interrupters, which stops crime at the source by deploying former gang members to intervene in the lives of at risk youth. “In our world these kids have a lot of respect for us because of what we went through and how hard it is to change,” says Rodriguez.

Both photographer and subject seek to interrogate the role of men in Latino culture. For both, it was a struggle to find positive men who, in Rodriguez’s words, “looked and understood where I was coming from.” The fact that they currently play this role is not lost on photographer and subject, and with that comes a responsibility to faithfully own the stories of their community.

“What I’m trying to get at here—the word is masculinity; I’m trying to investigate what that means in terms of our Latino culture. Because it clouds everything,” says Rodriguez. “When you grew up you couldn’t cry. You couldn’t show weakness on the street—they’ll eat you up, so you have to be tougher, you have to show them that you can stand or you didn’t get respect.”

Joseph Rodriguez is a Brooklyn-based documentary photographer. See more of his work here.

Jesse De La Cruz, 61, sits with Lorenzo, his 11-month-old grandson, whom he is the legal guardian of. Stockton, Calif., 2012. Joseph Rodriguez
Jesse was emotionally neglected as a child and he feels it’s important that his grandson, Lorenzo, does not suffer from neglect. Stockton, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
Jesse revisits the home where he grew up as a child, which is now abandoned. Woodlake, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
Albert Jurdo, whose father served a life sentence in prison, grew up in the criminal justice system. Upon his release in 2008, and with two strikes - one conviction away from a life sentence - he decided to change his life. Jesse told him, “You are going to make it but it will lots of hard work.” He said his major challenge is learning how to control his anger. Stockton, Calif., 2012. Joseph Rodriguez
Railroad crossing. Woodlake, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
From left to right, Andrew Estrada, Ernesto Padilla Chavez, Jesse De La Cruz. Boyhood friends talk about how they grew up in Woodlake working in the orange fields and how there was very little opportunity for them as young men. As a result, they fell into drugs and crime. San Jose, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
Jesse revisits the Stockton homeless shelter where he stayed several times upon his release from prison. Stockton, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
Jesse and Andrew Estrada reminisce about the rare "good days" growing up. Woodlake, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
A clothes line, Woodlake, Calif. Joseph Rodriguez
Migrant workers at the Sun Valley Farms in Woodlake, Calif. Low-paying agricultural work is one of the few labor options for the city's hispanic population. Joseph Rodriguez
Youth of Woodlake walk the streets. Many complain of a lack of opportunities. Woodlake, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
At a family reunion in Los Angeles, Jesse sings a Corrido (ballad) about the distance between people. As a child his father used to sing this song to his family. Los Angeles, 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
Castillo, 60, grew up with Jesse and worked with him picking oranges. Although he never went to prison, he has been a prisoner to his addiction. Currently he is on a methadone program. Stockton, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
Tulare County Jail, where Jesse began his long journey of incarceration. Visalia, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
Jesse visits the grave of his brother, who was murdered as a direct result of Jesse's gang lifestyle. Woodlake, Calif., 2012. Joseph Rodriguez
Church in Woodlake, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez
Jesse drops Lorenzo off at his babysitter before going to teach at Heald College. Stockton, Calif., 2012.Joseph Rodriguez

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