I spent over seven years documenting the lives of young people in Ciudad Juarez. I started the intention of showing the loss of innocent life at a time with the U.S. and Mexican governments claimed that the Drug War’s death toll only counted the bodies of gang members and criminals.
Over time I realized that the young people I was working with were at the center of the conflict. Many of the city’s poorest residents are unable to pay for education for their children. This is because the factory jobs that employ most people in the region are underpaid. Young people, unable to work or study, end up on the street and are easily drafted by gangs and cartels. Despite the violence though, Juarez is a city based on a culture and attitude that I admire. During my time working there I fell in love with the place and the people, forming lifelong friendships and reconnecting with family.
