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God Came Through Here the Other Day: Part Two.

by William Galindo

August 30, 2018

William Galindo is a Los Angeles based photographer. These photos are from an upcoming book, God Came Through Here the Other Day, which captures the lives of a community under the Sixth Street Bridge.

This is part the second and final part of this series.

Honey In Tent 1 _{Honey came later. She was living on the other side of the bridge but she relocated when that part started to be torn down.}

_{This is Luis. A lot of the guys slashed holes in their tents to see who’s coming by. They knew me well enough that I didn’t need to ask anymore.}_{This is Mustafa. He was all over the place, you never knew if he was going to be there. This was one of the best days, everyone was there and the light was perfect. It felt like a gift.}_{These little palm trees grow right out of the concrete. Imagine what the River would look like if there was no concrete. Will normally slept under the Seventh Street Bridge, but it just rained, so there was water in that part of the river.}_{Mustafa sleeping on boxes. The city put paper signs up saying “we’re going to clean the street, anything left will be thrown away.” Basically, if you don’t leave we’re gonna throw out your stuff. So Mustafa’s stuff was gone, and he just got some boxes and started over.}_{Mustafa’s Gucci bag. He found it in the trash.}_{This is Quinn watching the bridge get demolished.} Shorty Taking Shit 1 _{Shorty taking a shit. Shorty really doesn’t give a shit. There aren’t any public restrooms. Just restaurants. It’s a health issue, but they don’t want public restrooms because people are}_{going to do drugs or other things in them.} Bridge b _{It’s funny that people who live in the Arts District are nostalgic for the old bridge, while the guys who lived there are excited for the new one.}

A Closer Look at the Migrant Shelters in Tijuana

by Rebecca Mizrahi

July 31, 2019

Rebecca Mizrahi is a Freelance Photographer based in Los Angeles. You can see more of her work here.

Migration has been a constant across the world and throughout history. With the increased politicization of immigration in the United States, a true humanitarian crisis has emerged on both sides of the U.S. and Mexican borders. A day spent visiting shelters in Tijuana provided an intimate setting to hear first hand stories about the violence, poverty and persecution that compels migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to leave their homes and risk everything for a chance at a new life in the United States. Most obvious in people’s stories is a sense of grief and loss, ongoing fear and uncertainty about what’s to come, and a tremendous longing for a safe, secure future. These images are from a day in the life.

unnamed _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

The “double” border wall is visible from a bus in Tijuana. Non-profit volunteer organization, Border Angels estimates that since 1994, about 10,000 people have died in their attempt to cross the border. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 7,216 people have died crossing the U.S–Mexico border between 1998 and 2017. Conflicting estimates.

unnamed 1 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

Malecon, Playas de Tijuana. The border wall stretches into the Ocean but does not stop families from meeting to talk and pass notes to each other on either side. Although recent efforts seek to prevent this from continuing to happen.

unnamed 2 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

One of many “missing” in Tijuana, one of the largest border metropolises in the world. It is not uncommon for male and female migrants to become trapped in the sex trade, with very few options to survive while they wait for asylum.

unnamed 3 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

New tents, clothing and food provided by This is About Humanity. Name of shelter is concealed to protect asylum seekers fleeing violence/ persecution.

unnamed 4 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

Donated blankets used for padding in lieu of mattresses.

unnamed 5 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

Children’s vitamins and prenatal pills sit atop a makeshift office in the center of the shelter.

unnamed 6 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

Child watches as new tents are set up and old blankets are removed, a bottle of medicine and a plastic spoon beside her.

unnamed 7 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

A family watches as the shelter is overturned by volunteers trying to clean up after heavy rains.

unnamed 8 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

Diapers, a few toys and a math book show the simplest accumulation of items for a migrating family. Children have no way to attend school while moving from shelter to shelter and can go anywhere from a few months to several years without formal education.

unnamed 9 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

In 2018, Casa Cornelia Law Center responded to 883 adult asylum seekers in need, and 876 unaccompanied children.

unnamed 10 _{© Rebecca Mizrahi}

According to Casa Cornelia, about 90% of asylum seekers without an attorney are denied, but almost half of those with representation are successful. As of mid-2018, over 700,000 asylum cases remained open, with new applicants applying each day.

A Look Back at the Arizona Students' Association

by Cesar Aguilar

May 20, 2019

This interview with Cesar Aguilar, the executive director of the Arizona Students' Association, was conducted and condensed by frank news.

What are the overarching priorities of ASA?

We advocate for affordable and accessible higher education. It doesn't matter your background, your legal status, or where you come from. We want everyone to have equal access to a higher education. We believe that higher education is a right, and that everyone should have a right to a public education.

We do this by educating students on how to lobby, how to navigate power, and how to get a seat at the table making decisions. When we first started we were fighting for the 26th amendment – which gave students the right to vote at 18. We still focus on voter rights for young people.

How did you get involved in the ASA?

I got involved when we were connected to the National Student Association. President Obama was doing a lot of reforms to higher education. I remember jumping on a phone conference with the Secretary of State.

Everyone was at the table helping the secretary of education, Arne Duncan, with Obama's executive orders on reform on student loans. That was when I was like "wow, this organization is actually doing something about what is going on."

Funding only comes when you start to see a wave of a movement. As people start pushing for these things, then you start to see funding come back to the organizations.

ASA 2018

Below is a brief history of the ASA – and highlighted examples of their decades of work.

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