In 1983, while in Los Angeles checking out the West Coast punk music scene the British photographer, Janette Beckman, came upon a story in the LA Weekly describing El Hoyo Maravilla (HM), a Mexican-American street gang based in East Los Angeles. There were no photographs to illustrate the story so Beckman called the the reporter and introduced herself. He agreed to drive her out to Maravilla Park and make introductions to members of the local gang. Everyone had their poses down; they reminded me of the punks and New York B-Boys. One day, I asked a kid, ‘What is that teardrop tattoo under your eye?’ and he told me, ‘That means I’ve been in jail.’ They were badass but I didn’t know. To me, they were just kids. I saw the beauty in them.” First published by Dashwood in 2011 this new re-designed edition features previously unpublished photographs.

Available at Mirrored Society Book Shop