Pandemic Los Angeles 03

Welcome to the third entry in "The Public Work: Pandemic Los Angeles". You can find links to the previous entries below:

The Public Work: Pandemic Los Angeles Prologue
The Public Work: Pandemic Los Angeles 01
The Public Work: Pandemic Los Angeles 02

8/2020 | Life Goes On

"The conclusion of summer signified the end of a tumultuous period in Los Angeles. The city experienced a second shutdown and a surge of Covid-19 cases that dwarfed the initial springtime outbreak. Things got really bad over the summer but they also settled into a new status quo. The pervasive cloud of fear that the streets were captive to began to fade as residents adjusted to the new reality. Despite the debate raging in some parts of the country, masks have largely become the norm and social distancing is second nature in most settings. Life has changed a great deal but some aspects of daily life are starting to return.

Activity has returned to streets that were deserted at the beginning of the pandemic. Mask wearing vendors and their customers have brought life back to many neighborhoods throughout the city. Striking a balance between safety and daily life is a work in progress but so far it seems that one is emerging. There will doubtlessly be setbacks as we all work to contain Covid-19 and much of the damage, both economic and psychological, has yet to be seen. The entire country is in the middle of an unprecedented collective trauma.

Documenting the pandemic from street level has been surreal and informative. Things are never going to be like they were before. From boarded up restaurants and shops to the necessary restrictions indoors activities, there is just no way that world is coming back."

As summer began to wane, a strange sense of normalcy took hold. In short, I think most people just got used to things and began moving on with their lives. Of course, the pandemic wasn't close to over but the adjustment largely was. A population can only take so many hits before it adapts and there were signs of progress all throughout the city. It was the first time since the beginning of the crisis that I could imagine it ending, though I had concerns (that have since come to fruition) about the damage that had been done and if a true recovery was even possible.

As if Covid wasn't enough, the murder of George Floyd in June of 2020 sparked protests across the country and Los Angeles was no exception. The pent up frustration from months of pandemic lockdowns supercharged the protests throughout the city. The outpouring of anger gripped much of the city as protests, marches, and other demonstrations became a regular occurrence over the summer.

The summer of 2020 continued the unprecedented social and political upheaval that not only defined that period but has reverberated in the years since in unpredictable ways.