Existing comment:
2011 Feature
Caught in the Crossfire
Ten-year-old Erica Miranda was in pain as she stared out her hospital window. Two weeks earlier, she had been the victim of a gang-related shooting -- bullets tore through her back, knee and hip while she played basketball at a neighbor's house. Los Angeles Times photograph Barbara Davidson took photographs at the hospital as a nurse changed Erica's bandage:
"The nurse had removed the dressing and... the scan was exposed," Davidson said. "Here you see this beautiful, innocent girl, and here you see this horrific scar. It's such a contrast between incredible beauty and incredible beauty and incredible horror."
Davidson spent two years documenting the impact of gang violence in Los Angeles County. Her series chronicling the daily struggles of victims and their families raised awareness about the persistent problem of criminal gangs in the community.
For Davidson, Erica's scar was a haunting symbol of the violence. "I thought that would be a powerful reminder to people in our community as to what was happening." |