Bonding and belonging in the Bronx’s 40th Precinct
Chavi Leon (right) and his friends practice baseball in front of Yankee Stadium, March 26, 2016, Bronx, New York. The friends meet once a week to practice at the fields together. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
This collection of photos follows a group of 14-year-old boys, focusing on adolescence and coming of age in the South Bronx. Though the murder rate has fallen to a historic low in New York City, but the 40th Police Precinct in the South Bronx has proven to be an exception. Stories of isolated poverty and gang violence in the neighborhoods of the 40th Precinct routinely make headlines.
Photographer Sarah Blesener wanted to focus on something beyond these headlines: the teenagers who will be the ones to define the Bronx’s future. Blesener focused her camera on the life of the 40th Precinct that doesn’t make the headlines — life experienced on basketball courts, in subways, on living room floors, in high schools, in music classes, in playing video games and teenagers’ normal activities.
Mott Haven, located in the 40th Precinct, is one of the most at-risk communities for children in New York City, based on factors such as childhood poverty and high school graduation rates. But in the midst of a harsh environment, Chavier “Chavi” Leon and his friends found a haven in one another. Their friendship is an essential cornerstone for all six boys. They rely on each other when their families cannot afford to buy food, they help each other get back from school, and they offer a second family of support and trust. This project explores that bond and provides a different perspective on an area of New York that routinely receives negative attention.
Juan Neira, Chavier “Chavi” Leon, Marco Vasquez and Edwin Amaro run down a street after school on April 10, 2016, Mott Haven, Bronx. Although all four boys live on the same block, they attend different schools. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon rests with his two cousins, Jeremy and Jerry Mateo, at their relatives’, the Demoyas, house in the Bronx on Feb. 6, 2016, New York City. The Leons are from the Dominican Republic, and keep strong family connections in New York. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon prepares for a service at Saint Rita’s Catholic Church, a Hispanic Catholic church, in the South Bronx, March 26, 2016, New York City. Around three quarters of the residents of Mott Haven are Hispanic, and most of those are Catholic. For the Leons and their neighbors, the evening before Easter is a sacred night that consists of an all-night vigil ending at five o’clock the following morning. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon stands in the hallway of his family’s apartment during spring break on April 17, 2016, Mott Haven, South Bronx, New York. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Mott Haven stretches from the Harlem River on the west to Bruckner Expressway to the east.
(Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
An empty kitchen in the Leons’ apartment, Feb. 17, 2016, Patterson Projects, Mott Haven, New York. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Two-year-old Christopher Oritz calls for his mother across the hallway in the Neiras’ apartment, April 13, 2016, Mott Haven Houses, Mott Haven, New York. Christopher is autistic, and lives with his mom, grandma, and uncles at the Neiras’ apartment. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
A dog jumps at passersby on the road to St. Mary’s Park, April 14, 2016, Mott Haven, Bronx. St. Mary’s is a recreational center, and hosts weekly events for the Mott Haven community. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon plays Barrabas in a Good Friday procession in his neighborhood, Mott Haven, in the South Bronx. April 14, 2017. Chavi and his family attend church at Saint Rita’s and are part of the Neocatechumenal Way, an order of the Catholic Church.
(Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon talks with his neighbor and classmate after school on April 14, 2016, South Bronx, New York. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Marco Vasquez, Edwin Amaro, and Chavier Leon watch as a drunk man yells at a woman around the corner. February 26, 2016, Mott Haven, South Bronx, New York City.
(Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Edwin Amaro and Chavier Leon play video games at their friend Juan’s apartment in the Patterson Projects, April 16, 2016, Mott Haven, South Bronx, New York. It’s Juan’s 15th birthday, and they are waiting for the party to begin.
(Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Juan Neira’s mother inside the living room of their apartment, April 13, 2016, Mott Haven, South Bronx. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavier Leon vapes with his older brother in the living room of their apartment, May 14, 2016, Patterson Projects, Mott Haven, South Bronx. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon practices violin before a concert, directed by Professor Kim Cai, at the High School of Violin and Dance, May 12, 2016, Lehman College, Bronx, New York. Following practice, the students will perform their year-end concert for the public. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon with his dad in their living room, Feb 27, 2016, Patterson Projets, Mott Haven, South Bronx. Chavi says his dad is one of his greatest inspirations in his life, pushing him to finish high school and pursue music. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon, Marco Vasquez and Edwin Amaro sit outside of Marco’s apartment in Mott Haven, February 26, 2016, South Bronx, New York. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Edwin Amaro stands in front of a neighboring project building after school on February 17, 2016, Mott Haven, South Bronx, NYC. Edwin and his friends live in neighboring projects, but attend different schools. They have been friends since they were young, and still meet weekly. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Chavi Leon overlooking his neighborhood of Mott Haven, April 14, 2016. The South Bronx well known for two reasons: it is in the 15th Congressional District, the poorest district in the United States, and it’s the 40th Precinct, an NYPD precinct known for its high crime rate. (Photo by Sarah Blesener/GroundTruth/Alexia Foundation)
Photographer’s Notes
It was by chance that I met this group of boys. I met Chavier through his older cousin in the Bronx, and for some reason, Chavier invited me into his world. Over the next six months, I spent every free day I had with him and a group of five other boys. We had an instant connection, and they gradually allowed me to become a part of their lives.
I began the project by giving the boys disposable cameras and journals, and asked them to document their own life. Involving them directly in the project from the beginning gave me a unique look and insight into their lives. Chavier is now fifteen-years-old and is in his sophomore year of high school.
My aim is to continue following Chavi and his friends throughout high school. I want to follow their experience growing up in Mott Haven, and to document their changes together and alone. This project has stopped becoming a project for me. I am now close friends with all of the boys involved, and Chavi’s home has begun to feel like a second home to me. I’m routinely invited to his family’s holidays and get togethers, and making this project a long-term documentary is only natural.