Growing up in Compton in the ‘80s and ‘90s was rough, if not downright
bleak. The Watts Riots and subsequent "White Flight" opened the doors for a
sharp decline in economy within the city. Reaganomics, the harsh onslaught
of illicit drugs, their peddlers, and turf wars gave rise to violence and further
exacerbated the rivalry between gangs like the Bloods and the Crips.
Some would make the allegation that the extent and severity of crime in
Compton was commonly exaggerated by media and glamorized by music
culture popular of the era. California based artist, Daniel Esparza knows
firsthand just how dubious that claim could be.
When Esparza was a freshman at Compton High School, during their
absence his family's house had been robbed, not simply of jewelry, electronics, and valuables, but cleaned out, stripped completely. The thieves
even absconded with the furniture. An unnerving and duplicitous invasion of
personal space; an experience which prompted the Esparzas to relocate to
Riverside, California. Moving to the Inland Empire afforded them the proximity to members of his extended family; a key element in the development of
the artist, with skills and virtue.
An insular period of Esparza's life, these formative years fostered a
sense of familial belonging and cemented the importance and impact
that family imparts upon an young individual. The family Esparza, financially minded, remained more committed to community within the household. Without the internet and equipped with an undesirably small black
and white TV/radio combo left them relatively unexposed to media and
pop culture, and without the lust for ancillary possessions and dogmatic
regimes. His family relied on each other for entertainment and gratification. Their lives were focused on activities within the Esparza tribe where
creativity and values could thrive unfettered.
Esparza’s artistic talent lay dormant, until when in second grade, friends
dared him to replicate a page torn from a comic book. Amid a moment of chicanery, he tried to pass a piece of the original off as his own. Caught in the
10
InkSpIredMagazIne.coM