Photo Journal Monday: Mark Ochinero

Images and text by Mark Ochinero

In a time of coronavirus, racial injustice and police brutality, I go on a small trip to coastal Washington. As someone who's not from Washington but living here now, I was excited to see what the coastal areas outside of Seattle were like and was eager to take photos. I ventured off past Seattle on the way to the coast, and noticed the politics quickly shift from BLM and LGBTQ flags to American and Trump flags hung on house buildings and even cars.

To my surprise, the coastal town of Long Beach, Washington was not quiet about their right-wing politics and made that very clear in quite a few ways. The images I took on this trip were in the thick of the pandemic as things were getting worse, yet it seemed as if it did not exist at all for some people.

I walk around with a mask and gloves on at all times when out and about, and carry my cameras on my neck. It’s very certain to me that my partner and I were looked at peculiarly, being that we were the only ones wearing masks other than a few elderly people. We heard scoffs and coughs in our direction as folks with American flag tee shirts passed us by.

It’s strange to be in a place where beyond being open as if nothing is going on in the world, also looks at you funny for “following guidelines.” As I wandered around the town and small surrounding towns of Long Beach, documenting the people I saw and places I went, I began to think how strange it was that this town existed in the time that I was there.

Coming from a place where only essential businesses are allowed to be open to a place where dozens of families without masks were casually drinking in bars and arcades seemed so far behind what should be happening, yet I selfishly enjoyed being able to experience a world where it felt as if nothing was wrong.