Last month, we brought you the story of Vy, a 14-year-old Tenderloin resident. Today, we continue our series on the youth of the TL with a report from a trio of best friends living and/or attending school in the neighborhood.
For best friends Jessica Trinh, 10; Alejandra Zavalo, 9; and Ciclaly "Laly" Ramirez, 11, growing up in the Tenderloin offers a lot of opportunity and fun, but also means protecting yourself from things that aren’t always avoidable. Though they can only spend time together during the summer months when school is out, it's the Tenderloin that bonds them and has made it possible for their friendship to flourish.
Jessica has lived in the Tenderloin since she was born, and attends Tenderloin Community School, along with her younger brother. She's the most introverted and soft-spoken member of the group; things like “seeing new friends” make her nervous. When she talks about her neighborhood, she seems to waver between feeling content and unsure. "It’s OK; it’s quiet there. I feel safe where I live."
Jessica lives with her parents and brother in a studio apartment, which is walking distance from her school. “We have space sometimes, or sometimes we just go out in the hallway if we need space.” She enjoys playing marbles in the hallway with her dad and brother on the weekends, when her mom has to work.
In addition to enjoying time with her family, Jessica likes to play at Boedekker Park and the Tenderloin Recreation Center. “I love having fun with my friends. Having a big community is really fun because you get to hang out, but sometimes you need space.” She says she wishes that there was more “friendship” in the Tenderloin. "More love and other stuff.”
Alejandra is the "actor" of the group, always encouraging the others to join her in performing their favorite songs and making up dances. She also attends Tenderloin Community School, and has spent the past five years participating in after-school programs in the neighborhood. At school, Alejandra and Jessica enjoy participating in science experiments; they also like jumping rope, hula-hooping, and practicing penalty kicks up on their school's rooftop.
Unlike Jessica and Laly, Alejandra lives outside of the Tenderloin, near Balboa Park BART. “Where I live, it's quiet and peaceful and there are not that many gun shootings and stuff like that. But here in the Tenderloin, sometimes it’s quiet and I like how everybody shares space and shares things with each other,” she says. "Where our school is, it’s kind of in the Tenderloin, but at the same time it’s in a place that is safe and there are a lot of people that go there and do business things. Whenever you walk to school or are going to an after-school program, or going back home, you mostly always see people in business suits."
Laly has lived in the Tenderloin for six years, and goes to school in Chinatown. “I notice it’s much safer [in Chinatown]. Here, a lot of people get in fights, and over there, it’s kind of quiet," she says. "Where I am living is quiet too; I have a backyard and a balcony, so sometimes we play with our ball and go outside to get some fresh air.”
Laly has a big family; she lives with her three brothers and her mom. “We have our own beds. Our house is like a living room and a kitchen and bathroom, but the bathroom is in the hall.” She likes having everyone in her family living together under the same roof. “Sometimes we have family game nights,” she says, explaining that her favorite game to play is a Spanish version of bingo.
Laly says she enjoys going to the two local parks, but wishes the neighborhood had more. “If we were moving somewhere else, there could be more space, but I’d be sad to leave here, because I have a lot of friends and I would miss the things that I have done in the Tenderloin. I would describe living in the Tenderloin like, I live happy where I am and it’s sometimes peaceful and I’m happy."
Because Jessica and Laly live in the neighborhood, they are no strangers to violence. “Sometimes I feel like people are going to kidnap me,” says Jessica. On a day when her father wasn’t back home at his usual time, “I didn’t know what happened. I heard the neighbors say that he got stabbed with a knife by three people in his rib, back, and on his shoulder. He went to the hospital, and I started crying because I didn’t know if he was going to live or not, but then he healed.”
Laly has also experienced a family tragedy: her oldest brother was attacked near her home two weeks ago. (He's now healing well.) “I feel scared a lot when I hear gunshots, and I keep thinking that [a gunshot] might break through my window and it might hit someone,” she says.
Drugs and smoking are also concerns. “I wish that whenever I come and walk around here, I would see less people doing drugs and smoking. That’s bad for the environment, and us kids that want to live long, but can’t because that pollution is getting into our lungs," adds Alejandra. "Whenever me, my mom, my brother and my family see someone smoking, I tell them 'Hold your breath so then you don’t suck in all that cigarette smoke.' I want to protect them."
Laly is also affected by the smoke. “One day, this guy smoked, and it was a very powerful smell. It went into my nose so hard that I almost couldn’t breathe, and I started crying, because that was very painful."
These difficult experiences have made the trio very conscientious when it comes to safety. ”For those little kids that are out there, you should be careful. Always be near your parents. Hold their hand, because you never know when someone’s going to be pulling you. Even if they are not paying attention, if they feel like you are trying to grab on and someone is pulling you, they will know." says Alejandra. "If you are like 11 or 12, you could be able to walk home by yourself, but just be aware of your surroundings."
