Graphic artist Levi Ponce stands for a portrait with a mural he painted of photographer Estevan Oriol’s “Danny Trejo, 2011” on Van Nuys Boulevard as part of a community beautification project on March 21, 2024, in Pacoima. It was a formal recognition that graffiti artists are central to Los Angeles’ identity, but I couldn’t help but wonder about the gesture’s …
