In a fast-food parking lot in an area that became world-famous as South Central Los Angeles, I shuffle around in the dark.
What am I doing outside the Jack in the Box at the intersection of Slauson and Vermont Avenues in South Los Angeles? It is the heart of winter — at least the version we get in Southern California — just a little after 6 a.m., and I am trying to stay warm despite dressing in 3.5-inch running shorts and a thin windbreaker.
I am alone, cold, and anxious about the state of our divided country. My anxiety has been soaring, connected to some key events in recent months and years: Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of Donald Trump attacked the Capitol to try to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election; the divisive 2024 presidential campaign, culminating in Election Day on Nov. 4; and this year’s Jan. 20 Inauguration Day. Since then, my mental state seems to worsen every time I plug into the national news cycle.