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Salvation Mountain becomes a ghost town without its visitors

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August 28, 2020 11:50 PM
Published 11:41 PM

LOVE IS THE GOOD CORONAVIRUS

SLAB CITY, calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Salvation Mountainis the place where art meets faith.

The mountain is a permanent art installation preserved by the Slab City community. Once busy with tourists and visitors, it was sometimes referred to as an art oasis in the desert. 

Now, the art is still here, but the bustle of tourists is not.  

“Well, the Airbnb's and library are closed for COVID. We want to keep Imperial County safe we’re part of this county and we love the people that live here and want to make sure it’s safe,” said Ron, Caretaker of Salvation Mountain.

 When COVID hit the area, the Spread the Love charity began making weekly visits. Now it supplies slab city residents with items, such as food and hand sanitizer, every two weeks. 

"It’s umm affecting their livelihoods, that's how they made their money was from having those businesses and them having to shut down the Airbnb and having to shut down the bar, the library is closed and all of that is a lot harder everyone is having to stay in place and not getting out to clear their minds they’re just stuck,” said Jessica Solorio, Executive Director of Spread the Love.

Despite the hardships, Slab City residents remain positive, and artist Leonard Knight's message lives on.

Ron adds love is everything.

“Love is universal and that means everything. Whether you love your cat it makes you so happy and you share that love. Or if its love of God or you’re in love with going on an adventure with your friends for the day, you know you leave, and when you're at a gas station you're just so happy you spread that love with that guy and then he spreads it and it's like the good coronavirus."

News 11's Gianella Ghiglino takes a closer look at the troubles facing Slab City's residents, and the role love is playing in helping them survive.

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Gianella Ghiglino

Peruvian-born and LA raised Gianella Ghiglino joins the team from the San Fernando valley. “LA is the place that taught me how to breath and Peru is my breath.” She says she was inspired by the community she grew up in and began documenting her experience through poetry at the age of 7. “I wrote about everything I saw, felt and everything that inspired me.” When she entered High School she joined her school news station and realized that broadcast journalism allowed her to pursue her passion and her purpose all at once. Gianella attended Cal State Northridge and received a Bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Spanish Broadcast Journalism, and Political Science. She did several internships while in College but most notably interned for PBS’s local LA station for three years. “My purpose is to share my story and of those in my community, my passion is writing.”

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