Remembering Hermosa Beach’s Al Barrera
Reporter’s note: Alfonso Barrera Jr., a longtime fixture in the Hermosa pier area known for his friendly smile, succumbed to respiratory failure and pneumonia late Monday night on Oct. 12 at Little Company of Mary Hospital. He was 61 years old. He is survived by his son Alfonso Jr. III, daughter and younger siblings Rosie, Gloria, Lydia, Vickie, David and Peter. Barrera’s family is in the process of planning a memorial service. The portrait below was originally published in 2012 as part of Easy Reader’s “Homeless in the South Bay: In Their Own Words” series. Alfonso Barrera Jr., captured in November 2012. Photo Al Barrera’s slurred words are difficult to understand at first, but he carries a certain charm that progressively overrides that minor impediment. Lines of wrinkles embellish his deep-set hazel eyes. His underbite reveals his crooked bottom teeth, and fresh stubble peppers his leathered face. A trucker hat sits pressed on his head, partially hiding the wild wisps of his curly grey hair. Yet what’s most noticeable about Barrera, who is 58, is the unadulterated enthusiasm he relays, whether he is recalling the alcoholism that led him to the streets, the drug dealing that…
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