E— Taylor Klahn poses for a portrait showcasing his tattoos that he regretfully “earned” as a teenager during his time as a gang member in Southern California on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at the Colma BART station near Daly City, California.

During his teenage years, Klahn was a white supremacist. The tattoos he bears serve as a reminder of a time in his life when he was a very different person, with extremely different, hateful beliefs. In hindsight, he thinks he was groomed by gang members to adopt a racist ideology. Growing up, Klahn felt like an outsider as an adopted child, and looked up to the older gang members he met on the street. For him, he found a sense of community in what he thought was the only option.

“They look for impressionable kids and they make you feel like you’re a part of something”, said Klahn. The conditioning led Klahn to the extreme, ready to risk his life for gang activity. He was terrified when he first “earned” the Schutzstaffel (SS) tattoo near his lower abdomen— given to him after he stabbed an older rival gang member during a fight. After enough time, Klahn believes “It gets to a point where you’re really desensitized to violence.”