Sunday in the Park...

Another perfectly splendid day, six hundred pictures taken, impossible to choose one over all the others, though I’ve chosen this one because I love the dignity and uprightness in both faces. That’s Art Rios on the left and his friend Rus-T, who I’ll interview tomorrow for my next Street Roots article. I spent today with Art and his partner, Shasta Smith.  Although Shasta miscalculated her due date, their baby boy is now definitely past term. Maybe they will induce her labor, or maybe he’ll show up any minute now. Meanwhile Shasta goes on with her life.

Art is making a documentary video through the Empowered Voices Media Program, and he asked me to go along with him today and take some still pictures of his process. The woman who directs the program has asked me to come document their video classes in October, and I’m thrilled to do that.

Art is asking questions about people’s experiences of being unhoused. Most of the people interviewed today are no longer unhoused. Several have built healthy relationships; several have regained custody of their children. All the ones Art interviewed have overcome addictions if they had them. Many have found jobs. It was one success story after another, and I became increasingly elated as the hours passed. However a number of those who have jobs are still unhoused because they are the working poor. They don’t make enough money to save up for rent and a deposit. Housed or unhoused, with jobs or without them, what I heard people say is that it’s not social services that got them off the street. They are grateful for shelters, feeding programs, and treatment programs. But again and again they say that what got them off the street was the twenty-four hour caring, support, and personal kindness of the people in their street families. Those who have gone through treatment together are especially close.  

Art and Shasta are now housed, and they have been clean and sober for several years. I’m meeting members of Art and Shasta’s street families who, like them, have turned their lives around. Many come from dysfunctional families or families with mental illness and/or addiction, but their loyalty to each other is inspiring. I notice something else: whenever we’re out in public, we run into other unhoused people they know who are not clean and sober. But there’s no judgment. Nobody disapproves of anybody. They all hope their friends will find less self-destructive ways to live, but there’s no gossip, name-calling, backbiting, or ill will.

We ran into Sheri and Sherry and their babies, and I’ve posted their pictures along with others of the day here because Art says, “I believe that we are all family one way or another and should share in what we are doing with everyone.” That's how I feel about what I’m doing with my photographs, what I’m doing on Blip, what I do in the world. I’m really tired and will not be able to answer comments because I have a very full day tomorrow, starting in just a few hours. But I’ll leave comments on so you can talk among yourselves if you wish to.