Homeless, Junkies, outcasts, deadbeats. no. Human. Just like you, and just like me. In October of 2024 I started a project. As time passes, Denver continues to a decline. I wanted to put a big spotlight on the situation and get first-hand insight from people who witness this every day. Instead of taking photos of people in tents without their consent, I did what many people fear to do. I approached them. I didn't approach anyone with "can I take your portrait"? this isn't what this project is supposed to be about. I started with a genuine, hi how are you doing today? have a conversation with the person of interest and say, I am a student. I am out shooting today to talk to people like yourself in hopes of getting to know you and your story. Most of the time this worked but sometimes it did not. This project started as a midterm project about crime prevention on overdosing but quickly blossomed into something I am truly passionate about. I would ask questions like, what have you seen the cops do for people in need along with what are they doing to prevent these overdoses? Or what could the city be doing to help out people in need and to prevent these tragic deaths?
Eddie or Ed is a beautiful soul that has been through it. Born and raised in Texas, Ed lived with his mother and father. At the age of 4, he was involved in a horrific car accident leaving his eye severely injured. After 14 surgeries, yes 14, Ed had two options. Go completely blind or lose the injured eye. Ed recently moved to Colorado and is looking for work. He is working on getting his ID because he lost everything when he got into a nasty divorce. This photo was taken on Monday, Oct 21. I went out two days later to continue to work on this new project and I saw Ed again! I went up to him and asked if he remembered me and he remembered my name. I bought him 4 tacos and got to hear some more of his story. Good luck this winter and I hope you find work, get that id, and get a steady housing situation. God bless and stay safe Ed!
Lee (Priest) Dan (Gods Judge). “You can find me in the undercity, I am a walking phoenix, a man in all black.” This is Lee Dan and I am here today to give him a voice and tell his story. Born and raised in Denver CO, Lee Dan has been living and walking along the streets of Downtown Denver for the past 10 months. States that he has an extremely rare condition called Split Brain Autism. He was unfortunately kicked out of his previous living arrangement leaving him with no other option. I spent a full hour with this man. I saw him walking around talking to everyone around him spreading positivity so I decided to approach him. We walked and I listened. He stated, “You need intimacy. These are the needs of the left hemisphere of the brain. This is what we all need, especially me. No one ever just comes up to me and wants to hear my story or even listen to me.” Lee Dan is not a drug user, Marijuana and the occasional shot of fireball he said. Being on the street he sees everything so I asked him what his thoughts and opinions are with the rise of overdoses and drug prevention on the street. He said he can't speak in detail on the matter because he doesn't deal with that. But he did say people and cops are using Narcan, and needle exchanges instead of real support to help them get off the drugs. “Even though that's all the cops are doing, that is all they can do with the rules and regulations they have to deal with”, says Dan. One thing that stood out to me in our hour together was “You’re gonna fall down it’s ok, it's how you pick yourself up that matters. I truly enjoyed my hour with this man, the connection we shared the stories I heard, and the overall experience with him is something I wouldn't trade. If you’re reading this, Stay safe out there, god bless and hopefully I’ll see you around.
This is Eduardo, a recent immigrant from Venezuela. In search of work, Eduardo confessed he needed to slow down on the beer to save more money. Hoping to get some money flowing in he says he doesn't know what he will do for the upcoming winter. Unsure about the situation I put myself in. Circular injury on the forehead, bloody nose, and drenched in sweat passed out. I made sure he was alive but other than that what am I to do? I didn't know the situation and who am I to possibly ruin someone's life? I believe this is what many of us go through while talking about this topic. What can we do? In some cases like this, there was one option and that was to call the police. Eduardo told me his friend was just sleeping, too many beers.
These two men are recent immigrants from Chihuahua Mexico. Were very intoxicated so understanding what they were trying to say was difficult. What I understood from the conversation was that they don't see anything that the city is doing. They said the city is not as safe as they had imagined but are ready for winter.
Walter Bond, The Lone Wolf. AKA the man who influenced the two FBI agents to have a 10 min conversation at my kitchen table. Walter was born and raised in Iowa but has lived in Colorado for many years now. in 2010 Walter set fire to a sheepskin factory in Glendale Colorado. Apart of the animal liberation front, Walter and his girlfriend started one of the largest animal sanctuaries in Colorado. taken to the extreme, he was Arrested quickly after. it wasn't till a year after that Walter was sentenced. A quote from his website states, "Statement to the court in Denver, Colorado, February 11, 2011. I am here today because I burnt down the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale, CO, a business that sells pelts, furs, and other dead Animal skins." Considered a domestic terrorist, lone wolf spent 10 years incarcerated and was let out in 2020. was kept in a domestic terrorist unit for 7 out of his 10 years. In that unit he learned how to speak Spanish from a Russian man who knew 8 languages. Walter produced a book called always looking forward. this was the story of the lone wolf. 3 Months later I get a knock on my door from 2 FBI agents wanting to ask me a few questions about my interaction with Walter. Fortunately Walter failed to provide me with some very Important information that the special agents were asking about. He told me his story about his domestic terrorism and time in prison and we left it at that.
The man without a sandwich.