Q: What project did you do this for?
A: For our final project in Photography 1A Mrs. (Kirstyn) Russell gave her class five choices on what subject we wanted to portray. I chose Street Photography with the goal to give others a more personal look into the lives of the less fortu- nate (The Homeless).
Q: Why is there a stigma against homelessness?
A: When most think of the word (homeless) they automatically think of others who are poor, drug addicts, dirty, criminals, low lives, or a vagrant. I’m here to tell you that’s not always true, these are other human beings just like yourselves who are hard working with families, teenagers who’ve been thrown out by abusive adults, single mothers and their children, people who aren’t on drugs and just couldn’t afford their homes rent on a minimum wage salary.
Q: A few weeks ago, the City of Stockton forced a homeless camp out. How does this affect these people?
A: As I was shooting my project I heard a bunch of people talking about how the city of Stockton had issued them a warning, a thirty-day notice to vacate
the grounds they sought shelter on and under. To them this notice was another “shovel full of dirt onto the casket that they were already buried alive in.” I mean for the sake of humanity these already HOMELESS human beings were being forced to relive the already emotional and heart breaking trauma of losing their homes AGAIN. I was heart broken and was determined to do something about it … my outlet was utilizing the resources Delta College had to offer.
Q: How did you overcome your obstacle?
A: Having been one of these unfortunate human beings I wasn’t just going to accept being buried alive, instead I turned to school. Delta College was my ladder; my way out of the “hole” so here’s my ladder (the helping hand). Not only did Delta College accept me and offer me an education, it also offered me all their resources to help me succeed in life.