Suitcase Joe

I’ve been photographing and documenting Skid Row now for over five years and my time there has completely transformed my life and personal perspective. In the beginning I set out to document the neighborhood for historical archives. Early on I was shocked to learn in a city of so many writers, photographers, and film makers, no one had documented the neighborhood on a long term basis and I decided to do just that. What I had not intended todo was fall in love with the community and the many wonderful and beautiful people who reside on its sidewalks and streets. The more time I spent in Skid Row the more time I wanted to spend there. The people are what continue to bring me back. Skid Row inadvertently taught me a lot about myself and gave me a better understanding of people who live inside the community as well as those who don’t. I remember a woman who approached me at random one afternoon while I was out shooting and she said to me, “If you spend enough time in Skid Row it will cut you open and reveal things to you about yourself. Sometimes it will be things you didn’t remember and don’t necessarily want to remember, but it can reopen wounds and let them heal properly if you’re ready. This place can peel back your layers like an onion. Years and years of layers that have been repressed. Some good and bad. It’s up to you what you want to do with it.” Then she was gone as quickly as she’d come, like so many of the people I meet in Skid Row. This book is a mere glimpse into the world I’ve been lucky enough to have been welcomed into over the last several years. Someday I intend to write a much bigger book about Skid Row and all that I’ve seen and learned but for now I present to you Sidewalk Champions. 120 photos selected from my archives of the last 5 years. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Suitcase Joe Foundation which directly aids the good people of Skid Row. You can preorder it now through Burn Barrel Press @burnbarrelpress A big thanks to everyone in Skid Row who have allowed me into their lives so I could share them with you. I’m forever indebted. #sidewalkchampions #burnbarellpres #skidrow #skidrowlosangeles #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbXDI-n67j/?igshid=1klbrhryv5s1l

“I come from a good family. My parents had money, too. I just liked getting into trouble. It started around when I was 9. There was an older guy in my neighborhood that me and my friend would hang around. He used to get us to fight each other to prove ourselves. I was good at fighting. Then when I was 11 or 12 I started stealing cars. I was good at stealing cars, too. After that I was in and out of juvenile hall and later prison. My poor mother. I just feel bad for what I put her through. She was a good woman and I put her through hell. She died when I was in prison.” -Rodney #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CI0nT2VnmCa/?igshid=12kf5cvrneam7

While taking photos near the bottom of Skid Row I heard someone cry out in pain. Rounding the corner I met Moxaiq, a 23 year old man who looked to be in his late teens. He broke his shoulder a few years ago and he tells me that sleeping on the concrete causes it to act up. Moxaiq left home when he was seventeen after his Grandmother died and things continued to get worse for him. When he was seventeen he was invited to smoke weed after a party with some guys he met. He didn’t know it was laced with meth. He didn’t smoke it again until a year later when he started meeting guys on grinder and they would get together to also get high. He’s been using and living on the streets ever since. I asked him where he stayed and he says he doesn’t have a tent. He feels that by having a tent it will solidify his being house-less. “There’s a culture and a community down here but I don’t really take part in it. I don’t want to get sucked in. They’re not bad peoples but they’re just not for me. One good thing is nobody judges me for being gay, here, like they do everywhere else.” I gave him some money for taking his photo and offered to bring him some pain medicine for his shoulder, but he declined, and said, “To be honest I’m just gonna go get high.” Moxaiq said he was working towards getting sober again but COVID had messed that up for him. Until the pandemic ends and the world opens back up, he says he’s not even going to bother trying to get into a program. For now he feels it’s easier to continue living on the street. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ4oTATHOLT/?igshid=owfuizkgtx3m

For the many homesteaders who live and survive in Skid Row—heavy rains and cold nights are nothing new. An hour before the storm touched down most street residents were already holed up inside their tents while others made last minute preparations tying tarps over their homes and doing what they could to raise their bedding off the ground. Once the storm struck Skid Row became a ghost town and the gutters overflowed into small rivers flooding out into the streets. The few bodies wandering about were seemingly those with mental health issues and those who were driven with purpose. Margaret’s dog birthed a litter of puppies and the runt had passed. She was looking for someone who could take it and bury it for her. With few other options in Skid Row it’s quite normal for deceased pets to be discarded into the trash but Margaret was determined to honor her dead more ceremoniously. Until she was able to give it a proper send off she was keeping it in a shoebox in her tent. I was not able to offer her any help and my suggestions of waiting until the storm had past went unheard. The importance of giving her puppy a proper burial was a matter of dignity for Margaret and I took a lesson from that. How we do anything is how we do everything and it directly reflects how we feel about ourselves. Despite the evenings ungracious weather none of that was lost on Margaret. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #dtla #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CKrRLSdHo9X/?igshid=1e3ei456dm4b3

T-Bone has been living in Skid Row for 30 years. He arrived there in 1981 and is still there today. He tells me he has a crack problem and that’s what keeps him on the streets. He lost his left eye to glaucoma about a year ago when he couldn’t afford to get it treated. He is currently getting treatment for his right eye, so he doesn’t go completely blind. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #downtownlosangeles #streetlife #streetlifephotography #blackandwhite #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/BxRLNQLA-T8/?igshid=1hm1ajvtdslwc

There’s a whole under world of drugs and illicit trade that happens everyday in Skid Row and its hardened exterior is easy to see. If you dive deeper beneath the surface you’ll find some of the most kind and generous people stemming from all walks of life who have found themselves long without luck or good fortune. People who have next to nothing but will give you the last dollar in their pocket if you need it more than they do. I’ve been lucky enough to experience different sides of society and one constant thing I’ve come to observe is that those who have the least often give the most. I think it’s because those who have lost everything come to understand that you don’t always need as much to get by as you think you do. I’ve learned many lessons spending time in Skid Row and meeting the wonderful people who live there. Don’t hold on so tightly to material things and don’t waste too much of your precious time trying to obtain them. Money problems come and go and chances are you’re gonna get by and be all right. But you can never get your time back. Spend it wisely on the ones you love and the things that you really care about. The rest is just distraction. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #downtownlosangeles #streetlife #cityofangels #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/B02CoVbHUWo/?igshid=1hq3ipzj2tgw

Thanks to everyone who came out for the opening of Stranger Stew. I was blown away by the turn out. All the artist involved are incredible and hardworking people. Special thanks to @lifesuxbillrules for making it happen. You’re amazing Bill! The show will run through September 21st. This is one of my photos currently on display. Check out @superchiefgalleryla for more details. #strangerstew #superchiefgalleryla #superchiefgallery #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/B2OAtaJHezT/?igshid=1h38r00ajxi85

Crushow here is scrubbing the sidewalk outside of his tent. He does it because this is where his two dogs (Ugly seen here) live and play. He also does it as a curtesy for the business next to where he keeps his tent. While I was there someone who worked at the business brought him cleaning supplies and they were very appreciative of his help. I often see people in Skid Row sweeping sidewalks, picking up trash, and even wiping down their tents. I’ve been inside many clean and well organized tents and I’ve also seen tent conditions that seemed completely unlivable. It is not uncommon for someone to be pushed off a block for continually keeping the area around their tent a mess. Most street residents do not want a messy neighbor and often the messier ones have to relocate often because they are continually run off their spot by those that live around them. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #streetphotography #suitcasejoe @scbrownbear https://www.instagram.com/p/B4cmfIwn3DW/?igshid=qbmmyftgcn2l

San Diego! This coming Friday the Vicissitude art show curated by @punkrockandpaintbrushes Work on exhibit from @winstonsmithart @_showzart_ @indeclineofficial @somasnakeoil @labelmelibby @dominatrixesagainstdonaldtrump and myself. Opening reception is Nov 8th from 6PM to 11PM. https://www.instagram.com/p/B4jbizInhh6/?igshid=19n2qw2zoicw9

Libby used to come to Skid Row with her mother to look for her father when she was younger. He was a heroin dealer and user. When she was fourteen he took his own life while sitting in his car on San Pedro street in Skid Row. Less than a decade later Libby lived in a tent in Skid Row with her own habit. Her last real job was at the American Apparel factory before it closed down. She told me she’s gotten clean a few times but when I took this photo she said she didn’t have any plans of getting clean at the moment. I lost track of her after that. Some told me she was in jail and others said they’d seen her in different camps but I’ve yet to run into her again. Sometimes keeping up with people in Skid Row is like chasing a ghost. Always fleeting and just beyond my reach. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/B4uzIK1HHTi/?igshid=6oi6tqyahn3e

Alexander The Poet, “Skid Row at night is like the belly of hell. You’re likely to get robbed or worse. I don’t come out at night.” Alexander has been in Skid Row for 20 years but he currently has housing. He does various jobs to make money, one of them being selling incense. He tells me that even though Skid Row is dangerous at night and it has its many problems, there are a lot of great things about it, too. You can almost always find something to eat and people give out clothing and other things he needs, like the blanket seen here on his bike. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #downtownlosangeles #streetlife #blackandwhite #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_P53rHkqa/?igshid=1i8xwjw0650ya

Walking around Skid Row during the coronavirus pandemic is what I imagine it must’ve been like many years ago. A Skid Row I’ve only heard about from the old timers and OG’s who’ve lived through many decades of the neighborhood. They tell of times when violence was rampant and the sidewalks were congested with debris infested with rats. Currently the city has put street cleaning on hold and the trash has begun to pile up and spill into the streets. Food has become increasingly scarce causing the atmosphere and general mood to turn grave. Street residents who find assistance in the community now feel overlooked and once again, forgotten. They ask me questions I cannot answer: “Who is responsible to help, us? When will people bring food again? How long will this last?” I’m honest in telling them I do not know anything for certain but it could be a long time. What I do know is that it’s our nature as humans to do anything possible to survive and as survival situations turn more dire, so do the actions of those who don’t have immediate resources to live. #skidrow #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #streetlife #dtla #downtownla #streetphotography #suitcaejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/B-5xjPcHFPO/?igshid=19pnct16cd3ar

Forty years ago Angel came over from Cuba and he quickly found himself in Skid Row. He’s lived on the streets here ever since. He doesn’t stay in the area of Skid Row most Cubans live and congregate around known as the Cuban corner. “There’s too much drama and bullshit over there,” he tells me, “but I go every now and again to visit old friends”. Angel doesn’t bother with keeping a tent anymore, he says it’s easier to roam and have less that you care about getting stolen. The money he makes is from selling items he finds on his different dumpster diving routes. He uses that money to buy drugs and alcohol. He says he chooses to live on the streets because those are the decisions he makes. He believes everyone else who lives in Skid Row is also there by choices of their actions. He feels it’s up to them to get a job or get clean. If they decide not to do it, he says, this is where you end up. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CCpaqlxnXwy/?igshid=2wcwplkop9aa

One recent morning Stephanie slept in a later than usual. Exiting her tent she found a mortar on the ground from the night before that had not gone off. She picked it up with intentions to light the fuse and throw it, but the fuse went off immediately and the mortar blew up in her hand. I’m the incident she lost her thumb and index finger and the tops of her two other fingers, seen here. After a quick trip to the hospital where doctors performed surgery on her, she was released. With no other options she came back to her tent in Skid Row. Stephanie uses water from the fire hydrant to wash and clean her hand but she doesn’t have fresh gauze to rewrap her hand in or have iodine or hydrogen peroxide to take care of it. She says the pain gets worse at night when it’s cold and it causes her injured hand to a ache. Stephanie tells me she’s just dealing with it how she can because there’s nothin else she can do. Such is life when you live on the streets. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #downtownlosangeles #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CDB8S-Mn8Tt/?igshid=fwrga91ypmkp

There is a war happening everyday in Skid Row and it’s happening between the street residents and the ever growing rat infestation. I nearly fell over backwards when Chelsea pulled this gun out of her duffel bag: “Wanna see what I just got?” She said, “I just bought this so I can shoot rats.” Turns out it’s just a very intimidating pellet gun and for Chelsea it’s an extra line of defense for the rodents that get into her tent. For the many who make their homes on the sidewalks of Skid Row rats are a huge problem. They get into tents and steal your food and their feces can be found everywhere they travel. In 2018, reports of street residents getting typhoid fever and typhus began to emerge and the numbers are still on the rise. Typhus doesn’t come directly from the rats but rather the fleas they carry and in the summer months the flea population runs rampant. The rats are just one more health threat our unhoused community has to deal with on a daily basis. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #downtownla #streetlife #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CEuGrMZHin2/?igshid=10l5uilqvhn4g

On this particular evening, John-John was cooking up several chickens that had been donated to him earlier in the day. I hung around for hours while he prepped and seasoned the birds. Day to day tasks always take longer to accomplish in Skid Row due to the lack of amenities most of us have at our convenience in our homes. The chef also had several boxes of vegetables he’d acquired, too. Making trips back and forth to the nearby fire hydrant he washed and prepped all the food. Next he began breaking apart wood pallets by slamming them on the ground to get wood for his fire. Residents of that street and passerby’s began to casually stop by and ask when the food would be ready. It was going to be a feast for all the neighbors to enjoy. I was too busy taking photos to notice a few guys run past carrying baseball bats. A few minutes earlier I’d heard a commotion down the street and seen what looked like a dog attacking someone. Not long after the men ran past with baseball bats, there was more commotion coming from down the street. A small crowd was forming and it was evident that a fight was about to happen. Then there was a gun shot and the crowd quickly dispersed with people running in every direction. From what I could see no one was shot. I packed up my gear and decided I’d better call it quits for the day as the mood in the neighborhood had quickly changed. I never did get to see the neighborhood feast on those chickens. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #streetphotography #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CIT6h4mn6yC/?igshid=hztf3xqxlmxm

There are a few standouts who shine brighter among the Skid Row community and Jerry was one of them. I received a message today that he passed a few weeks ago from causes that are still unknown. His family is currently awaiting the results of his autopsy. I was leaving Skid Row this afternoon and thinking about him as I passed the corner of Los Angeles and 6th where I normally could find him. The oddly timed news of his death came just after I drove past the corner wher he used to sit. I circled back and hungout out there a little while—wishing him my own quiet farewell above the deserted concrete where I visited him so many afternoons, past. From the first time I met Jerry I was deeply moved at how positive he was, despite his surviving a shooting that left him disfigured and changed the entire direction of his life. He was Skid Row famous and loved well beyond the community. Over the years I’ve received more personal messages inquiring about Jerry than anyone else. Jerry had COPD and I hadn’t seen him since last March. I heard he was quarantining because of the pandemic. His childhood friend who broke the news to me said he was a sweet guy in high school and a rockstar on the basketball court. She also sent along the older photos of him that I’ve posted here, that were taken of him in high school. It’s nice to see and remember him that way. So long, Jerry. Gone but never to be forgotten. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #losangeles #dtla #rip #ripjerry #suitcasejoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CJmlNKJnuAR/?igshid=94x88cdhj2q0