#skidrowla

#downtownlosangeles #dtla #skidrowla #skidrowlosangeles #skidrow #bnwphotography #blackandwhite #streetphotography #suitcasejoe

70 years old and living on Skid Row. #skidrowlosangeles #skidrowla #skidrow #bnwphotography #losangeles #dtla #downtownlosangeles #streetphotography #suitcasejoe

“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

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

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

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