Letters that came with some of the cameras from the homeless

Mylar sleeping bags donation

A BWB angel just scored a matched donation of 100 (so total of 200) silver emergency sleeping bags for the Homeless Backpacks! That is an addition we have wanted for years.. and we are soo thankful!!

We are humbled by the support from Atelier Gothique & DAMNED

Buy an advanced DAMNED ticket from one of our retailers and you could win this $980 ring while helping the needy on our streets!

That's right...come to DAMNED with a physical store-bought ticket (you save on the door price) and we will donate a portion of the ticket cost to enter you into the raffle to win the Detroit Deconstruction Ring© by Atelier Gothique (or $980 credit towards another item)! Simply bring your stub after admittance to one of our lovely Devil Girls and they will give you a free raffle ticket ($5 value online) in exchange.

All proceeds from the raffle go to Burners without Borders Detroit, whose sole mission is to help feed and clothe those in need on our city streets through the hand packing and one-on-one giving of survival backpacks.

For details on the ring, the raffle and BWB, please visit:

http://thatdamnedshow.com/agfundraiser/

To purchase your physical discount tickets, please visit these fine retailers:

NOIR LEATHER, 124 W 4th St, Royal Oak, MI

Showtime Detroit Clothing, 5708 Woodward, Detroit, MI

V-Male Detroit Vintage, 23902 Van Born, Dearborn Hts, MI

Tickets are limited in each store so get them before they are gone!

June 2012- Craig Fahle and the opening

June 14 

We were on the Craig Fahle show on WDET

You can here it here- http://wdet.org/shows/craig-fahle-show/episode/detroit-revealed-homeless-photography/

Thanks for all the support!! ..i hope it sounded good! i look forward to hearing it later and i look forward to seeing the images!

Show opening June 15

The show is simply designed in a wonderful room and the frames hold magical glimpses of the city from almost every angle! Great exhibition i will be visiting many times! ..and i am deeply amazed at the image on the BWB frame.. so thankful to all the people involved in helping make these voices heard!!

May 2012..Cameras were coming in ...

All through the Month of May cameras started showing up at my work where i had them mailed to...some were ever dropped off in person !

May 14

cameras get mailed today.. hope to get a few more in the mail by 3pm! fingers crossed. .. got a few notes back with some of the cameras... very powerful! i hope to be able to track people down and get stories once i have master dvd with images and make prints..would love to hear more stories!!

May 16

UPDATE.. mailed in the cameras..and got permissions from the dia for them to accept the ones that i supplemented over and above what they sent me.. cuz i only got 11 of those back and then 6 additional store bought ones... still hoping to get more in the mail though so i can process those and post them!!

 

 

Hitting the streets with Hima

Yesterday Hima and i hit the streets.. now i must admit i was really surprised when she hit me up on facebook saying she wanted to come..and i am honored too! Hima is this angel of a young lady, really quiet, really smart and super sweet.

I hit the streets with Hima and Khaaliq Thomas who has been documenting the project. I know Hima from her best friend Allison (or 19) who donates items to the project and has hit the streets a few times. The first time was a Christmas eve a few years back where she ended up playing football with a few guys tossing a wrapped up blanket!

It was a brisk sunny Saturday and i had a few places in mind where I thought I might know a place to find a few homeless..so we headed to Michigan Avenue.

After looking in the area I suspected we found a few tents set up and pulled up. We got out and found three people.

Mr. Darnerl was 50 and underhoused, He was from Detroit and was happy to take a camera. He even told us we did not have to give him money all we had to do was come back and talk. He didn’t need a backpack, he told us to give it to someone who needed it.

People we would run into on the streets we would give them $10 to work on this project with us. Figuring it was collaboration and they deserved to have their time compensated for being an artist.

With Mr Darnerl was Tyrone he was 53 and had long dark grey dreads.

I had run into him before with his shopping cart. He was born in Detroit at the Herman Keefe hospital. He has been on the streets for about 6 or 7 years.

Tyrone got mad at Darnerl for telling us to not give him money, he wanted the money for sure and they quibbled about it a bit. Darnerl has a very big heart and you can tell he wears it on his sleeve.

I gave him a camera for his lady friend Miss Vicky and made him promise he would give her the money too! He put his hand on his chest and promised.

We had picked up a box of tangerines at Eastern Market and shared them with Vicky who showed up as we were getting ready to leave. Hima also gave her some cat food I had in the car as Miss Vicky has a white kitty whose name is ‘kitty’

Miss Jerry has long dreads and does hair. She grew hers out in 2007. While talking Tyrone interjects he wants to know how much the earth weighs. By this time they have figured out Hima is pretty smart and that is working to become a doctor!

We got to talking about how they fix things around camp as we could see their tent was pinned up. This is extreme camping way beyond Burning Man style…not sure most burners could handle this.. not sure I could.

Tyrone tells us with pride in his voice that he looks out for Miss Vicky. Hima let them know they can go to Henry Ford with any needs they may have as the hospital will not refuse them care.

Next we went to Spirit Hope Church to meet with Miss Jerry drop some extra supplies for the closet she runs to clothe people at the soup kitchen each Saturday.

Not sure how it happened but Miss Jerry and I got into a talk about forgiveness and she gave me a great lesson in the importance of doing so, which fits directly into personal work I had been doing. When we left I got a big hug from her and felt I had just been washed over with the best oration and lesson from God.  

Later on the streets by 75 and Mack we ran into Collin who was in a wheelchair, he is 38 and from Detroit. He has been on the streets since 2007 and lives in a tall building at the Brewster Projects. He served in Afghanistan ( Kandahar) He was shot in Kabul, he is racist and does not trust Muslims. Both he and his brother are homeless. He is hoping on a settlement from the VA. He claims he doesn’t do shoot up or do other drugs but he does like pop! We gave him a camera and a backpack.

Driving around Hima had an idea and I asked her to capture it in notes. For Easter 2013 why not get cellophane bags put a little holiday grass in them and fill them with fruit and candy to give out on the streets. I like that idea!!

I was so happy to have Hima along for the day. She is a treat to talk to. Khaaliq is so quiet that you hardly know he is there..and I mean that in a really good way. He never gets in the face of anyone with his camera, he is very respectful and I appreciate that very much.