From the Flames of Yesterday's Fire at the Minneapolis Tent City
From yesterday's fire at the Minneapolis tent city comes today's scene of ash. Charred items cover the ground where tents once stood (where a lawn once sat). All this in six months' time.
The destruction of this land symbolizes the plight of those staying here. The culprit? Well, that's the debate. The net of blame is wide to include the city, drugs, housing costs, the choices of these residents, and on and on. I'm teasing out these "suspects" in the documentary on homelessness I'm currently filming.
I'm also telling the stories of those afflicted. And one such young man offered a ray of light on this cloudy day. He yelled over to me as I photographed the burned items. He asked me to photograph his art--an assemblage of fire-damaged items. Having listened to the struggles many here have with physical and substance abuse, the hope is that they, like this young man, can find the beauty and hope in the wake of difficulty.