Homeless Man with Quilt
86th & Lexington. Do you think there are more homeless people in wealthy neighborhoods. When I do my Bronx shooting, it’s rare to see a homeless person. Poor people, yes. But not out panhandling.
Comments
Comment from luke
Time: March 9, 2008, 9:11 pm
There’s no easy solution to the homeless. The panhandlers go to the rich neighbourhoods because that’s where the money is. Poor people don’t have a spare fiver to give out. If your homeless are anything like ours, most have mental or drug issues and should be in an institution not a shelter. Some are genuinely homeless and just need a nudge back. Others are running scams. And when you build too many shelters in one neighbourhood, the dope fiends take over. See Art Shaw’s book on Nelson Algren for a great portrait of a couple running a scam.
Comment from trent
Time: March 11, 2008, 12:15 am
Dave, I’m fascinated by the range of photography you cover. I took a walk from Lexington and 51st towards times square one night a couple weeks ago and saw what appeared to be two homeless people sleeping inside a closed Duane Reade. This doesn’t have too much to do with your question but the subject matter is the same i suppose. I’d be curious to know whether this was a common occurrence.
Comment from Lester
Time: March 9, 2008, 7:06 pm
Elegant solution to the homeless problem in wealthy neighborhoods: Give each homeless person a homeless dog. The usual NIMBY protests would be drowned out by calls for neighborhood shelters. Why do we treat our pets with more kindness than helpless members of our own species?