Earlier this month, Nick over at I Love Franklin Avenue posted a four-part series on his experiences as a juror in a recent homicide case. While I’ve always found his Crown Heights-centric blog provocative and thoughtful, this series is exemplary — citizen journalism at its finest and its most heartbreaking. He tells the story of how Steven Ingram, a homeless Vietnam Veteran, was beaten to death near the Albany Houses in Crown Heights — all because he was a convenient target.
Nick speaks at eye-opening length about the prevalence of violence against homeless populations in Part I; the continued victimization of the homeless has catalyzed the National Coalition for the Homeless to seek protection under hate crime laws. But what he concludes is wholly unsatisfying and disheartening, but true: that “it is our collective apathy, a crime of disinterest, that allows this hate to find expression so easily and so frequently.”
The whole series is a must-read if you can spare the time. And if you’re a photographer or a writer: use your tools and talents! They’re invaluable. The words and images you create are indeed powerful and speak volumes when others cannot.
“Executive Clemency,” by Reuben Radding:
Untitled by Vitaliy Piltser, and “Woman on C Train” by Natalie Behring:
“Homeless Woman: Coney Island,” by Rob Hoey:
“New York’s Somethingest,” by [mementosis]:
