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Loss

Three frames of loss from my last weeks in Jersey City.

Kearny Memorial Day Parade

A frame from the Kearny Memorial Day Parade amongst the quiet New Jersey suburbia.

All The Pretty People

All the pretty people from Hoboken came for the grand opening of W, a new chic hotel along the waterfront. Local and international celebrities walked the red carpet out for the decadent bash, although I couldn't seem to recognize a face. I'm either getting old or losing all pop culture sensitivity. It was also interesting to see the party / paparazzi style photographers go to work, monotonously snapping away at each walking head. Everyone fought for the attention of the subject's eyes and didn't move from their coveted spot on the red carpet.

Golden Gloves

Three Bayonne boxers recently won the Golden Gloves and are going on to the National Finals in Utah next month. Luis "The Garbage Man" Rivera, picture in the middle, is actually a real-life garbage man in Manhattan. He trains all day and works all night. They all seem to work tirelessly. You have to tip your hat to them.

My own brother is emerging on the fight scene and plans to make his own go at the Golden Gloves. Watching these guys train made me proud, made me nervous and made me want to spend some time with my brother. Even if he is always a bloody mess.

Sometimes you just take the picture

Another violent week in Jersey City with two more murders in Greenville. The chaos erupting in the city finds its sobering consequences the next morning in court, and crime reporter Mike Conte and I find ourselves rushing to follow up on the accused.

In another deadly shootout in Triangle Park, one teenager was left dead last Tuesday afternoon after being shot in the head. The accused shooter was quickly identified by witnesses and police, probably because he unloaded about a half a dozen bullets into the crowded urban area in broad daylight. He was brought into court on his first appearance for murder the next afternoon, Mike and I waiting nearly four hours for him to come through the system.

Finally the accused shows up in handcuffs and shorts. He looks like he was ripped out of bed and into the back of a cop car. His face is expressionless when entering and facing the judge. Now, first appearances in court can be quick, I may only get a dozen frames before they are led back into the holding cell. I take a picture of the room, the judge and prosecutor, rushing all the extra info. I refocus on the accused. I keep his expression locked in my frame, trying to find an interesting angle in a relatively dull space. Desperately, I want to make a good photo through composition and geometry.

And then I notice a tear. He begins to silently cry, trying to wipe away the tears with his shoulder because his hands are cuffed behind him. I stop thinking and just take the picture. I realized there was nothing else needed in that moment. Just stop, click and be left with your own thoughts.

For the full story by Mike Conte click here.

Sweat, Blood and Neon Spandex

Here is a frame from some NWS Wrestling last Saturday night in Kearny. Expect much more photos containing sweat, blood and neon spandex in an upcoming story.

Good Friday

A frame from today while following the masses through the Hoboken streets in the Way of the Cross Procession for Good Friday.

Click here to view the slideshow.

"This Is Everyday"

Amidst the chaos of the earlier shooting, I snapped a shot of a woman being detained by the authorities. Her story wasn't clear at the the time, but an officer said they had to detain her because she wouldn't calm down and kept trying to walk into an active crime scene. Her expression of panic, confusion and terror told the story as I saw it happen around me. People were afraid, curious and frustrated.

The woman in the photo came forward the next day, after we used the picture across the front page. She wanted to give us her name and tell us she was actually afraid that her niece had been shot and was trying to get into the park to make sure it wasn't her.

A local store owner, who would not give their name in fear of retaliation from the shooters, leaned over towards me as I took the picture. "This is everyday man. Everyday."

For the follow up story we wrote on Ms. Williams click here.

Kids Shooting Kids

Jersey City can be a violent place. This weekend a 23-year-old Jersey City man was shot execution style, only a few blocks from the Journal's offices. Yesterday day a 19-year-old was left in critical condition after someone unloaded at least 18 rounds at him. All in all, there have been seven people shot in the last five days. The first of the shootings began Thursday afternoon.

While we sat humped over computer screens in the Journal's newsroom, the crackle of panicked voices came over the police scanner. Something about a shooting in Greenville's Triangle Park, so I jumped at the opportunity to get out of the office. When I arrived on the scene, the police cars and ambulances were still ringing. Yellow tap closed off the park, with numbered cones already marking the shell casings littered everywhere. I counted at least 15. Moving around the crime scene, I noticed a young man sitting with an EMT in the park, holding his right thigh. I realized he was one of the victims shot.

I tried to get a few frantic frames amidst the police and crowd gathered around the park, climbing up on car to get an angle. Looking across the park at the victim, I never stopped to consider whether or not he was a minor. The information I got from witnesses was that the shooting was in retaliation to a prior altercation in the park. Something about the people who got shot earlier trying to hit the shooters with a brick. Considering the seriousness of the incident, I didn't see this person bleeding in the park as a minor. I couldn't see any element of youth. There certainly wasn't anything innocent left on the scene. He stared at me without a tear on his face.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio later told us he was one of two 17-year-old boys shot in the legs, while another 15-year-old girl had been shot in her stomach. All three victims refused to cooperate with authorities about their investigation into the shooting, refusing to give up the shooters. Even as the 15-year-old girl went into surgery.
To read the story click here.
To view a slideshow of all the photos click here.

Standing Together

A few frames from a recent protest I covered outside the PPG Industries chromium-tainted 16-acre site along Garfield Avenue in Jersey City. While a proposed cleanup plan for the site has finally been formed, many neighboring residents do not feel the plan is enough. About 50 community members banded together outside this bleak block of the city, standing together to make ask for more.

"This is in our backyard," said Jersey City resident and active member of her neighborhood association Madeline Hartling . "The health of Jersey City residents cannot be compromised."

For the full story click here.
For a slideshow of the images from the protest click here.

The Mayor's Fresh Kicks

During Jersey City's traditional One Block Parade for St. Patrick's Day, I caught our Irish mayor sporting some pretty fresh kicks. In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, Mayor Jerremiah Healy wore a special pair of green and orange Adidas sneakers with his suit and tie. After speaking with the owner of a local shoe store located on the block, I found out his shoes are actually a pair of limited edition Adidas Original Campus 80 House of Pain sneakers designed by the 1990's Irish rap group's lead singer Danny Boy O'Connor. The House of Pain logo is on the tongue of the shoe. Pretty fresh mayor.

More photos from the parade can viewed here.

A Thank You To Ms. Linkhorn

I wanted to thank Ms. Grace Linkhorn and her lovely family in Jersey City for sharing their story with me during last year's election. I recently found out the photo essay placed second in the 2008 NJPA Better Newspaper Contest for Feature Picture Story with a daily. Below is the winning series of images from the project, "These Hands."

Shivratri

The communities in Jersey City are beautifully diverse. This assignment sent me to Little India for just a quick stand alone picture. But with the incredible color of the story, I had to try and explore it a bit deeper. This is the Govinda Sanskar Center where many of the Hindus in Jersey City worship, a place that recently celebrated Shivratri. The experience was like walking into any crowded street and temple in India, and left me hoping to save a bit of money for a ticket out to some place still foreign.

Shivratri

Comic Con

I was lucky enough to convince one of my lovely editors to let me spend a few hours over in Manhattan and attend the 2009 Comic Con; a comic book convention with over 75,000 people. Pushing through the throngs of people, and knowing I had a limited amount of time to come back with a project, I focused on the alter egos. Many fans dressed the part and lived out the role with incredible dedication to the character. However with most of the fans walking through the convention as if they were strolling through any other part of the city, dressed in normal clothes and pushing strollers, "It just never got weird enough for me."

2009 Comic Con

A gallery from the bottom to the top

From Career Academy Art

"Not a lot of people root for these kids," Ms. Maria Rubio tells me amongst a crowd of her students. "So this is a big deal for them. They can see that they can succeed for themselves."

A gallery opening at City Hall celebrated Black History Month by showcasing the works of primarily African American and Latino students from Career Academy in Jersey City. The high school focuses on students that have problems in traditional educational systems, focusing on education plans with career preparation and contextual academics. The school tries to help refocus those students that face multiple challenges from harsh environments. Ms. Rubio tells me how she has witnessed the rough paths these kids face each day, many regularly facing drugs and violence and poverty. She tells me how some of her 18 to 16-year-old students are already parents.

One black and white picture hanging in the gallery is a blown up ultrasound of the student's girlfriend's womb, his soon to be son looking down from a wall. It is a beautiful reflection of life and transience. Most all the student's works are inward reflections, snapshots of their passing life. These self-portraits tell the stories of their lives, curious of their world and circumstance. Some pictures hint at outrage and suggest discontent.

"Yeah, I want to go to college. I want to get into music, I want to get into graphic arts and photography. I like all this," Bilial Steed says, pointing up at the high ceilings of City Hall. "But I'm just working on surviving right now."

Hard Times for the Dogs (and Cats)

In the small, but crowded city of a quarter of a million people, there is only one animal shelter. Every stray cat, dog and occasional ferret in Jersey City is brought to the Liberty Humane Society. And there are a lot of animals that need homes. I recently visited the shelter to view their very limited space and resources and see the cats are confined to cages in a single upstairs room. There are not enough beds for the dogs. And in these hard economic times, there are more and more animals are coming in.

However, the shelter is attempting to help itself with a long shot. In an online contest, the Liberty Humane Society is currently second in the rankings to win one million dollars to expand and improve their facilities. They have great reviews from anyone who has adopted from the shelter and run a wonderful facility despite limited resources. I encourage you to visit the contest online and cast a vote for Jersey City.

Click here to visit the contest and help.
And click here to read Lisa Zimmerman's story.

Citizen Journalist

Running along the Hoboken waterfront, I was one of many photographers chasing US Airways Flight 1549 as it floated down the Hudson River. Framed against the Manhattan skyline painted with the setting sun, the scene was surreal to say the least. The entire city seemed to stand still as the plight of the flight unfolded. All traffic came to a stop along the river so people could get a glimpse of the plane in the icy water. Much as we slow to down to look at a car crash, everyone seemed fixated to the could-be-catastrophe. I got my first shot of the plane from atop a firetruck stopped in the middle Park Ave. I ran up to the firefighters frantically asking if they had a view, and they let me stand with them on top of their hoses and ladders.

The shot was through thick trees and too far away for my meager equipment, but it was a start to an interesting spot news phenomena.

While I was happy with some of images I collected, I noticed something about the wealth of photos that surfaced from the incident. I raced back to the office to file a few frames for an online gallery, as The Jersey Journal published some of the very first shots of the plane in the Hudson. But as material came in from the wire, the most engaging images came from the general public shooting from camera phones. There were even photos taken from people aboard the ferry boat that was first to the plane. I was amazed the general public felt the need to document the event, eventually composing a great well of material of the whole ordeal on the Internet. The citizen journalist truly shined that day.

And I for one am thankful. Spot news takes so much dumb luck, it often feels impossible to cover these events that are over within minutes. Spot news might best be left to using the citizen with his or her iPhone, having the brilliant stroke of foresight to record these moments of history through photography. The journalist will always be there to verify and dig deeper within a story. Our focus is between the apparent action and catastrophe, examining the intricacies of the whole story.

Amongst the madness of that day, my friend and fellow Journal photographer Byron Smith photographed a student taking pictures of the plane from the Hoboken waterfront. Byron discovered the kid was actually suppose to be on that flight to Charlotte, NC, but cancelled three days prior. Now that's a journalist at work.

To read Byron Smith and Tom Shortell's story click here.
To view a slideshow of The Jersey Journal's fine photo staff's coverage click here.

Fire Leaves Us Cold

My first day back after a quick vacation, and there is a fire. There seems to be several fires each day in Jersey City, so we often wait for the number of alarms. One and two is a no-go. Three we'll listen closer. Four I'll grab my bag. And five I should already be there. This is not a five-alarm fire, but there are flames. So I grab my bag.

Jersey City firefighters are clamoring all through the three story house, the blaze still licking the back of the building. It is the first scene I have arrived on with real, orange flames. And of course I like the photo without any actual fire in it. But I do think it conveys the horrible beauty of these fires. The courage it takes to fight them, and the cold reality it leaves. No one was hurt, but the blaze left about ten adults and several children homeless two days before the new year.

Below is a slideshow by our chief photographer, Reena Rose Sibayan and myself.

Click here to read the full story by Mike Conte click here.