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.