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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2016)
Street Roots • Feb. 26-March 3, 2016 News Page 10 Jimmy (James) Marques Jr. Park Avenue, in front of the Portland Art Museum) PHOTO BY PEDRO OLIVEIRA “Glenn” (pseudonym) Downtown Portland, Pioneer Square I met “Glenn” while waiting for the MAX. He was the first person I saw sitting there, hands in his pockets and with a faraway look. I was fascinated by his facial features and asked to take his picture. Glenn was bom in Southern Oregon and has never been anywhere outside of the state. He never got a college degree but says proudly that he has never been a vagabond either. “I worked, yes. I used to be a bartender, labor worker, lumberjack. I’ve done many things, but when one gets old and the economy crashes at the same time ...” He stops for a minute and looks away, then continues: “Not all of us are bums, you know. I don’t even drink.” Yesterday I met Jimmy (James) Marques Jr., a man With an easy smile, a skillful talker, and always using catchphrases and quotes. Jimmy was born in Missouri but lived most of his life in California because of his father’s military career. His biggest dream was to become a journalist and he even started college, but eventually dropped out. He worked in customer service for years for many hotels, but was laid off in the economic recession. He made “some mistakes” afterwards, things that prevented him from ever getting a job again, he said, leaving only the streets as an option - and once being a homeless, things only got worse. I asked him about his opinion about this barrier between the housed and the homeless. Without thinking too much, he looked at me and said: “I might not be the case, but sometimes homeless people are angels watching over you and checking your humility before reporting it to God.” ., Careful: Soul Inside Words and images by Pedro Oliveira aised by a single mother after my father died, I know well the social barriers that one faces when having the tough luck of being born among the less empowered. As a result, I’ve always been eager to elevate the voices of those who live below the radar of social standards. This past summer, I started a personal project called “Careful: Soul Inside,” showcasing the lives of real people who had plans and dreams, but for a misfortune of destiny ended up on the streets, subsistence living or in shelters. “Careful: Soul inside” is a project that envisions telling the stories of individuals and raising society’s awareness of the issue of homelessness. The idea is simple: I talk to them, hear their stories and register everything on camera. My intention is to bring more awareness about the fine line that separates people experiencing homelessness from the rest of society, and hopefully to bring down this huge social wall that often makes some people practically invisible. - Pedro Oliveira a Dale Portland State University I didn t have the chance to talk with Dale for more than 5 minutes, but he was with a friend who he claimed to be his only company and his best friend. Dale was homeless, but since he wasn’t really comfortable with me asking questions I decided to only take pictures. PHOTO BY PEDRO OLIVEIRA See SOUL INSIDE, page 11
