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