Camden Street Corner - Marine Ad

Camden Street Corner - Marine Ad
Originally uploaded by giftos.

This is a photo that I posted a few weeks back showing some of the advertising that I've seen in North Camden. I had commented on how this advertising is somewhat reflective of some of the issues facing Camden right now. Though I hadn't really intended this page to be much more than a forum through which I could post photos etc. some interesting dialogue has developed that some of you may be interested in. Soula and Jimmy started it off, thanks for your interest guys. Thanks too to Justin for your great comments, I appreciate your time and thoughts.

"This advertising is reflective of the challenges currently facing the city of Camden. Disillusioned and disenfranchised youth are often left with two options for survival: the military or life on Camden's drug ridden streets. The Marine Corps heavily recruits in North Camden and signs such as these can be found on numerous street corners."

Me in the Mirror

Me in the Mirror
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Here are some of my recently uploaded photos, more eclectic now than ever, presented in slide show format.

Public Housing Looms in Camden Night

Public Housing Looms in Camden Night
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Affordable housing in Camden is in both rough shape and short supply and, unfortunately, the fight to increase the supply and quality of such housing has been met with little success over recent years. Hope does exist though for the residents of Southern Jersey. The Fair Share Housing Center, directed by Peter O'Connor, Esq. and Former Jesuit Volunteer Kevin Walsh, Esq., is attempting to take this fight to the suburbs, using specific New Jersey legislation known as the Mt. Laurel Doctrine to force suburbs to follow the practice of inclusionary zoning when determining their development strategy.
This legislation essentially allows pioneers like Mr. O'Connor and crew to sue Jersey Townships and demand that affordable housing be included in all future development plans. Although they've been faced with many challenges and setbacks in this uphill battle, the Fair Share Housing Center has earned many crucial victories and has served as a point of pride for affordable housing advocates all across the country.

Salgado and Finkle

If you get a chance, check out two of my favorite concerned photographers, Sebastiao Salgado and Harvey Finkle. They have each produced a substantial body of work concerning a variety of social issues and their photos are absolutely breathtaking. In the near future, I hope to set up a meeting with Harvey Finkle to discuss his work with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, a poor people's economic movement based out North Philly. We'll hopefully be able to visit his studio as well. If I'm able to actually set up this meeting and you're interested and in the Philadelphia area, just let me know.

Photos on Flickr

Feel free to check out some of my other photos at my Flickr Site. It's an eclectic mix for sure.

Recycling?

I'm not sure if any of you have read this article written by NY Times Columnist John Tierney. The article, published in 1996, argues that the notion that recycling is a valuable endeavor happens to be one of the largest myths ever perpetuated by society and the media. Being a strong advocate of recyling, I approached this article critically. The article is certainly misleading at times and it makes comparisons that seem to offer little value to the discussion other than shock value. However, I found many of the facts presented in this article to be very disheartening and seemingly counter to much of what I'd heard before. Whether you agree with Tierney or not, this article raises many interesting concerns. Check it out if you get a chance.

The Camden 28

A documentary is being made on the "Camden 28", a group arrested in 1971 for a heroic act of civil disobedience against the Vietnam War. They were subsequently freed following jury nullification. A beautiful example of speaking truth to power. Check it out if you get a chance.

Swords to Plowshares

Swords to Plowshares
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Beautiful biblical quote near the UN building in NYC. Taken on the way to the Pax Christi Stations of the Cross, March 25, 2005.

Camden Mural

Camden Mural
Originally uploaded by giftos.

A beautiful mural located on Haddon Ave between Cooper and Market Street in Camden, NJ.

What's to come . . .

As some of you may know, I've become increasingly interested in photography of late, specifically the field known as 'concerned photography'. 'Concerned photography', which some of you may be familiar with, is a style of socially conscious photography that aims to capture images that ilicit a response from their viewer, a response which in turn compels them to some sort of positive social action. Two of my favorite 'concerned photographers' are Sebastiao Salgado, a Brazilian economist turned photojournalist, and Harvey Finkle, a Philadelphia native whose work can be found at harveyfinkle.com. I've taken quite a few photos of late and I created this blog because I wanted a forum through which I could share these photos with both my friends and family, many of whom I seldom have the opportunity to see. Given the nature of concerned photograpy, these photos will hopefully stir some dialogue concerning the relevant issues at hand. We'll see how this all turns out . . .