While most Angelenos consider Skid Row to be the most treacherous and dicey neighborhood in the city, for Suitcase Joe – it’s the most inspirational.
Joe has been a street photographer for nearly five years, capturing the grit and spirit of the 4.31- mile district with a portfolio of almost 20,000 photos. There’s a consistent theme present evident in his pictures – a sense of community.
Skid Row currently has a population of about 5,000 homeless residents with extreme limits on material belongings. Joe finds people with so little often live in the present moment more than any meditating or “transcendent yogi” living anywhere else in LA.
His photos exhibit an uncommon sense of authenticity and soul-shot in all black and white; every face tells a meaningful story.
Although not a proper downtown inhabitant, he’s been adopted as a local over the years. He’s well respected in the neighborhood – they’re gracious for his philanthropy and devotion to their individual stories. All of his subjects receive compensation, and 100% of his profits from his art shows go back into Skid Row.
Suitcase Joe often gets asked if he’s run into any precarious situations, and although it is rare, he’s had a few close calls. Once, he was photographing a young woman and was run off by her pimp. From time to time, he hears shots fired, but for the most part, he finds the people are resourceful, non-judgmental, considerate, and sincere with their word.
The good outweighs the bad, “They don’t have anything to hide or anywhere to hide it. Some of them are ex-CEO’s, had a bad divorce, or their companies went bankrupt- it can happen to anybody.”
City officials are in constant negotiations to clean up the streets, but the truth is the housing crisis is only getting worse.
Gentrification often leads to those without a home pushed into other neighborhoods, rather than solving the problem itself.
Just scrolling through Joe’s Instagram page, the level of commitment he has to these people is indisputable. He conveys their individuality, intelligence, creativity, and compassion for one another. Most of us fail to view Skid Row in a positive light; however, there is a great deal we can learn from the people of LA’s most reduced section of town.
If more Angelenos were to treat these people the way Suitcase Joe does, as equals and essential contributors to our community, we might start to see significant changes made.
Check out more of his groundbreaking photography on his IG- @suitcase_joe
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