The Peabody Hotel

The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN originally opened at the intersection of Main and Monroe in 1869. 56-Years later, the hotel had outgrown their location and owners had their eyes focused on something bigger and more magnificent, which led them to the current location at 149 Union Avenue.

As the years passed the economy suffered, as did the hotel. However, Belz Enterprises still saw the hotel in all its magnificence and decided to buy it in 1975. The company spent millions of dollars in renovations, which can be seen today in every angle both inside and out.

While Walking in Memphis

“When you expect nothing from the world – not the light of the sun, the wet of water, nor the air to breathe – everything is a wonder and every moment a gift.” Michael J. Sullivan (writer)

"I was in Desert Storm," he told me - "Marines." The man then saluted me during our brief conversation. He explained that he has been living on the streets for about 9-months, "It's been tough."

He didn't ask for anything, but we offered him a warm meal at a nearby restaurant, a shopping expedition at a local market, cash... but he refused all. Before we knew it, he slipped away into the night with the sound of another man asking him for a lighter.

Downtown Memphis, TN at about 9PM on a Thursday.

#leica,#streetphotography,#ScottWalker

Step inside for Sales 101

The mid afternoon slack, but if someone steps inside... it's on!

He has your favorite Popsicle, tourist books and maps of Jerusalem in multiple languages. Soda galore and even free wifi to entice the customers to enter. A small sitting area inside has your traditional plastic chairs that fold under American weight and more.

During the slower times of the day the sales speech increases while the customer base decreases. In America, that is opposite as part time teens use the slower portions of the day to SnapChat, post Instagram selfies and more. Part time in Jerusalem? Ha... What's that?

Step right in and I guarantee you will be sold something. If not, you will be block in for conversation about marketplace, the Old City and the age of the structures. But, if you just make that one purchase of a drink or a map, you will be out the door a little quicker.

But when it is busy... It is busy. Basiclly, it's GO TIME!

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“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.”

— Sam Levenson

Shelbyville, Tennessee on October 28, 2017

My pictures and the environments I deliberately place myself in are often not my views on life. The setting is many times an uncomfortable place.

Shelbyville, Tennessee on 10/28/17: Do young men like these that include in one photo of a person who appears to be a boy standing like Hitler and wearing a fake mustache - understand the Holocaust? I would venture to guess no. I would go as far as stating that most have no idea what really occurred in Germany and because of that I look at them with sadness as do many others as opposed to anger.

This type of action would be like mocking the attacks on innocent children at Columbine High School where an April 20, 1999 school massacre left 15 dead and 24 injured along with countless others to face mental illness for the remainder of their lives. Of course, the mocking seen in these photos that are filled with hate, are much more devastating because of what they represent.

In these photos I see smiles as hate is yelled.

Holocaust Facts:

• Over 1.1 million children died during the Holocaust.
• The most intensive Holocaust killing took place in September 1941 at the Babi Yar Ravine just outside of Kiev, Ukraine, where more than 33,000 Jews were killed in just two days. Jews were forced to undress and walk to the ravine’s edge. When German troops shot them, they fell into the abyss. The Nazis then pushed the wall of the ravine over, burying the dead and the living.
• Between 1933 and 1945, more than 11 million men, women, and children were murdered in the Holocaust. 
• Over one million people were murdered at the Auschwitz complex
• Those who survived Dr. Josef Mengele’s experiments were almost always murdered and dissected. Many children were maimed or paralyzed and hundreds died.
• Between 1933 and 1945, more than 11 million men, women, and children were murdered in the Holocaust.
• Between 1933 and 1945, more than 11 million men, women, and children were murdered in the Holocaust.
• Over one million people were murdered at the Auschwitz complex.
• The soldiers who patrolled and operated concentration camps were known as Totenkopfverbande, or “Death’s Head” detachments. They wore skull-and-crossbones insignias on their uniforms to reflect their namesake.
• Those who survived Dr. Josef Mengele’s experiments were almost always murdered and dissected. Many children were maimed or paralyzed and hundreds died.
• During the Holocaust, the Nazis looted everything they could from their victims, including wedding rings, watches, precious stones, and eyeglasses.
• Children of African-German origin and the mentally or physically handicapped were surgically sterilized, often brutally.
• Thousands of infants and babies were killed by Nazis before their births could be recorded.

Almost a fight

At a rally, ordinary people may do unordinary bad things. While that may sound grim, it is quite true.

Take for example, this man with the beard. He was preaching and on a roll. Word after word about how this is bad verses this is good.

Regardless of what “This” maybe about, ordinary people around him started to criticize his words. The criticism grew louder and louder as some criticism turned into challenges of fighting.

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One young man stepped before him and invited him to throw the first punch with a slew of words that most would not want our children to hear. As the challenge grew, others in the crowd encouraged the punching as if that was all of a sudden okay to do in society.

Another man stood directly in front of him as well - expecting a fight to take place. However, no fight occurred as the older man had no intention to strike, only to speak and be heard.

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If you simply slowed your anger and listened to the words of the older man, you recognized that he spoke out of a troubled past and just wanted to be heard. He talked about living on the streets while being homeless in Nashville. He talked about murderers and how some in the crowd know of dark secrets, but have yet to admit to them. It was obvious to some that he spoke out of sadness in his past and instead of accepting his words, others felt attacked by them although they were not directed at any one person.

Actions of one following the crowd happen quickly and turn into group violence’s and rioting. That of course explains the psychology behind the show of a strong police presence at such an event. Regardless of the cost to produce such force, it is sometimes necessary to deescalate a situation before it has the water to grow.

During rallies like the one held in Murfreesboro and Shelbyville on October 28, 2017, you could easily witness ordinary everyday people break out of their norm and say things they normally would not say. They may not realize it or admit it, but those in attendance had the potential to do great harm while following the masses in large groups.

Following the masses in social psychology is called Deindividuation. It is the loss of identity or self-awareness, usually in a group setting. People lose self-awareness and feel less responsibility of ones’ actions. An example would be a riot where all present mindlessly follow along. This can easily trap good people and convince them to follow along in beatings, vandalism, stealing and even murdering.

A similar word used in psychology is emotional contagion. Emotional contagion is the tendency to feel and express emotions similar to and influenced by those of others; also, the phenomenon of one person’s negative thoughts or anxiety affecting another’s mood.

Actions, challenges, sarcastic replies or strong words by someone who may normally be viewed as wise will make them look like a fool in protest settings. Especially when challenging someone to a duel whereas that same person would never do such in a typical setting.

"It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own." - Cicero, Roman politician, lawyer, orator, and writer. (106 BC - 43 BC)

The Star of David

What is often referred to as the Star of David is traditionally a Jewish symbol, but is also called or used as the Seal of Solomon, usually when it is encircled by a thin line in Islam. It is also called the Shield of David.

The star had grave meaning during the Holocaust as the Nazis used it to identify Jews, which is one reason it is often seen by those with opposing views at rallies that include White Supremacist, as captured in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on October 28, 2017.

It has been said to represent the shape of King David's shield, which stood for protection and force when needed. It is also a symbol thought to bring good luck by some of those in the Middle East.

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” ― Anne Frank

He plays the French Harp

Rick is from Syracuse N.Y., but later moved to Kentucky for the local university in Richmond where he says he taught up until computers were brought in as teaching devices.

“How old do you think I am,” he asked me. I did not know where to start guessing, which he could obviously tell as he blurted out, “71, No one believes me.”

He told me about his love for music and said, “I play the French Harp.” Surprised I asked, “You have a harp… Like a giant gold leafed harp?” He smiled and laughed… “They call the harmonica the French Harp. It is a name that dates well before your time.”

“How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our fears, our highest aspirations?” ― Jane Swan, former Professor of History at West Chester University in Pennsylvania (1925-2010)

The relax after the ride

“A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it anywhere” - Easy Rider

Farm life in the 2000's

Life on the outskirts: In Conyers, Georgia, a family lives on a small farm that looks like farms once looked to me in the movies. Quaint, with a cluttered front porch full of their treasurer's that others fail to value. This happened to be one such farm that I was able to capture.

Conyers, Georgia is near Covington, GA, where most episodes of the Dukes of Hazard were filmed many years ago. Sometimes those episodes would spill over into Conyers, which is only a stone's throw away.

Today, much of Covington and Conyers still look the same, when compared to that first episode of The Dukes of Hazard in 1979.

"There's trouble and then theres trouble and the trouble with some trouble is at first...it dont look like trouble." -Waylon Jennings

Isla Mujeres

While the population is fairly small, so is the island. 

The area is called Isla Mujeres, which is Spanish for “Island of Women.” Evidently, the island was sacred to the Maya goddess of childbirth and medicine. 

The exact measurement of the small island in the Caribbean Sea is 4.3 miles long and 2,130 feet wide. It is home to about 12,600 residents. The Island of Women is 8.1 miles off the Yucatan Peninsula coast. 

For Cubans trying to get into the United States, this small island is one of their first stopping points to rest. If they make it to the island, they only have to take a ferry to the Mexican mainland. From there, Cubans travel through Mexico in hopes of reaching the US border and then crossing. 

This is one of the 12,000+ residents on the island.

Larry the Hitchhiker

I don't always have my camera with me, but the days I don't are the days that interesting things occur. That's why I at least have my phone. 

This afternoon Marty Luffman and I headed to Nashville to hand out about 10 or 15 tents to those who lost theirs in the recent flooding. While passing through LaVergne we saw a man hitchhiking down Murfreesboro Road. So of course we stopped to offer him a ride. 

Larry couldn't get into my truck because it too high for his frail 68 year old body. So, I did what anyone would do. I literally picked up Larry the hitchhiker and put him in the back seat. 

As we started to drive towards Nashville I noticed the tears running down his sun weathered face. I asked what was wrong and he quietly whispered, "Everything." 

Marty and I took Larry with us to multiple homeless encampments so that he could have the pleasure of being a part of the positiveness. At each stop he would roll down his window never saying a word. Homeless persons receiving a tent would then thank Larry, which was awesome to see a slight smile as his words were few and far in between.

Later, we took Larry to McDonalds in the area of Gallatin Pike where he needed to be... With a BigMac in hand he pointed at an apartment complex behind McDonalds and uttered the words, "That's where I have to be." 

#mcdonalds, #nashville, #bigmac, #android, #Galaxys7

In the doorway

Tucked away on the doorsteps to a closed office building in Mexico City he is at a place that he considers to be home. The building is vacant, other than his watchful eye next to the large glass doors that have not been opened in years.

"Being homeless is like living in a post-apocalyptic world. You're on the outskirts of society.
 - Frank Dillane, English actor

Alone and Alive

He was in the Navy while living on the West Coast, but later found his way to Clarksville, TN and then to Johnson City and eventually jumped to Nashville where he has lived for the past year.

He lives by himself secluded in the woods and away from people. “I don’t like people,” he told my friend Jerry and I, “I don’t socialize,” he said, but evidently loved conversation with us after we brought him a large pizza and a new sleeping bag.

We sat with him in the woods where he described the beauty around him. “Over there [pointing], I see deer and I can get almost close enough to pet them. [Pointing] There I see fox almost every night.”

Vincent rarely tells people his name and most call him “Guitar man.” Some of those who work in Nashville guitar shops call him “Three Sting Vinny,” because he often has broken strings.

“When I had a friend living with me, an old man, we would stay up all hours of the night listening to the Opry on the radio (Talking about the Grand Old Opry out of Nashville).” “I started to realize that I cared for him when he was not at the camp, I worried when he was gone,” he told us suggesting that he is all human and alone.

“Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence.” ― Guitarist Robert Fripp

Wasting time on a Sunday

Wasting time...

“Time is the longest distance between two places.” ― Tennessee Williams (1911-1983), American Playright

59 and Sober on the Streets of Music City

One man, alone from Michigan living in the woods with nine others who were at first strangers and now are friends is battling sobriety.

He is 59 and has been sober for a total of nine months thus far. He said at first, he was shaking all the time, but that has since passed. Now, he is starting to feel what normal is supposed to feel like.

He came to Nashville after growing tired of his family, he told me while outside at a busy intersection. “They drank all the time and always argued,” he said. Alcohol can often lead to heightened arguments that are needless while sober.

“That's all drugs and alcohol do, they cut off your emotions in the end.” - Ringo Starr

The Music Maker

Todd Willard writes music and lives on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. He told me the song he is working on now is titled, “My Old Friend.”

Todd’s home is a park bench on Music Row, across the street from a recording studio where he recorded his song, thanks to the help of a friend in the business.

“They hit me over the head and I don’t remember much else,” he told me when describing a recent attack that he was the victim of.

He pulled his hair back after removing his cap, “See right here, that is where they busted my head open – I was lucky to live through it,” he told me while describing what occurred.

They never caught the person or persons who jumped Todd, but he survived and I bet a new song is in there somewhere.

“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” ― Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Poems of Arthur O'Shaughnessy

Only One Eye

He told me that he was originally from Chicago, but came to Nashville for a job and never had the means to leave after losing the employment. His long stay started over ten years ago.

“Nashville’s a rough place,” he told me while describing a robbery that occurred in downtown Nashville. “They jumped me,” he said with an irritating look on his face.

As we talked more he pointed to his empty eye socket, “I lost my eye last year. It started out as an infection and when I went to the hospital they gave me eye drops and then sent me on my way. It turned out to be a staph infection and by the time I returned to the hospital a second time, the pain was unbearable. So, I lost my eye.”

His goal is to someday return to Chicago to be with his son and grandchild. “My son looks and talks just like me,” he said with a laugh. “He’s a carbon copy of me,” he suggested.

Carded for alcohol

The sun beats down on his leathery face as he keeps his hands in his pockets to keep his jeans in place while he walks slightly hunched. It is clear to see that he walks with pain in every step as if the soles of his feet are raw. His hair is gray and wiry and when he talks he keeps one eye slightly clinched.

His meals sometimes come from trashcans in downtown Nashville on a Friday night. Tourist are quick to throw away a half-eaten sandwich, which becomes his dinner at times.

“The government passed that law so they card ya’ up until you're 105 years old now,” he told me. I laughed and responded, “Well, you don’t look anywhere close to 105.” He shook his head and said, “But, I can’t buy a drink cause I don’t have ID.”

“My life was a wandering; I never had a homeland. It was a matter of being constantly tossed about, without rest; nowhere and never did I find a home.” - Jan Amos Komenský, a Czech philosopher (1592-6170)