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Can you stomach the past?

Scott Walker August 2, 2018

I always find it so intriguing how others have all the answers on what to do, right from wrong, how you should feel vs. how you really feel, etc. I wonder how so many people know so much about others?

He was standing quietly against a wall of windows, barely audible as he asked those who smirked past him, “Do you have any change?” I failed to see even one person stop to simply ask why he needed the money.

If anyone did ask, they would learn the elderly gentleman has a place to stay, but his entire social security check went to the monthly cost. He had no money to eat. It was that simple... money to eat.

If you asked a passerby one might state, “That's what his food stamp or EBT card is for.” Then, the senior citizen might reply, “But, $15 is not enough to eat more than four meals on - if I shop for the most valuable deals.” Of course, that is only if he has a card.

It is to easy to assume you have the answers to the problems, the life obstacles, the aliments or the cures for another until you live their life both the past and the present. But, make sure you are able to stomach their past.

“Respect other people’s feelings. It might mean nothing to you, but it could mean everything to them.”
— Roy T. Bennett
In people, People Tags life, people, homeless, senior, citizen, Washington, elderly, help, struggle, struggles, sony, alpha, Scott Walker, street photography, black and white, story
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Are your eyes focused?

Scott Walker April 17, 2018

Sometimes we see things that we think are in front of us because our mind is telling our eyes what to believe.

However, we are often wrong when we judge a person for the clothing they wear, the place they call home or even the children they raise.

What we think we may see of the shaggy clothes that drape from a mans body are perhaps the only clothing he has. In seeing those tattered rags, we may come to the conclusion that he is on drugs, an alcoholic or mentally mad. While all three of those ideas could be 100% spot on, do you ever ask what caused such? 

If we stop to find out what caused madness and / or addiction and recognize them as symptoms as opposed to the main problem - then we start to understand more and see a much larger picture. Then... our eyes become focused as our imagination takes a pause. 

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
— Mark Twain
In people, People Tags people, life, street photography, TIME LIFE, struggle, struggles, portrait, Sony, Alpha
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Helping Kimberly

Scott Walker January 31, 2018

30 Year old Kimberly Lee and her family are about to lose their apartment in Murfreesboro, TN. Needless to say, she is having a tough time.

In September of 2017 she learned that she has cervical cancer. Doctors told her that she needed to be on medication and have surgery, but to date neither of the two have occurred. Kimberly explained, “It’s so expensive to get help, so I’m not dealing with it.”

She has insurance, but the co-pay is too high for her to make ends meet and pay for the treatment she needs. I asked, “Can you tell it is getting worst,” talking about the cancer. She said, “I can, because when I lay in bed at night – when I lay down – it gets worse and I cramp… everything’s just changing in my body (tears).”

She talked of her childhood and said that she was born into this world as an alcoholic with fetal alcohol syndrome. At age 14 Kimberly and her six siblings were placed into the Tennessee Foster Care system. By 15, she turned to alcohol and eventually aged out of the system only to learn how to live life on her own at 18.

Life was not easy and by 24 she was pregnant with her first child. The following years grew harder and she told me the father of her children abused her . One time was described as a living hell… “He held me down in the garage during the winter and I was naked as he poured cold water on me.” She said there were worse things that she went through as well while swallowing tears.

Twice she went through rehabilitation for addiction, but she failed to address childhood trauma and abuse as an adult. Her past likely has a direct link to her stress, depression and anxiety today.

Most recently, that anxiety got the best of her. Explaining, Kimberly stated, “I actually just got out of the hospital three days ago from having a bunch of mental breakdowns and I went and turned myself in to TrustPoint down here and I stayed for a whole week.” 

Her husband is working extremely hard each day at Nissan to make ends meet, but past medical bills, rehab, apartment rent, utilities and now a repossessed car have taken quite the toll on them. Kimberly said her husband is now paying to get rides into work each day because they lost their car. To add stress to them, an apartment eviction may leave them on the streets while searching for a new place to rent. They have to be out on Sunday (2/4/18).

Currently, her children are staying with a relative in Nashville. Remember, she does not have parents to call on for help like most of us do as she was placed into the foster care system by age 14. Her stepson in high school remains in school locally as the younger children are too young for school and are 6 or under.

I asked what people can do to help and she said,  “You know what, I don’t know – I don’t have an answer for that because I don’t really get help… I don’t get help from nobody.”  

Listen to the interview below: 


Helping Kimberly and her family: 

I had a few ideas of what could be done so I contacted a friend of mine who is a local pastor. He called some friends and now they have the money to make a deposit on a new apartment – if they can get approved for an apartment. I asked if I could name the folks who helped and with a laugh my friend responded, “Sure, tell them a bunch of folks that love Jesus and love how to believe wide open helped!”

I then turned to another friend to get help for treating her cancer, which she shared medical records with me to verify the damage that was found about 5 months ago. The friend I shared that information with just happens to have the exact same OBGYN. But, we don’t have an answer yet on IF medical help is available for her – However I hope to have information on that soon.

Counseling is something else that is needed, which I think I already have someone to call on who will be more than happy to help in a major way.

What can you offer?

  • Confirmed help with cervical cancer – Keep in mind she has insurance through Blue Cross, but no money for co-pay. So, do you know of a medical group willing to help?
     
  • Gift cards for grocery visits or restaurants would be positive.
In people, News, People Tags Kimberly Lee, cancer, cervical cancer, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Music City, life, struggle, struggles, people, Sony, Sony Alpha, Alpha, help
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Looking at what most refuse to see

Scott Walker January 24, 2018

Everyone passed her by, most refusing to make eye contact. “Sir, have you got a cigarette,” she asked one man as he shook his head and continued. “Ma’am, do you have a smoke,” she asked a woman who refused to even acknowledge someone spoke to her. Never asking for money, she only wanted to continue her love affair with nicotine.

“We lived in Las Vegas back in 1978 and left… but we came back in the mid 90’s,” she told me while sitting in her husband’s wheelchair. “This is his,” she explained while pointing to a man sitting upright against a trash can. The woman then stated, “He has no legs – lost them both due to cardiovascular disease.”

I asked her what the dried blood on her forehead was from. “I tripped and fell, busted my head wide open. No one helped me, but the paramedics,” as she went into detail she talked about the ten stitches under her cap and how she spent 15 hours in the hospital.

Why do so many turn away from unpleasant, sad or dirty? Why do some refuse to take it all in as an effort to learn what others go through? Why does a mother or father not stop and talk when being spoken to as a way to teach a child courtesy should be offered to everyone until proven wrong. Then, perhaps courtesy should be offered again and even again.

“To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.” ― Stephen R. Covey (1932-2012). Dr. Covey died 5.5 hours away from where this woman sat quietly on the streets of Las Vegas. It was a bicycle accident that took the life of Dr. Covey at the age of 80 in Provo, Utah.

In People, people Tags homeless, life, struggle, struggles, Sony, Sony Alpha, Alpha, street photography, 100 strangers, LasVegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, street, street portrait
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Addiction happens long before the injury

Scott Walker January 24, 2018

He sat quietly with his dog on a bridge over the bustling Las Vegas strip. Alone. His hat sat in front of his knee in hopes of those passing would drop a dollar to help him survive.

“I use to play professional poker,” he told me. As our conversation continued I realized it was not the poker that he lost to.

It was an accident that sent him to the hospital with a back injury. He then almost whispered as he told me that he was prescribed painkillers that he quickly grew addicted to. When the prescriptions ran out, the heroin began.

Methadone is his next step in life as he aims to get off of the heroin.

“My opinion: Opioid addiction happens because of previous trauma long before the injury that led to the prescription.”
— Scott Walker

Why do some grow addicted to drugs and alcohol while some do not? I do not know, but I can guess. That guess would be a previous trauma long before the injury.

The traumas could be any number of pains in life, from domestic violence to war. From child abuse to sex abuse. From witnessing a loved one murdered to watching a friend die a painful death. We all have our own trauma that we learn to medicate without proper help.

Once that medication wears off, the pain comes back greater than before. More detailed than first remembered. More real than reality.

“Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.”
— J.K. Rowling
In people, People Tags addiction, Las Vegas, street photography, black and white, Scott Walker, poker, Sin City, opioid, painkiller, heroin, homeless, life, struggle, struggles, Nevada
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A room of her own

Scott Walker January 24, 2018

She shares only a bedroom with a local resident, but you would think she has a palace. When she describes that room, her eyes light up like a child inside a candy store for the first time.

Previously living on the streets of what some call “Sin City,” she has a special appreciation for clean sheets and a pillow to rest her head on at night.

It is interesting... Today we can look around while standing in a crowd of 1,000 at a large church and see smiling faces from every walk of life wearing their Sunday best. But inside, we are unable to tell what they hide.

Some of those that you see daily have a past that is more painful than your past. Some are struggling with current pain that is undeniably ugly, dark and scary… but they hide it in public to an extent that you would never know. I am not talking about their sins that they participate in outside of the church walls, I am talking about pains thrown at them.

American actor Will Smith once stated, “Never underestimate the pain of a person, because in all honesty, everyone is struggling. Some people are better at hiding it than others.” Truer words have never been spoken.

In people, People Tags struggle, struggles, LIFE, people, poverty, Scott Walker, 100 strangers, street photography, Las Vegas, Sin City, Nevada, Sony, Sony Alpha, Sony Images
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Remember - No Sidelines

Scott Walker December 22, 2017

No Sidelines: If I were to put his speech into written word, it would illegible.

Perhaps it was a stroke that led to his way of communicating, but the cause is not important. However, it is important that he has not given up... ever.

What is motivational about this man is that he refuses to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of his life. He pushes a shopping cart, struggling to walk up hills while collecting cans to sell as scrap metal.

"You know I'm back like I never left
Another sprint, another step
Another day, another breath
Been chasing dreams,
but I never slept
I'm feeling glorious"

- Glorious by Macklemore


In people, People Tags people, life, fuji, fujix, x100f, Scott Walker, TN, Tennessee, struggle, struggles
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The Escape

Scott Walker December 18, 2017

I took this photo in 2014 and it remains one of my favorites. 

The look in his eyes is of a faraway place that I cannot relate. His appearance is scattered as are his thoughts. 

He stood outside of a downtown Nashville skyscraper at midnight and he told me that we were standing in a desert. 

His sandy blonde hair floated in the breeze as he went on to tell me about his spaceship and then pointed to the window of a nearby business. Inside was a computer that had a screen saver of a commercial jet on it. He said that was his spaceship.

“This is a man in need. His fear is naked and obvious, but he's lost. . . Somewhere in his darkness. His eyes wide and bleak and tortured.” ― E.L. James

In people, People Tags escape, people, life, homeless, mental illness, peoplestreet photography, struggle, struggles, Nashville, Music City, Nashville Photography, portrait, portraits
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Mom and the boys together for Christmas

Scott Walker December 16, 2017

While mom is not always there… when she is you know it. Her sons see past her homeless appearance and go straight to her heart. Thank you to those who helped make this happen, this mother and her two boys are together at Christmas.

She joked with them on the food that was donated, “What are you guys going to eat over the next five days – this is all mine.” The kids would laugh, “Nu-uhh mom – those are my Christmas Cakes (Little Debbie Christmas Trees).” The mom would then start laughing with a smile that could light the moon followed by the boys laughter.

Again, thank you to everyone who helped to put this homeless mother in a local hotel to be with her two boys. A huge thank you to Mrs. Carol Cooper Schroer's class at Siegel Elementary and Andrea Hyde Nelson and her small group for all the gifts, food and gift cards. Needless to say, this mom pictured and her boys are set for the next week for sure!

The kids, ages 10 and 11, are some of the smartest, funniest, playful boys I have ever met. They are polite and outgoing. They live in The Good Shepard’s Home, which is a great place.

"A simplified Christmas isn't about circumstances as much as it is about focus." - Ann Voskamp, author of the New York Times Bestseller, One Thousand Gifts: "A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are"

In people, People Tags mom, kids, children, people, life, love, Christmas, homeless, struggle, struggles, poverty, Murfreesboro, Scott Walker, TN, Tennessee, Sony, Sony Alpha
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Overcoming a past life

Scott Walker December 14, 2017

He was born blind in his left eye, he suffered a major car wreck while a teenager, his mother and father left him when he was a kid and he was addicted to cocaine… but is now clean and working to change the course of his life.

David Potter was born in Murfreesboro, TN and grew up in neighboring Woodbury. He spent his younger days chasing cocaine, but has been clean for 10 years now. However, a sketchy past with felonies on his record keep him from obtaining a decent job to support both he and his girlfriend. Together, the two live together in the woods.

Potter suggested that a lack of both a mother and a father growing up likely helped to contribute to his problems. The 42 year old said that he was raised by his grandmother who did the best that she could.

Below is a short 4 min interview with Potter that was recorded in his camp.

“The greatest minds are like film, they take the negatives and develop themselves in darkness...” ― Brandi L. Bates, Remains To Be Seen

In people, News, People Tags David Potter, life, struggles, street photography, Sony, Sony Alpha, people, homeless, Scott Walker, Murfreesboro, TN, Tennessee, Woodbury, poverty, addiction, cocaine
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Crime in Memphis, TN

Scott Walker October 16, 2017

61 Years old and on the streets of Memphis, Tennessee… one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. She stands just a hair over 4 feet tall, skin and bones.

The violent crime scale in Memphis rings in at 93 on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the highest. Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The U.S. average is only at 31.1

FBI Crime Data shows that Memphis was rated as being the highest crime ridden city in America, according to their 2016 statistics.

“No amount of law enforcement can solve a problem that goes back to the family.” - J. Edgar Hoover

In people, People Tags crime, FBI, TN, Tennessee, crime data, street photography, Sony, Sony Alpha, black and white, people, homeless, struggle, struggles
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Love is all you need

Scott Walker October 3, 2017

Nashville: Some pictures of “LOVE” need not be explained.

“There's nothing you can do that can't be done. Nothing you can sing that can't be sung. Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game. It's easy…

Nothing you can make that can't be made. No one you can save that can't be saved. Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time. It's easy…

All you need is love”

-Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney in 1967. Producers of a television program called "Our World" asked the Beetles to come up with a song that contained a message that could easily be understood by everyone. The band took on the project and later released, "All you need is love."

In people, People Tags Nashville, music city, love, love is all you need, people, struggle, struggles, life, street photography, no flash, homeless, Sony, Sony Images, Sony Alpha
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The name of my home planet

Scott Walker October 1, 2017

He held up the small partially painted rock in his right hand and looked at it as he stated, “This is a rock from my home planet.”

He then explained what planet he happened to be from. I could not fully understand the name, but he definitely did not say earth… it was the name of someone or something. I guess that mysterious name would be his mysterious home planet.

After the click of my shutter he disappeared into the dense crowd of downtown Nashville and into the night.

Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort, September 12, 1962:

U.S. President John F. Kennedy said in a speech about space exploration, “There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again.”

In people, People Tags space, outer space, planets, earth, people, life, struggles, street photography, no flash, Sony, Sony Alpha, A7SII
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Leaving the family behind

Scott Walker August 7, 2017

Not a political statement of right or wrong, simply an observation. Not an observation of the laws broken, but of the lives changed. 

They come to America by the thousands each year if not by more in search of better jobs so that they can send the money they earn back home to support their family. Some have kids in the Latin American countries that stayed behind while others have aging parents unable to work. 

That night before you leave your family behind in search of help to make ends meet, I can’t imagine. It would be a mixture of excitement, happiness, the fear of loneliness, the fear of failure and more. 

“She packed my bags last night, preflight
Zero hour, nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high
As a kite by then

I miss the earth so much
I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no no no
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out this fuse
Up here alone
”
-Elton John, Rocket Man, released in 1972

Photo: Man from Guatemala who now lives along a river in Nashville.

In people, People Tags Guatemala, Mexico, people, life, homeless, Nashville, Music City, struggles, street photography
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A man and his dog on Hippie Hill

Scott Walker August 6, 2017

On Friday, I went with Beesley Animal Clinic to Hippie Hill to vaccinate dogs and hand out rabies tags (for free). I should specify, I will sometimes hold the dogs still while the Veterinarian gives the shots. That is pretty much the extent of my help other than driving to the always interesting areas.

While at Hippie Hill, I ran across a man who was once homeless in Murfreesboro. He is now living on the hill and just based on my observation, he is feeling better about life because he is now in a community as opposed to living alone under a bridge or on a side street somewhere in Murfreesboro.

Hippie Hill is not for everyone, but it does offer community for the lonely, the kicked to the curb, the outcast or the lost. Community is important for those struggling in the crazy and extreme world in which we live.

According to the dictionary, community is one of two things or either both: a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. Community is also a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. To me, those are some of the most important things to have behind you as you fight to get on your feet.

For the man photographed, he said that he is an Army Veteran who talked about experiencing war time saga in the Middle East.

“My Pitbull is my service dog,” he said. While you don’t typically hear about Pitbull dogs being used as service animals he further explained, “In Nashville, they wouldn’t let me take er’ into the shelter even though it is my service animal – they even proclaimed that a Pitbull should never be a service dog.” Such a statement shows that the organization he visited does not value service animals because any breed of dog can be used as a service animal.

To be a comforting companion for the hurt, the distraught or the struggling, a service animal does not have to be specially registered to receive such a label. Service dogs have been proven beneficial in a major way for our Veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. In fact, it is well documented that such animals are proven to offer comfort to those with a long list of mental illnesses.

As for the dog photographed next to his human, that human rescued and trained the animal. That human cares for the dog and the dog offers him comfort in a major way, despite the breed that is frowned upon by some.

It is 100% true that the man photographed could apply for a registered service dog with a variety of Veterans groups or directly through the VA, but the timeline for him to receive the new animal is unclear. There is a waiting list and a number of qualifications that he would have to meet before even being eligible to receive a certified service dog. One stipulation that many groups have is that the recipient of the animal have a real address.

Like many government waters that our Veterans have to wade through to get help, the waters are not only murky, but deep to receive a service animal.

According to the VA, every request for a service animal is reviewed and evaluated for the ability to care for the animal to be given to the recipient. They also review the goals that are to be accomplished through the use of the dog, sometimes failing to understand that the dog simply offers comfort during distress or loneliness.

One of the many issues that Veterans face in receiving proper help is that after wartime, many return changed by what they saw. That change could equal alcoholism without help in the beginning. Alcoholism without help mixed with high emotions could amount to fights on civilian property, bar brawls, etc. Those actions fall into a lack of control category with resulting DUI, assault, aggravated assault charges. The domino effect then ends with a drop in rank if still enlisted which could mean less pay upon separation or perhaps even a dishonorable discharge that could equal a lack of medical benefits. Many times, that discharge comes before the service member received the proper help for what they saw while fighting for our country as enlisted to do so.

Trauma shapes the brain in a major way and in some circumstances, the brain of someone who has yet to even have a fully developed thinking process. As an example, if someone were to enlist at age 18 and see hand to hand combat at 19, that trauma witnessed will change the way they think in a major way because scientist and psychologist have confirmed that the brain continues to develop up to age 25.

In an NPR interview recorded in 2011, Dr. Sandra Aamodt stated, “The car rental companies got to it first, but neuroscientists have caught up and brain scans show clearly that the brain is not fully finished developing until about age 25.”

Now, back to the service dog… When a Veteran is dishonorably discharged they are almost instantly disqualified to receive an animal. But, if a Veteran is approved for a service dog, the Veteran is then referred to an outside agency approved by the government to provide specialized dogs. From there, the Veterans name is added to a waiting list to receive the animal.

An ADA’s ruling from 1990 will not allow for the title of “Service Animal” for just any dog. However, the ruling does not specify any particular breed, which means any dog can be titled a service dog. Of course that equals more confusion when you factor in that legally speaking, there is not a hard and fast certification required for a service animal. But, the service animal training community self regulates the standards for training a service animal.

Multiple rulings from the 1990’s show case after case where persons with service animals living in public housing won their suit allowing for them to own and have their dogs on properties that do not allow for pets.

One ruling from 1990 shows that an ESA animal or an “Emotional Support Animal,” does not have to receive any specific training to provide therapeutic benefit to an individual with mental or psychiatric disability. Another ruling that unfolded in the courts started in 1990 and ended in 1998 after a judge ruled that a property manager violated federal statutes when requiring proof from tenants that their dog had received specialized training to become a service animal (Green v. Housing Authority of Clackamas County). A ruling from 2013 suggested that a college dorm had violated a student’s rights in regards to fair housing when they would not allow for her service animal to live with her in the dorm (United States v. Univ. of Neb. at Kearney). Cases like this continue with rulings falling to the favor of the service animal owner.

So, if one man who suffers from the negative yet heroic impacts of war while fighting for his country believes and sees his animal as his service dog, then so be it. I will recognize his animal as well – just as the folks at Hippie Hill do.

“Dogs don’t rationalize. They don’t hold anything against a person. They don’t see the outside of a human but the inside of a human.” —Cesar Millan (dog trainer)

In people, People Tags service animal, dog, service dog, Sony, Sony Alpha, street photography, Alpha a7sII, Scott Walker, homeless, people, struggle, struggles, veteran, Army, war, life, TN, Tennessee, Murfreesboro, Nashville
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Sarah needs a new kidney

Scott Walker July 28, 2017

Life can throw us curve balls at times that we often don’t know how to cope with. At other times, life throws us fast pitches that are altogether too fast to catch and we feel as if everything is out of control. But not Sarah Baker, even though she is going through a lot, she seems to be taking it all in stride and with a smile.

Sarah, who lives in Smyrna, Tennessee, undergoes about four hours of dialysis three times per week. She has held onto that schedule for the past two years or longer. She needs a new kidney and she is on the list to receive one, but it takes time – a lot of it.

Listen to this 8 minute and 15 second interview of what it’s like to undergo dialysis treatment three times weekly as she waits for good news.

Of course, you could help her with that good news by calling the Vanderbilt Kidney Donation Center and volunteering to donate your kidney.

If you would like to learn how you can donate or to see if you are a match, CLICK HERE today. You can also call the Vanderbilt Kidney Transplant Center at 615-936-0695.

By the way, the costs for the donor are fully covered.

In People, News, people Tags Sarah Baker, Smyrna, TN, Tennessee, kidney, kidney donation, Scott Walker, struggle, struggles, people, life, medical help, fuji, Fujix, X100f
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Removing the past

Scott Walker July 25, 2017

ABOVE: Click to enlarge photos

Lee, who is homeless, once had a large tattoo on his forearm that read, “Member – KKK.” However, that is now covered by a cross representing Jesus and a rose representing Lee’s mother who passed away about 8 years ago.

What is even more intriguing about the KKK tattoo being covered up by a cross is that the tattoo artist is black. Dewayne, who owns Beast Mode Ink in Murfreesboro, TN said he would be proud to cover up such a tattoo for Lee. In fact, the two hit it off great. It was likely a site that would not have been seen just a few years back.

“I can’t live like this anymore,” he said while looking at the rose. He then talked about how the rose would remind him that his mother wanted him to lead a better life and the cross would re-enforce that in a major way. He went on to say, “I made my mind up being homeless, that I’ve got to change, my mother don’t want me living like this and I decided to get this hatred off of me and live for God.”

Lee said that prior to the cross being tattooed onto his arm today, “My body had hate on it.”

Lee elaborated, “The old tattoo that I had on there was hatred and this tattoo that I’ve got on here is love for my mother and the man upstairs – that’s what I wanted right there.”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

In people, People Tags hate, erase hate, people, Beastmode Ink, Beast Mode Ink, tattoo, tattoos, lif, homeless, fuji, fujiX, x100f, Fujix100f, Dewayne, Kni Dewayne, Tennessee, TN, KKK, struggle, struggles, ink, tattooist
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Domestic Violence: Like a tree, we grow

Scott Walker April 10, 2017

Like trees, we continue to grow despite the struggles we face in life. The same is true for those who are victims of domestic violence. Once the violence is in your past, you can continue growing in a positive way.

This is a photo that captures the hands of an anonymous domestic violence survivor in Middle Tennessee.

Former Social Worker Alice Walker once wrote, "In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful."

Walker, who worked as a social worker in the 1960's, took part in the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi. She also won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for her 1982 novel entitled, "The Color Purple."

In people, People, News Tags domestic violence, abuse, struggles, life, Scott Walker, Sony, Sony Alpha, Sony Images, Carl Zeiss, Zeiss, 55mm, f1.8, Tennessee, Nashville
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