Standing Guard in Murfreesboro, TN

Standing Guard in front of the Murfreesboro Police Department: Since the FBI warned of police killing ‘purges,’ local citizens are becoming more concerned about the safety of men and women in blue.

As of Monday (7/11/16), a direct threat against law enforcement in Tennessee has not been made. But, that is not stopping an armed Tennessee Army National Guard Specialist from standing guard in front of the Murfreesboro Police Station for the next 24 to 48 hours.

Specialist Will Ray told me that after talking to a Murfreesboro Police Officer who told him about the so called purge, he and several friends decided to start “Operation Blue Streak.”

Specialist Ray stood in front of the Murfreesboro Police Headquarters Monday to protect and look out for the men and women in blue.

I asked him what he was armed with and he told me, “Well, I’m a medic with the field artillery unit, so um, pretty much I’m just in my regular fatigues, my load bearing vest with my medical gear, I’ve got my medical bag in the car and my Ruger .40 with me.”

The Tennessee National Guard was not as enthusiastic about the idea as Specialist Ray was on Monday. They ordered him to stand down when they found out about it.

The Guard released a statement that read, "He was not called up by the Governor. He was acting out of his own accord and his unit has been notified. He has also been notified that he cannot do this as a representative of the Tennessee National Guard. If he still chooses to do so out of uniform, then that is up to him." 

Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL

What was once an active night scene is now a memorial for 49 victims. There was overwhelming sadness in Orlando outside the Pulse night club in Florida.

Tonight, I saw parents crying, brothers and sisters shaking almost uncontrollably, visitors walking quietly in disbelief and others unsure of how to act or react.

It appeared as if some visitors have been to the scene of the terrifying massacre every night for the past two weeks.

While mourners stopped to pray together, complete strangers would walk up to someone crying and place their arms around them in comfort. This was true of those who may have been gay, straight, white, black, Hispanic or other. Everyone was truly holding each other together.

Officers respectfully stood to the side carefully watching over the area, which is still an active crime scene.

A large chain link fence covered in black canvas surrounds the outside walls of the club that stands silent tonight and likely permanently.

"The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less." - Vaclav Havel

Dark Subject, Dark Composition

As with anything, there are rules in photography and rules in life. The rules in life are often hard facts whereas photography, an art, has rules that are loose.

Typically, I don’t aim for dark pictures, but some subjects and locations call for it. I felt this was one that called for it. Striking a balance between light and dark are usually important, but sometimes the darkness can illustrate the true darkness of the subject, a problem or the future.

The Photo:

In this photo, after someone called 911, the man tried to explain how sober he was to police and paramedics. The Metro Officer gave him a choice of the hospital or jail. After the man thought wholeheartedly about the two choices, he picked the hospital.

Prior to police arriving he fell over the edge of a wall, hit his head and then stumbled over to a set of steps leading down to the edge of the Cumberland River and passed out.

Police and rescue spend a considerable amount of time on intoxication calls. Officers often give the choice of a hospital visit or a jail visit in order to allow someone time to sober up or even seek help. The reasoning, is the fear of someone accidentally harming themselves just as this gentleman proved was likely. Of course not on purpose, but on accident.

Public Intoxication:

The FBI National Crime Report annually lists over 1,500,000 arrests for public intoxication. Of course, not all agencies report total statistics to the FBI.

Auto Vehicle Accidents:

An analysis of alcohol dependence among trauma center patients found that the prevalence of alcoholism was substantially higher among vehicular crash victims and other trauma patients than among the equivalent general population group. More than half of trauma patients with a positive BAC at the time of the trauma were diagnosed as alcoholics. – SOURCE: "Alcoholism at the Time of Injury Among Trauma Center Patients: Vehicular Crash Victims Compared with Other Patients,# Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 29, No. 6, 1997.

Crime and Alcohol:

Among the 11.1 million victims of violence each year, 1 in 4 were certain that the offender had been drinking before committing the crime. – U.S. Dept. of Justice

About 1 in 5 alcohol-related incidents involved a weapon other than the offender’s hands, feet, or fists. – U.S. Dept. of Justice

About a third of all convicted inmates in local jails described themselves as having been daily drinkers at the time of the offense. – U.S. Dept. of Justice

Alcohol and College:

Death: It is possible that more than 1,800 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol- related unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes -Hingson et al. 2009

Roughly 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder in a given year (8 percent alcohol abuse, 13 percent alcohol dependence). -Blanco et al. 2008

95% of all violent crime on college campuses involves the use of alcohol by the assailant, victim or both. – National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

Drinking Underage:

Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, and cost the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs in 2010. –Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Treatment Vs. Criminal:

One study found that each dollar spent on substance abuse treatment saved $5.60 in terms of fewer arrests, incarcerations, food stamp use, and less child welfare and medical costs. In other words, if $75,000,000 were spent on public intoxication arrests last year, then $13,392,857.14 could have been saved and utilized for treatment. . – National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

“A man who drinks too much on occasion is still the same man as he was sober. An alcoholic, a real alcoholic, is not the same man at all. You can't predict anything about him for sure except that he will be someone you never met before.” ― Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye

Yoga Mixed with Sleep at Bonnaroo

Bonnaroo 2016 in the morning, a mixture of sleeping and Yoga. 

"Everybody seems to wonder
What it's like down here
I gotta get away
from this day-to-day
running around,
Everybody knows
this is nowhere."

- Neil Young, Everybody Knows this is Nowhere

The Closest Thing to Woodstock for This Generation

Sleeping... It was a big thing after a day/night of concerts.

Bonnaroo is perhaps the closest thing to Woodstock that this current generation will ever witness. The crowd was approximately 50,000 this year in Manchester, TN. In the past, upwards of 80,000 music lovers gathered.

"But when I played Woodstock, I'll never forget that moment looking out over the hundreds of thousands of people, the sea of humanity, seeing all those people united in such a unique way. It just touched me in a way that I'll never forget." - Edgar Winter, Age 69.

You may recall the rocker, along with his older brother Johnny, were born albino. When he played at Woodstock in 1969 his band was called “The Edgar Winter Group.”

Woodstock drew a crowd of 400,000 fans in 3 days. Of course back then, there was no social media to propel the event that included 32 acts.

Leaving Bonnaroo by foot

Leaving Bonnaroo 2016 may be the hardest part for some. Saying goodbye to an imaginary world of music, peace and love can be tough, I would imagine. The late nights and early mornings in song can be relaxing at times, and motivating when you don't feel like moving. 

As I drove away I saw people hitchhiking and asking for rides. Where they all came from, we will never know. Did they all get along, mostly. 

“Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” ― Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005)

Music brings all together

"I'm from Florida," he told me on Sunday. "I got here at 3AM on Wednesday... It was really, really great," he continued as he took his Gatorade bottle shower. He then talked about the concerts, the cinema, the people and how they all got along.

"Music is the expression of the movement of the waters, the play of curves described by changing breezes." Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

The Wall of Dreams

There was a wall inside Bonnaroo where people would write their dreams.

Some of the items...

"Meet my biological mother"
"Travel the world"
"Find the Love of my Life"
"Blow Millions"
"Ride on a Unicorn"
"Start a Business"
"Play Music Everyday"
"Have Sex on a Plane"
"Have a Baby"
"Play Music for People" 
"Express Sans Fear" or Express Without Fear

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
-Harriet Tubman

Bonnaroo on Closing Day

Bonnaroo comes to a close today (6/12/16) and I have met a variety of people. Everyone from lawyers to recent high school graduates are in Manchester, TN to attend the musical event. It is a very diverse crowd at the 700 acre farm.

On Sunday, you find people asleep everywhere. In some areas, it is necessary to step over people in certain camping areas.

It is not uncommon to see someone in their birthday suit bathing in the water fountains, rinsing off days of dirt and stench. Needless to say, some areas smell worse than others.

And yes, this guy was breathing.

Bonnaroo Facts (They do surveys):

• During the event, high fiving is something that everyone does. In fact, 42% of Bonnaroo goers report that they high fived 101+ people over the weekend.
• The most used social media app at Bonnaroo was FaceBook followed by SnapChat and the third most used app was Instagram.
• 26.6% of Bonnaroo goers report finding love at Bonnaroo while 73,4% did not.
• 60% of Bonnaroo fans say the most important thing to do at the event is to "Radiate Positivity."
• As far as politics go, 80.5% of music lovers at Bonnaroo plan to vote in the presidential election while 19.5% don't plan on voting.
• 22.3% of festival goers have never been to Tennessee before, until this year.

Bonnaroo 2016

Bonnaroo 2016. 

The High Five

After your vehicle is searched (not all, but mine) and you make it into the sacred Bonnaroo grounds, a line to get into the performance area awaits you.

High fives are a requirement at Bonnaroo 2016. If you don’t slap a hand in front of you, you may be looked down upon.

For any OCD friends out there, I doubt you would want to know the back story of where some of the hands have been prior to the high five.

Standing Tall

I never aim to be political, I simply try to gather stories through photograph.

Whether you agree or disagree with the suggestion of the Sheriff of Rutherford County stepping down in light of the recent indictments handed down by the Federal courts after an FBI investigation, it takes gumption to stand out above your colleagues and make a request for a public official to step down. It takes courage to stand out and do what you believe to be right.

This morning, lone Rutherford County Commissioner Pettus Read made a request for Sheriff Robert Arnold to step down or resign as the lead law enforcement officer in the county. Sheriff Arnold is facing a maximum of up to 95 years in prison if convicted.

This is a photo from the event this morning on the steps of the Rutherford County Courthouse. In his left hand, a county commission handbook.

Me and Wrestling? Hmmm

I attended a wrestling match and it was good entertainment. The event was held at the National Guard Armory in Murfreesboro, TN. 

One of the older fans in the crowd told me that he has enjoyed wrestling for the past 70-years. When I asked him who his all-time favorite was he responded, “Johnny Valentine.”

In the Golden Era of wrestling from the 1940’s to the 1960’s, Valentine alternated between being a villain in some matches and a hero in others. His wrestling career ended in 1975 when he broke his back in a plane crash. Valentine died due to health complications in 2001.  

The event was part of the Arcadian Wrestling Association, owned by Leah Hulan (former Ms. Tennessee).

“When I was a kid at four years old, that's when I started amateur wrestling with my dad and family. And when that's instilled in you, it never goes away.” - Dwayne Johnson

The General Jackson

The famous General Jackson Showboat in Nashville goes up and down the Cumberland River on a regular basis. It has long represented Music City and is somewhat a museum piece. The riverboat has a full stage and auditorium inside with shows that are sometimes scheduled three times a day.

The views from the massive boat are none other than amazing if you love water and the picturesque shores of Nashville. But, how much do you know about the boat?

The name “General Jackson” came from a riverboat that was built in 1817 and named after Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States (1829-1837).

Jackson was born in the South Carolina area in 1767. By the age of 13, Jackson was captured by British troops during the American Revolutionary War. At the time of capture, Jackson was a courier. The capturing of the young boy likely gave him perspective later in life as he was said to have been mistreated by the British before being let go. Not much has been written about that mistreatment so the extent is unknown.

Jackson went on to become a lawyer and elected to hold a Congressional Office in the House of Representatives and twice holding office in the U.S. Senate.

In 1801 he called Tennessee home and was appointed as Colonel of the Tennessee militia. He was quite wealthy at the time and owned what we call today, the Hermitage Plantation. Hundreds of slaves were owned by Jackson.

He became famous during the War of 1812, which was a time where he defeated the men who troubled him as a youth… The British. During the Battle of New Orleans Jackson and his troops had an overwhelming victory over the main British Invasion Army.

Jackson later ran for president in 1824 and won.

Back to the boat named General Jackson that travels up and down the Cumberland River today (2016)… The boat was built for Opryland Theme Park in 1985. When the theme park closed in 1997, the boat remained active and is still an attraction today.

The boat is 77 feet tall and has a 7 foot deep draft. It is 274 feet long and 63 feet wide. It can hold 1200 passengers and has a crew of 157 men and women. Its top speed is 13 miles per hour. All of those numbers are quite impressive for a riverboat.

The massive riverboat is powered by two Caterpillar diesel engines and two General Electric 600 horsepower electric motors that push a 36 foot wide paddlewheel.

The boat is docked outside of Opry Mills. The river is about 15 to 25 feet deep where the Jackson is moored. The average roundtrip for tourist in the boat is only 14 miles. However, the Cumberland River has 381 miles of navigable waters from Kentucky to the Ohio River.

"I was born for a storm, and a calm does not suit me." – Andrew Jackson 

Stage IV Colon Cancer may slow some down, but not Shela

A friend to the community passed away on Tuesday night. Shela Moffett-Fabri will be remembered by many for multiple reasons.

Shela Moffett-Fabri with Rion Flowers and Gifts in Murfreesboro, Tennessee had stage four colon cancer. She had been battling the disease for the past three years. Despite her situation, she never gave up and actually encouraged others to do more.

One of the many things that Shela did in recent years was the organizing and hosting of a giant soccer tournament to help multiple people who are up against the fearsome word of cancer. The fundraiser called “Kicking Cancer Mid-TN” was geared towards helping people financially that have costly treatment bills in front of them while out of work.

Why Soccer?

Shela was a big fan of soccer and was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. Moffett-Fabri played soccer in the 1990's at the Lees-McRae College in North Carolina. She later graduated in 1993 and appeared in 61 women's soccer matches during her time at LMC.

According to the College, the Bobcats were a dominant force with her on the team as they produced a 63-17-1 record. Moffett-Fabri scored a pair of goals, including one game-winner while producing seven assists.

Prior to college, Shela attended Oakland High School in Murfreesboro where she graduated in 1989.

Alumni of the Month:

In 2015 she was named the Alumni of the Month and an article highlighting Shela stated... "Shela currently lives in Tennessee and has been married 19 years to Keith Fabri. “I have an amazing husband who is my rock. In August, I was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer (which spread to my lung, liver and lymph nodes) and my husband has been a trooper for my family. I have a little boy, Augee, and he is nine years old and all boy! I have two step children in their twenties and two step grandchildren (Alex, 8 and Christian, 6 months).”

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Life on the street can be violent

An attempted machete attack took place this past March in a Murfreesboro homeless camp, according to a police report (MPD Incident Report 16-5895, A). That being said, being homeless is not exactly easy.

When homeless, you deal with a wide variety of people with a myriad of problems. Some problems are not exactly big while others are more than the average person could even begin to grasp.

A few people who are on the streets simply lost a job and prior to the job loss, they were living paycheck to paycheck. Others have untreated mental health issues.

Some who have undiagnosed mental illnesses were once living with family that could no longer tolerate the living arraignment. Others on the street were abused as children and never got the proper counseling to learn how to deal with the flashbacks they now face daily. Drugs and alcohol and even prostitution to fund the addictions is not unheard of in many situations.

Now, back to the reported attack involving victim George Brewer… he said that suspect Chad Jones is now on the run after the incident.

According to the initial police report, 34-year Jones allegedly went to the campsite of Brewer and began yelling at him. Evidently, Jones woke up the victim who said he was scared for his safety when Jones was said to have tried attacking him.

The report stated that 43 year old Brewer told Jones that he was calling the police, which is when Jones reportedly picked up a machete that was at the campsite. Brewer says that Jones started swinging the machete at him and he feared for his life. While moving away from Jones, the victim fell into his tent. Police say they observed two cuts on the tent that were alleged to have been caused by the swinging machete.

Brewer told me on Friday (5/13/16) that he was able to grab a hook knife and slice Jones in the middle of the incident. The injuries were likely bad, but not bad enough to keep Jones from fleeing before police arrived.

Jones has a long criminal history that includes charges of driving on a revoked license and vandalism to multiple domestic assault convictions and numerous aggravated assault convictions.

Warrants for aggravated assault and vandalism were obtained for Jones, but he has not been apprehended.

Cancer Sucks

At age 45, most of us think about life, seeing our grandchildren in the future, running errands, etc. However, life does not always stream along like the perfect script from a Leave It To Beaver show. At 45, many are worried about what to wear to dinner or what to cook. Again, that is something that some don't have the good fortune to think about. In other words, some question if they will survive today or tonight. 

Tanya lives in a small motel room located in Nashville. Outside of her room a man was shot several days ago. Down the street, a similar incident unfolded in a restaurant parking lot. Drug dealers and pimps knock on her motel door almost nightly thinking they have the right room, but they don’t. The rent is high and rings in at close to $350 per week. During a four week month she pays over $1,400.

Looking back she told me about her childhood in Nashville. Opryland was once a vibrant part of Nashville life and every child dreamed of being a country singer while walking through the heavily treed park with paths lined with over-sized guitars. Tanya was one of those kids.

As a six year old in 1977, Tanya had her first chance to perform at Opryland. She sang on the stage and that event led her to many other singing and even acting engagements throughout her life.

At 16, she was asked to be on Hee Haw. For those who are not from the South, Hee Haw was a popular TV series that first started in 1969. However, after filming an episode with her in it, the episode was cut because she was pregnant at the time. The producer told her it was a “Family” show and that a pregnant teen would not fit in. Life went on.

Tanya has been an extra in several movies, sang with Carl Tipton from Murfreesboro and even raised several children. She doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke and does not use drugs. She simply suffers from a complicated disease that is taking over her 45 year old body. Unable to work, she eventually found herself living in a motel.

Several years ago a visit to a Dickson, Tennessee medical facility led to doctors finding what appeared to be stage four breast cancer. Shortly after the discovery, a biopsy was performed during which the surgeon accidentally punctured a lung. However, that was not confirmed until about 12 hours later. Tanya told me that she told the doctor she was not feeling good prior to being discharged, but they sent her home anyway.

Soon after being rushed back to the hospital and undergoing surgery, she learned that she had lung cancer in addition to breast cancer. Fights with TNCare insurance soon followed as she sought help to battle her disease.

Tanya is a fighter and has the drive to survive. She has turned down help from Hospice as she talked to me about her future in her small and crowded motel room on Sunday night.

Tanya stated, “We found that there is a great facility in Columbia, Tennessee and they work well with my current insurance. It is called the Maury Regional Medical Center, but I have problems getting rides there to seek help. Rides that are set up through the states medical office fall through too often, which means I miss appointments.”

Tanya wants to move to the Columbia or Spring Hill area where it will be easier for her to get her needed treatment at the Cancer Center in Maury County. Between the incomes of both her and her boyfriend who suffers from numerous heart conditions, they could afford a small one bedroom unit in that area. But, help will be needed to find such a place, move them in and then help with groceries on a regular basis.

In a past conversation, she told me about her teeth... She has had problems with her teeth due to some of the cancer treatments. That being said, a dentist could also help her with some of the dental issues that many of those who fight cancer face on a daily basis.

Immediate Needs:

Currently, Tanya is in need of making the big move to the Maury County area. She is in need of food. She is in need of gift cards to Walgreens or Kroger to purchase her medication that is not available at the Hope Clinic in Nashville.

Some of the food items that are easy for her to digest include: Rice, Salmon (sold in pouches similar to the StarKist Tuna), Instant Potato Cups, Sprite, DeCaffe Sweet Tea and more. Tanya no longer drinks anything with caffeine in it. She has a small refrigerator and a microwave in her motel room.

If you would like to help, contact me. If you have a small group at church that could conquer her needs of finding her a one bedroom apartment near the Maury Reginal Medical Center, life would be much easier. Tanya and her significant other can afford $500 per month, which would be very reasonable in Columbia, TN. But, they will still need that small group to walk with her in the future journey. This would be a commitment, but a good one.

Olivia Newton-John once stated, “My family and friends were definitely the key to my recovery. One thing that I do suggest is that anyone dealing with a life-threatening illness like cancer choose a point person for people to call to find out how you are doing - a sister, brother, mother, father, daughter, son, or close friend.” Tanya does not have that point person. Most of her family deserted her after a bitter divorce, that was like a cancer as she described it.

The Kidney Donation

What is the definition of a hero? Good question. The Webster Dictionary defines a hero as “A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.”

Today I met 24 year old Benito Cabrera, who is a graduate of Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, TN. He told me that he will be donating his kidney to his younger sister Jasmine Goolesby on May 17, 2016. Evidently, other family members and friends were not a match.

Cabrera stated, “I’ll be donating my kidney to my sister and helping her enjoy her young life. She’s 23 years old. Everywhere she goes people talk to her and ask her about her sickness. She’s real open about it. She’s really happy as a person, even to this day. She is also doing dialysis three times a week, about 6 to 7 hours a day, but somehow works around it working 40 plus hours a week.”

As the kidney donation date nears, Cabrera and his sister are trying to raise enough money to cover expenses while in the hospital and while in recovery and unable to work. If you want to help, visit GofundMe.com/jewfz82c. 

I would say that Benito Cabrera matches the definition of a hero. 

It was once one of the largest Army and German P.O.W. Bases in the South

Prior to World War II, a large military base formed in Union County Kentucky. The United States Government came in and gave farmers below what would be considered fair market value at the time for their land. The flat acreage where you could see as far as 16-miles proved to be the perfect training grounds troops to learn war weaponry of guns and tanks. The rural area is a little over an hour away from Clarksville near the Indiana state line.

Camp Breckinridge in Union County was the headquarters of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

As World War II broke out in 1937, the U.S. Army quickly realized they needed a place to house German Prisoners of War. The base in Union County became the official P.O.W. prison camp housing 3,000 Germans.

The base population stood at about 45 thousand residents prior and during WWII and later the Korean War. The large base was also home to basic training for new Army recruits in the 30’s and 40’s.

Today, the population in Union County, Kentucky is about 15,000 residents. Of course, that is a drastic drop compared to the 45,000 military residents and 3,000 inmates that called Union County home between 1930 and 1950.

Most of the old World War II era barracks that were left standing were sold to investors in the 1970’s as the land was divided, but the majority of the military classrooms, prison walls, prison cells, cafeteria’s and stores on the massive base were torn down when the government shut the base down. Investors later hired contractors to perform low cost renovations on the interior of the 1930 era barracks dividing them into duplexes so that they could be rented out to residents of low income brackets.

As we drove through what was once the base, every 50 to 100 feet you could see large smoke stacks protruding through heavily dense wooded areas that were to my right and left. I then stopped the truck and walked into the woods to further examine the stack's. I could still see the concrete foundations to old military buildings that probably went for miles. There were 50 or more stacks on the land in the area near the old barracks.

A railroad once ran between the military base and the Ohio River, which was only about 7 miles away. Supplies were shipped to the base on barges and by rail. 
On the banks of the river, we found a massive chain that may have once been used to tie off the barges while they unloaded. The large chain was about six inches in diameter.

As you look at these photos, imagine it a base that was once alive and vibrant.

Struck by a Car

I love the way street photography feels, the action you attempt to capture as it unfolds. I love the way you have to move in close when you are shooting with a fixed lens (X100s). I believe that street photography should be personal.

This woman, who could barely stand, walked into the path of the red car you see behind her. She was struck by the car and laid lifeless in the street for a few minutes before deciding she wanted to get up. Every time her husband tried to talk to the officer she looked at him and said, "Shut Up!"

Onlookers stared in disbelief that she was able to stand after the car verses pedestrian incident. Others were watching because her level of alleged intoxication was incomparable to others walking the streets.

“That's the problem with drinking, I thought, as I poured myself a drink. If something bad happens you drink in an attempt to forget; if something good happens you drink in order to celebrate; and if nothing happens you drink to make something happen.” ― Charles Bukowski