This is Lance. As I was walking on the sidewalk between University and 9th St. I saw him sitting on a bench alone. He had sunglasses on, a skateboard to his right, and a stash of marijuana to his left. When I approached him, he had a fresh joint sticking out of his mouth. I told Lance I was a photographer and that I was doing a project on hands. He was extremely nice and was happy to be a part of it. As I started to capture Lance through my lens, I asked if he could share a little bit about himself. He told me he was 38 years old and was homeless. He has been living in downtown riverside for about 15 years. But before downtown, he worked as an industrial painter. He did jobs around Riverside, and he emphasized that it was a good paying job. Unfortunately, he got caught up in drugs and it led him down a bad path.
As time went on, Lance began to talk about his tattoos. The one on his right hand is a tribute to Día De Los Muertos. The one on the left is a dedication to his mom. He touched that one a lot and even pulled his sleeve back to show more of the detail. It was very personal to him, and it was evident he cherished it very much. As I reflect on talking with Lance, I realize that he was a very quiet and reserved man. He was so gentle and soft spoken, and yet he had so much to say about who he was and who he is today. Lance has a story to tell. And that’s what I really want to emphasize with this project. It has almost been embedded into our culture to treat the homeless population like they are part of the background. But that’s not true! I was able to talk with other participants of this project and I saw and heard firsthand that each of them has a beautiful story, just like Lance. They have a story to tell, and I believe that there are so many other people who want their story to be heard as well.
- Hannah Boone -