Down by the River- Gavin

Yesterday while I was riding to lunch I stopped and had a conversation with Gavin. Gavin is from California and just moved to Colorado around three months ago. He currently has lived in this spot for..... the past three months. Gavin used to work construction in California and is your typical handyman. . He is struggling to find a job due to his lack of transportation which consists of only his bike currently, and also a cantankerous open container ticket..... (Seems like the ticket didn't do much other than just set Gavin back).  The photos and conversation started off light, but as the hardship and struggle of Gavin's ticket and job surfaced so did his true feelings as seen in the series above.

I explained to Gavin that I ride the bus 50 miles to work every day and then just cruise the last stretch by bike (Also the reason the project started) .  I recommended checking out the RTD system that runs around Denver, and Gavin mused at the possibility of public transportation and mirroring the current model I follow.  His career coach told him to handle the ticket and he would be on his way to working. Plenty of people are moving to Colorado, and plenty of work needs to be done on our infrastructure if the influx is going to stay at that rate. I hope Gavin can be part of that construction. I wrote this on my bus ride into work, and during the bike stretch of my commute I saw Gavin in the same spot getting ready for the day. I imagine he and I will be speaking again soon.

Down by the River

Living in a house by a river would be nice, but without the house and without the warmth and the food it starts to become something else. I work in Denver and I ride the bus into work. From the bus station I have to bike down beside the Platte River and along the way there are tents, trash, and people all just getting by and living down by the river. Many just cruise by on their morning commute, run, or bike ride and pass with a blind eye. I want to bring this to attention. I want the people who live in these tents to be known because their numbers are growing.

To be without a family, home, money, food, or anything is truly something. To do this while having a disability or addiction is even more. I don't have some wild political idea or some genius solution. What I do have is a camera, and a feeling for these fellow humans who live by this river. I want them to be noticed and I hope something will come of this. As for now its just a start and I am not sure where it will go. I'm not sure how to handle this "story" or series of pictures. I'll figure it out though. This is just the start.