{"id":12682,"date":"2019-08-02T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=12682"},"modified":"2021-06-01T21:32:59","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T01:32:59","slug":"street-photographer-suitcase-joe-captures-the-unfiltered-beauty-of-skid-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/street-photographer-suitcase-joe-captures-the-unfiltered-beauty-of-skid-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Photographer Suitcase Joe Captures the Unfiltered Beauty of Skid Row"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Beneath the Surface and Behind the Lens<\/h2>\n

\u201cI just get down there and get into it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

~Suitcase Joe on how he takes such poignant photographs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you ever wonder where the United States\u2019 housing crisis is headed, look no further than Los Angeles\u2019 most infamous tent city to date \u2013 Skid Row. PBS once referred to Skid Row as an example of \u201cthird world poverty in our first world country.\u201d Fox Business called it \u201cthe epicenter of the homeless crisis.\u201d The LA Times declared it the \u201ccollapse of a city that\u2019s lost control.\u201d<\/p>\n

For this reason and many more, Skid Row has served as a speaking point for politicians, a muse for artists, authors, and documentarians, a refuge for abandoned travelers, and a soft spot in even the hardest of hearts.<\/p>\n

While many have tried, few photographers have managed to capture the heartbreak within this vulnerable community. Fewer still, have managed to capture the heart. Yet the humble homeless advocate and anonymous street photographer known only as Suitcase Joe<\/a> has managed to do both. We caught up with him over the phone lines and learned more about Skid Row than we ever bargained for. Below is the exclusive interview from the man who goes beneath the surface every time he gets behind the lens.<\/p>\n