55th Presidential Inauguration & Counter-Inaugurals . 20 January 2005
Elvert Xavier Barnes Photography . Writings . Ads
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And while depicting the old and the new architecture and industrial scenarios along 7th Street as backldrops (some property which a friend once owned and/or perhaps still hold the mortgage to) I'd capture the various groups of barracades that had been placed along 7th Street in preparation of J20. And in an area that I am relatively familiar with not only because I've been known to frequent the DC Eagle but for a short period of time during the 80's I owned or was buying a little house at 449 Ridge Street.
There are few places that I can go in WDC that I don't feel a strong connection to. And, yet, as a 51 year old gay black man, and as I have discussed in my writings pertaining to gentrification what I did not know at the time but am now forced to realize each time that whites who associated, accompanied, lived or slept with me at any of these places they were actually engaging in a process of 'negative reinforcement' whereby any connection that I may have had or attempted to establish with a particular community, company, institution or another individual would necessarily be associated with his/her right to do and/or deal drugs. And each time that they'd associate me with drugs they'd not only 'negatively reinforce' me but would also dismantle something of value that belonged to me. Including relationships with others that I may have had.
As I usually do on the eve of historic events on Wednesday, 19 January (read more)