Today I spent several hours walking around downtown Chicago while talking with Ozzy. Ozzy has been a Heroin addict for about ten years. I hadn’t seen Ozzy in quite some time, so we had some catching up to do.
This is Ozzy pulling junk from his cooker and into a fresh syringe. Notice how swollen his hands are? That’s from using dirty needles. This is why I support harm reduction, and why I pass out clean needles to addicts.
After getting the Heroin into his syringe, Ozzy then attempted to hit in his artery that runs through the groin area.
After injecting all the Heroin, Ozzy then removed the syringe from his body, which revealed a substantial hole that he has developed over time.
In other news, I learned that Israel (one of the homeless men that I’ve photographed) had both his legs amputated a few weeks back. Word is, he ran outside drunk without any cloths on, and then passed out in an alley. Frostbite took both of his legs…
I think it’s pretty sick of you that the way you get your photos for this project is by supplying money & bribing these guys so you can watch & photograph them shooting up. In a way your supporting what they’re doing to themselves & to me that doesn’t show your heart is in a right place for these guys. I find it selfish & manipulative of you. It’s not the like your blessing a poor man with food to eat- it may look like it to the addict in their eyes but those not blinded by the drug all see the truth. And your participating in destroying the beautiful people we are forced to watch disintegrate & capturing the moment while your at it.
When I first started this Heroin project, I would give $10.00 for their time per photo shoot. But, now that we’ve all gotten to know each other, these addicts allow me to photography for free, and totally approve of what I’m doing. I give them prints of their photos. I provide food, coffee, socks, and clean needles – not dope.
My greatest desire is that every one of these souls would get clean, but in reality, I know few will. That’s why it’s SO important to focus on prevention rather than incarceration and treatment after the fact. I will be sure to let him know of your concern for his well-being. Thanks for your input.