The loneliness of being homeless in Salem is accentuated by Gov. Kate Brown’s “stay home” order, which has emptied the city of many people. (Diane Beals/Salem Reporter)
I received a fist bump on Sunday through my car window from Tera, a homeless woman I have photographed over the years.
Three weeks ago the same drive downtown would have yielded fist bumps, high fives and hugs from the scores of homeless I’ve come to know over the past eight years.
I rarely take a shot until I know their story. Never would I steal a photograph from across the street. It’s a different life on the streets for me and my ways of photographing. I have tried to do the social distancing. However, since I have known them off and on for over eight years, they all want a hug or some kind of contact. So for now I stay in my car and offer what I can through my window.
Diane Beals, photographer
Tera gives a fist bump through the glass on Sunday, April 5, acknowledging the social distancing standards of the current environment. (Diane Beals/Salem Reporter)
A single woman asking for money on Northeast Commercial Street in Salem finds no cars and no pedestrians to help. (Diane Beals/Salem Reporter)
The loneliness of being homeless in Salem is accentuated by Gov. Kate Brown’s “stay home” order, which has emptied the city of many people. These individuals comply with the six-foot spacing recommended for effective social distancing. (Diane Beals/Salem Reporter)
The scene on a downtown Salem sidewalk contrasts street life for the homeless before and after the pandemic took hold in Oregon. (Diane Beals/Salem Reporter)
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