Intimate exhibit sheds light on seldom-seen Salem

“Felony Flats: Changing the Focus” hangs at the Art Department in downtown Salem in January 2022 (Helen Caswell/Special to Salem Reporter)

“Felony Flats” is a derogatory phrase used casually in Salem to refer to the lower-income residential area between State Street and Cross Street Southeast, 14th Street Southeast and 25th Street Southeast. The area has a reputation for danger, assaults, shootings and drugs. 

But several years ago, local photographer Diane Beals decided to document the people…