When it comes to summer and the weather heats up, the sad truth is one can assume that the level of violence will rise. Summer is a time that a lot of people wait the whole year for. It’s supposed to be fun for those that are fortunate enough that are able to create long lasting memories that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. For others, they might have memories that they wished had never have happened. The reality is that violence is plaguing many city streets in the US, and many spend their summers hoping just to survive.
The same violence that has been affecting Chicago is also what’s happening on streets of Baltimore. Photographer J.M. Giordano has been documenting the violence for Baltimore’s City Paper in his Summer of the Gun series by talking to victims, their families, and attending funerals. He has taken it upon himself to shed light on the problem of violence and as he states, “The goal is to get some of the more complacent residents to give a shit.”
This project puts a face on the people we only know through a blurb in a newspaper. It was created to acknowledge those that have been affected by the violence and who deserve to be acknowledged by society. Take the time to check out some of the images below, as well as the short interviews and more by visiting the Baltimore City Paper here. “By the time you read this, another funeral home will have closed the hearse door on a few more bodies and kids and grandparents and neighbors will mourn the loss of their own.”
Photos by J.M. Giordano
[Via Gawker]
