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yvens Alex saintil 🇭🇹

@alex_shootz

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Actively listening and consciously separating the voices from the noise.

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This is Jerome Cotton, a vendor with the Denver Voice, an organization with a mission to “facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community.” Venders earn a portion of every paper sold.

I met Jerome in 2021, at the Auraria campus light-rail station. His bubbly-personality and smile were hard to miss. Also, his hat was fire! We talked about his Chicago Bulls hat and what bought him to Denver. I remember him saying the people were good here and that he has two brothers who are also vendors. Years earlier, I met his brother John Alexander, an amazing Artist, and now Peer Coach for the Voice. Like Jerome, John is kind and soft spoken. There were days that I didn’t have cash for a paper, but I never left an interaction with John emptyhanded.

You can find vendors like Jerome and John all over Denver. These days, many have Venmo accounts so you can support directly. You can also support the Voice and their mission here:

https://www.denvervoice.org/donate

There are too many factors that contribute to homelessness. However, it is imperative we address the elephant in the room, which is America’s history of economic inequalities and discrimination—based on race and class. Black, Native American, Hispanic, and Asian people continue to live in poverty at disproportional rates compared to white-Americans. Of the 13.6 percent of Black people in the United States, 21.7 are living below the poverty threshold, second only to Native Americans, who make up 1.3 percent of the population but with an unacceptable 25.5 percent living below the poverty threshold.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/RHI225221#RHI225221

https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/poverty-rate-by-raceethnicity/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D

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#photodocumentary #alex_shootz #systemic #documentary #2021 #civilrights #unhoused #accountability#economicracism #art #justice #denver #denvervoice #2023 #activism #race #class #35mm #film taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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4 years ago

If we valued our country’s growth as much as we glorified its independence, we’d acknowledge some hard truths.

The rise of American democracy—a symbol of pride and freedom for some—marked the beginning of cultural erasure for others. The rise of white-American nationalism came at the expense of entire races and classes of people.

I have a complicated relationship with the flag that draped the coffins of many I cared about. Some days, I want to burn it, rip it to shreds, and throw it away. But it’s tattooed on my arm—and one day, it’ll be folded and handed to my next of kin.

No matter what it represents, it will always come second to humanity.

What does Independence Day mean to those pushed to the margins of American society? To the millions held in cages across the country? I often wonder—do we call a ceasefire on racism, hate, and terror before we celebrate? Or do we just celebrate while they persist?

Celebrate your wins—and scrutinize the losses with the same energy.

Image: Denver Voice vendor, Rhea.

#NoHumanIsIllegal
#AbolishICE
#MigrantJustice
#LetPeopleLive
#HumanRightsAreForEveryone
#JusticeForImmigrants
#WeAreAllHuman
#SocialJustice
#EndDeportations
#ThisIsAmerica
#AmericaForAll
#FreedomForAll
#EmpathyIsPower
#HeartOverHate
#LoveHasNoBorders
#SolidarityNotCharity
#ShotOnFilm
#AnalogResistance Image of Denver Voice vendor, Rhea. taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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a year ago

I met Uncle Troy on the light-rail in 2021. I wrote about him before but here’s the full story, along with his portrait on 35mm. I complimented him on his hat and kept asking questions. He is 58 years old, from Denver, and served in the United States Army in the 80s. 10 years ago he stopped working because he was barely making anything to survive. He is unhoused and currently relies on alcohol and drugs for self-care. He didn’t have any contact information. I asked him for some life advice and he said, “live every day for today and not for tomorrow”.

In 2020, almost 40,000 veterans slept on the streets a night. We can do better. If anyone knows Uncle Troy or can put me in contact with him, please send me a dm.

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#photodocumentary #alex_shootz #systemic #documentary #2021 #civilrights #unhoused #filmphotography #accountability#economicracism #art #justice #denver #35mm taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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4 years ago

A couple of weeks back, Steven spoke for a few minutes at a private event for the opening of Mary Ellen Mark’s Indian Circus at @cpacphoto . What stood out to me while he reminisced about his time working for Mary Ellen Mark was her tenacity in creating work. According to Steven, she went nonstop.

It sounded to me like her cameras became an extension of herself. At least, that’s how I feel about mine. I only know I have it on me when my film, available light, and lens choice make me want to buy another camera.

Unofficially, I was there to document a special moment for an incredible person. Thanks for letting me crash the party, Sam!

If you haven’t seen the show, stop by CPAC ASAP!

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#photography #cpacphoto
#documentary
#35mm
#alex_shootz taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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2 days ago

The Trump administration’s use of the guise of law is the same old way the federal government and tiny municipalities used it to terrorize non-white people since the slave catchers became law enforcement officers.

Legality does not inherently equal morality or fairness.

ICE is a terrorist organization.

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#photography #street
#documentary
#35mm
#alex_shootz taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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4 days ago

Super chill at MAM tonight. I caught up with some old friends and met some new ones. It’s going to take me a few weeks to get used to the time change because once it gets dark, I am ready for a nap. My friends at the pet tent started a Pets of MAM collage. Come by and check out the many pets in the community.

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#protest #MAM
#documentary #humanity
#alex_shootz taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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5 days ago

Last week was especially emotional for me. A second auntie lost her battle with cancer. Yet, when I talk to a friend about the loss, they, like almost everyone else, know someone who has died from cancer. This post is me massaging the lump that’s been in my throat.

I wish Black women didn’t have to die from cancer so much more than others tho!

Our friends and neighbors are still being hunted in the streets like criminals. People cannot afford necessities, yet our focus is on giving taxpayer money to private companies to create concentration camps and data centers.

Fuck ICE!

The military wants to livestream an execution. They want to make a spectacle of it, just like they are pushing religion into our schools while they directly and indirectly separate families and children, and murder people. The death penalty is a crime against humanity. I don’t believe that any person or entity has the authority to take a life—legally or illegally. It does not deter murder. It only shows how much we don’t know about what it means to be human, and how broken and dangerous some of us are.

I have rarely felt so ashamed to be human.

We (society) can do better!

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#photography #street
#documentary
#35mm
#alex_shootz taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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7 days ago

What does activism look like to you?

Usually, it’s just showing up, sharing space, and building a consistent community. Today, our agenda is solidarity.

Jeanette needs us!

Not because she can’t hold her own, but because what she stands for is bigger than her.

Will you show up?

Tuesday October 6th, 2026
7:45AM
ICE Field Office
12445 E Caley Ave, Centennial

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#community #solidarity
#documentary
#protest
#alex_shootz taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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17 days ago

Even from the mountains.

Fuck ICE.

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#photography #mountains
#documentary
#35mm
#alex_shootz taken in Vail, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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18 days ago

I will never be convinced that it is normal for people to be houseless and on the streets while so many places remain empty. There’s really no city in our country where people aren’t visibly lacking physical and mental resources. Believing otherwise is a social disconnect.

Society’s attempt to desensitize us to the effects of our actions and decisions requires full-time attention.

A privilege.
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#photography #street
#documentary
#35mm
#alex_shootz taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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20 days ago

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a month ago

The universe works in mysterious ways. Vulnerability, I’ve learned, is integral to being an artist. Experiencing rejection doesn’t make us stronger or thicker-skinned; it only heightens our sensitivity to the art world’s bureaucracy.

At least, it does for me.

We are often told that rejection is a necessary trial by fire that refines our work and prepares us for the reality of the market. And sure, we need the market for practical things: supplies, exhibition space, and a livelihood. But must we accept institutional rejection as a measure of our artistic worth?

I don’t believe so.

David Driskell curated Two Centuries of Black American Art: 1750–1950, an exhibition featuring both known and unknown artists who worked ‘in the absence of light.’ Watching the HBO documentary Black Art: In the Absence of Light years ago made me realize that while institutions control access, they do not hold a monopoly on meaning. The work itself matters far more than the recognition or the rejection.

Let’s return to the basics: we separate church and state, so why not art and the market? Use the system when you must, but never let it define the work.

Back to work, folks!

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#humanity #blackart
#documentary
#35mm
#alex_shootz taken in Denver, Colorado by @alex_shootz

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a month ago