More from the Streets of San Francisco

Joseph Johnston’s photo essay about unhoused people, “On the Streets of San Francisco” [February, 2023], struck a chord with readers. We heard from one man who lives in Joseph’s neighborhood and recognized people in the photos. Another reader told us how the images helped her take a hard look at her unease around unhoused people. We share letters to the editor with contributors, who tell us that Sun readers reliably offer thoughtful responses to their work. When we passed along all the letters we received, Joseph thanked us for lifting his spirits and sent us a new image from the series.

— Ed.

On my way home recently I met Abraham, and after talking to him, I asked if I could take his picture. I wanted to show him examples of the photos I had taken of unhoused people — I like to carry copies so that I can give people their photo if I see them again — but that day I didn’t have any in my backpack. I had the February 2023 issue of The Sun with me, though, and I showed him my photo essay. I told Abraham I was giving each of the people in the essay half of what The Sun had paid me for their photo. Even with such a brief encounter, I wished I was able to protect him.

Last year I gave three hundred of my photographs to the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection at the San Francisco Public Library. My hope is that the homeless crisis will be solved soon, and these photographs will be a record of how things were rather than a reflection of how they are.

Abraham
April 1, 2023
Abraham is in his early fifties. He came to the United States from Senegal twenty years ago. He went to college and lived in Texas and Arizona before coming to California. When I mentioned the current unrest in Senegal, he said, “Like here, the president did not want to leave after his term.” When I gave him a hug, I realized that he was just skin and bones under his bulky sweater. He told me it is not because he doesn’t eat, but because he cannot sleep well. He said he had a good job, but then there were problems. He prefers to live on the street so he can send money to his children.

Correspondence

Joseph Johnston’s photo essay about unhoused people moved and educated me more than words could. Looking into the eyes of the people in the photographs, I could imagine their stories and see their humanity.

Patricia McVeigh
Santa Cruz, California

I live in the same neighborhood as Joseph Johnston. San Francisco’s rent-control and just-cause-for-eviction laws have allowed me to keep my apartment for twenty years. I immediately recognized four of the people in Johnston’s photo essay, but I didn’t know their names or any of their stories until I read the captions. Seeing Johnston’s photos and reading about his conversations left me feeling friendlier toward my unhoused neighbors. It’s going to take more than empathy to end homelessness in the United States, but we’ll be motivated to make it happen only when we start seeing all of our neighbors as human beings who have the right to decent housing.

Anthony L. Barreiro
San Francisco, California

The photographs and stories of unhoused people in Joseph Johnston’s photo essay “On the Streets of San Francisco” touched me. As a little girl in Los Angeles, I was threatened by a man brandishing a knife on a public street. When I was older, I was assaulted by a woman who appeared to be living on the streets of Portland, Oregon. She yelled at me and pulled my hair. I was with my elderly mother-in-law, and I felt scared for her safety, too.

Later in life I volunteered at a seasonal warming shelter for unhoused people, but I always signed up for the night shifts, when most of the guests would be asleep, so I wouldn’t be called on to interact with them much. I have always felt ashamed of this fear of people who lack shelter. I know perfectly well that not all unhoused people are mentally ill or addicted to drugs and that very few are violent. I’ll never know how much of my irrational fear stems from my first encounters with people on the streets, but I know one thing: I need to get over it. Johnston’s photos are helping me do that.

Tina Castañares
Hood River, Oregon