I’m a Soto Zen teacher, in the lineage of Taizan Maezumi, Bernie Glassman, and Robert Kennedy, SJ, and I teach and practice with the Zen Peacemakers. One of our core practices is the street retreat: we bring an I.D., a poncho, and little else (no money) and experience life on the margins for a short while, maybe four or five days. Over the last decade I’ve spent nights sleeping on the ground in McPherson Square and on sidewalks in the neighborhood, bearing witness to the lives of people who live on the margins all the time. One of the things I’ve observed over the years is that many people stare at the homeless, but few will make eye contact.
In February, a large homeless encampment at McPherson Square was cleared. So I went back and made portraits of real people, with faces and names. Please do not look away.
