Wasteland Alcohol Abuse

I don't know if this photograph will find a home in any of the final work I'll do on Tent City, but it reminds me of an ongoing occurrence there. Some people would start their days with alcohol, and only stop after getting sick or passing out. The man pictured (Steve) had spent most of his Easter Sunday afternoon drinking vodka as I was told.

He turned up missing from Tent City on Wednesday, April 15th after "killing a bottle of vodka and falling asleep in the park", said his neighbor David Cuch.

My best bet is that he went to jail.

A Life After Sacramento's Tent City?

This is from the multimedia narrative I have been working on from Tent City...spending more time with her as she goes to the doctor next week and then hopefully she will find a place near the 1st of May.


Kathleen Walker, 49, has lived in Sacramento's Tent City for almost 4 months. Walker left Reno, NV after being stabbed by her husband during the holidays and fears that if she presses charges that her life may be in danger. While she once battled heroin addiction, Walker has managed to stay clean for almost 15 years -- but not without consequence. She now suffers from end stage cirrhosis and waits amongst a long line of others for a critical liver transplant.

Although her disability check allows her enough money to find housing in low-income areas of Sacramento, her eight-year-old dog 'Hustler' has made it nearly impossible for her to convince landlords to let her move in -- he's a 100 pound pitbull.

Bankrupt on Selling

Danny Valadez, 48, rests after splitting wood with railroad ties. He has lived in Sacramento all his life but moved to Tent City a year ago, shortly after his grandfather died and the family-owned painted business failed. "I also used to sell drugs," said Valadez. "But when my daughter started getting old enough, I didn't her to see me like that."

El Coyote

William "Coyote" Barnett, 62, lights a cigarette in the dark of night within Sacramento's Tent City. Barnett once traveled throughout the country grooming race horses, but his addiction to alcohol caused him to lose his job. He then ran an illegal operation guiding and transporting illegal immigrants from Mexico across the border. "I never charged people too much money," says Barnett. "...just enough so that I could survive and help my friends' families get to the United States.