Rally for Law Enforcement in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Posted on January 17, 2015
Today there was a law enforcement support rally at the Scottsdale Police Department station at Indian School. I was out of the country and missed their first law enforcement support rally in Phoenix but I managed to make this one. They also had former ASU officer Stewart Ferrin who was involved in the arrest of an Arizona State University professor Ersula Ore’s arrest for obstruction of a public thoroughfare after she was stopped for jaywalking speak at the event which drew out a lot of protestors who have been following that incident. Since Ore’s arrest last year Officer Ferrin is in the process of being terminated. Locally one blog down and drought went online and looked as some officer opinions from policeone forum. It’s worth reading and a good blog to follow if you live in the Phoenix area, especially in Tempe.
I included most of the photographs below of the protest, which had around 70 people at most.
Before the rally I was working with other Returned Peace Corps Volunteers cleaning up a home through a volunteer program at the City of Phoenix.
La Virgen de Guadalupe Celebrations
Posted on December 15, 2014
I photographed three different celebrations for the Virgen of Guadalupe, but unfortunately one was on a camera card I formatted . . . really unfortunate as the photos were not stunning, but still showed the devotion in a procession up in Queen Creek. Below are images from dancers at PromiseAZ, a local group that helps community members reach their full potential. I showed up and Petra, the group’s main organizer invited me in. I loved photographing the dance, which I need more explanation for but it was wonderful to photograph.
The group below belongs to a really impressive dancer I’ve met, Joey Cazarez, and they were dancing for the Virgin of Guadalupe to any household that welcomed them. I’ve added most of the photographs so they can see how they turned out.
Cafe Cultura at the Santa Rita Center
Posted on December 15, 2014
So a few months back I met an amazing organizer, Jose Cortez, and he invited me to the Santa Rita center’s first Cafe Cultura. He organized artsits, from 2-D to 3-D to spoken word. I wanted to share some of the images with them here and say how thankful I am to see artists in Phoenix getting together and sharing their creativity. I’m even more thankful for people like Jose who have a vision that goes far enough to realize the importance of sharing art in a way to teach youth about their heritage. I also had a chance to swing by a protest at the Mexican Consulate on Human Rights Day where protests were held for the return of the missing 43 ayotzinapa students.
Rumain Brisbon Protest
Posted on December 15, 2014
I recently covered the protest in Phoenix against the death of Rumain Brisbon, a Phoenix resident who was shot by a Phoenix police officer. The officer believed Brisbon was reaching for a gun and fired several shots at close range, upon later inspection they found a bottle of pills but no weapon. This case has garnered a fair amount of attention and organizing by community members who believe there is a different standard according to the race of the suspect. It was interesting to cover shooting photographs and video. Brisbon’s young daughter pictured below, led the protest to the Phoenix police department.
Mementos Left Behind
Posted on September 14, 2014
On 9/11 I visited Tempe Town lake to see the flag memorial, one of the largest in the country, and I was struck by how many items were left behind at the base of many of the flags. According to one worker, only one flag belongs to a native Arizonan, but clearly there are many connections that I don’t understand. This morning at 6 a.m. the tear down of the memorial began and I decided to photograph the items that were left at the bases of the flags, or tied to them. These ranged from flowers, to photographs and in some cases ribbons showing who were first responders. One flag had a photograph and small stuffed tiger and it makes me wonder about these mementos and those who came and left them behind.
I also photographed the tear down of nearly three thousand flags, which couldn’t have been possible without the hundred plus volunteers that materialized seemingly out of nowhere before 6 a.m. and had every flag down and packed before 8 a.m.
9/11 Memorial at Tempe Town Lake
Posted on September 11, 2014
I am trying to shoot a photograph every day and post them online so today I decided to visit the 9/11 memorial at Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Ariz. I shot using only available light, which meant a high ISO and slow shutter speeds. I think I’ll likely attend the takedown ceremony on Sunday at 6 a.m. as well.
Bocafloja in the Borderlands
Posted on September 7, 2014
I attended the Bocafloja concert in Phoenix, Ariz. last Thursday. The Mexico City artist narrates the experience of the body of the oppressed as a vehicle of transgression to hegemonic structures in his most recent album Patologías del Invisible Incómodo, released in 2012. Thank you wikipedia for condensing something so complex into one sentence. The concert was held at the Herberger Theater and put on by the ASU borderlands initiative which is putting on some of the most unique shows you could see in the greater Phoenix area.
Nintendo!
Posted on July 27, 2014
I had a chance this weekend to photograph the Play Nintendo Tour at Arrowhead Towne Center this weekend. Several games, most of which I never played, were out for kids and adults to try out. I think I’ve spent less than a day playing video games in my lifetime so it was a fun experience to see how many young and old fans came out. From toadstool babies to grown Zelda fans.
A trip to the Navajo Reservation at Monument Valley
Posted on May 11, 2014
We got the chance to travel with Humphrey Fellows from Arizona State University to visit the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona/Utah. During the trip we were given a tour of monument valley, including different rock formations and mountains before dinner and some traditional dancing and ending the night in a traditional hogan. I was able to shoot some photographs of the fellows enjoying their trip and tour, I wish I had more images, but there are too many to share. I shot some night images before the moon rose and some of the cloud streaks are jet streams that continued throughout the night. We finished up the visit with a group portrait which turned out okay given the ridiculous nature of the Arizona sun.
Deanna Dent 