#016 No humans of New York

"Stop that shit, we need to go! Stop that shit, Michael, we need to go, now!" Followed by the far away sounds of a fire truck and a police car. A rude awakening in a brownstone on Van Buren Street, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York.  A shower.  Chewy mango from the corner shop. The pieces seem alcoholic. A cookie with a smile drawn on it. Horrible choice.  Coffee.  The crossing guard greets me and guards me across the street. “Haven’t seen you in a while!”, she shouts to a father with his son. They have been ill. Have a nice day, y’all.  “What are you looking at, boy!? Fuck you, boy! Come fight me, fucking American! Fucking American!”  The subway platform gets tense as the guy keeps shouting at people. I manage to sneak around his back and get away from his threats.  The lights in the train keep on flickering. A tall guy in an ice hockey jersey starts a monologue about the elections. Nobody is sure about his intentions.  “Don’t care what they may say, we got that attitude!”, as I pass the Bad Brains mural.  Rain is drizzling from the sky as I watch a skater land a very long nose manual. Smoked mozzarella and caramelized onions are falling from my pizza back into its box. It’s not raining hard enough to move.  Sirens come closer and closer. The circus parade of firetrucks eventually drives by.  “No offense, but this city would eat you alive.”  Yes, it would. It would indeed. Fotografie, tekst en edit: Koen Tornij, 2024. 40 pagina’s, full color digitale druk op 120 grams recycled papier, 15 stuks.