Never Walk Away
Three years ago Jess Hess began filming a homeless man in Corvallis, Oregon. Jess told me:
“Corvallis has been recognized as one of the best places to live in the US on numerous occasions. It’s also been recognized as one of the smartest places in the US. What I found is that, in Corvallis, the homeless are not invisible, rather they are seen and disparaged. The local shelter (incorporated) does not allow anyone suffering from alcoholism to stay there and it’s well publicized.
As the executive director puts it “We only take in people who want to change their lives.” While the intent is honestly to help those most likely to change their lives, thereby getting the most out of the donated dollars that run the shelter, an unacknowledged result of this characterization is that the people remaining on the street are seen as people who have chosen to be there.
Corvallis has made watch lists for violence against it’s homeless population. A fraternity member shot a homeless man looking for cans behind his fraternity. Three youths beat another homeless man to death. There’s a city ordinance against ‘illegal camping’ that other cities have struck down as unconstitutional.
What I came to appreciate, albeit from behind a camera, is the unique misery visited upon these people in knowing how they are perceived and reviled by the majority of the house who populate the city. How this weighs upon them without articulation except through escape into a bottle, and how this only perpetuates the entire cycle.
In many ways, Corvallis is a city that is lost. The pinnacle of what we’ve achieved as a society that has compartmentalized empathy to a social service job.”
Jess is hoping his film will be a conduit for dialogue and discussion. Anything you might do to help spread the word about this project would be most appreciated. You can watch the trailer and find out more at http://www.neverwalkaway.com
