Mighty Mites

Driving around. Waiting for an assignment to come together. Golden hour. Gorgeous light. Just needed something to put in it. A chance to explore a new neighborhood, since I couldn't go far. Drove past a park, where peewee footballers and their cheering counterparts were a ball of cute, frenetic energy. Five blocks further down the road, I whipped a U-turn, and decided that when the feature gods give me something that obvious, it's better not to anger them by ignoring it. I made some good contacts and spontaneous pictures as the sun rapidly set before my eyes. I think I may go back and try to make a better picture for our photo column. There's something there, I just don't think I found it... yet.

Martin Lee Anderson

Martin Lee Anderson wasn't a saint, but he also didn't deserve to die. Ultimately, he was a 14-year-old kid who fell in with the wrong crowd, and got placed in a boot camp by his family to get back on the right track. We went to Panama City to find out if it's possible for the boot camp guards accused of killing him to get a fair trial. What we learned is that the town is over 75% white, and incredibly divided among racial lines. Of the 1,400 residents that made the jury pool, the majority, too, are white. And sadly, the prevailing opinion is, that the guards are innocent, that Martin Lee Anderson deserved it. We found that everyone in the area knows of the case, and already has their minds made up about it.

What we didn't expect was that randomly dropping by his grandmother's house would lead to her welcoming us in and engaging us in an hour long conversation. And the first interview she's given anyone since Martin's death.

What I found most disturbing though is that on one side of town, he was referred to by his full name -- Martin Lee Anderson. On the other, usually it was, "that boy." I'm sure you can figure out which side is which.



"If the jury felt they did wrong, then they will be punished," said Reto Williams, 63, of the seven boot Bay County Boot Camp guards and a nurse who are charged in the death of her grandson, Martin Lee Anderson. Williams believes their fate is now in God's hands, and God will guide the jury in making the right decision. "They didn't know he was a god-fearing woman's grandson."



The doors of the Bay County Boot Camp are now closed. In the wake of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson's death, it sits silent -- deserted and overrun by weeds. Caught on tape, seven guards were seen manhandling Anderson, hitting him, pinning him to the ground, and holding him up against this wooden pole in the corner of the yard, where he was supposed to be running laps.



Martin Lee Anderson is buried about a block away from his grandmother's house.



Cassandra Johnston, 39, talks to a regular during the lunch rush inside her Panama City restaurant Cassandra's Place. "This thing's fixin' to be ugly," said Johnston about the pending boot camp trial. "I've been here since day one. Everybody's pretty much got their own opinion depending on what race they are."



While Pastor Woodrow Wilson sits patiently in the chair, Panama City Mayor - Pro Tempore Jonathan Wilson, Sr., puts the finishing touches on his brother's haircut at Wilson Brothers Barber Shop. Jonathan Wilson remains hopeful that the guards will get a fair trial and justice will prevail in the case of the Bay County Boot Camp guards accused of killing Martin Lee Anderson.

More Than Words

It was a quick hit -- two shoots in one day -- but it was one of the most rewarding things I've worked on in months.

Sometimes the daily grind wears you down, sets you up to fail, and takes its toll on your photography. I feel like I've mastered the art of the 20 minute newspaper portrait, and I've been really good lately about making shitty situations look interesting with light, a funky composition or a different angle. So much so, that I've really missed what's most important. Shooting moments.

Anyways, thanks for indulging the rant. Thought I'd share the first photo in months that's meant anything to me.

The beauty of this business is that every once and a while, you get the chance -- however brief -- to have people touch your life that you know will have a lasting effect. Meet Jose and Joan.



Jose Rodriguez's mind is still sharp but his body fails him on simple tasks like speech and movement now since suffering from a stroke in March 2006. Even simple words and phrases elude him, as his wife Joan works with him to say the words "I love you."





While his wife Joan watches, Jose Rodriguez goes through the motions of learning to reuse his muscles with physical therapist Mary Lou Yap during his final rehabilitation session at Town & Country Hospital.



Joan Rodriguez's schedule is constantly being rearranged to shuffle her husband Jose around to various doctors appointments. After his final physical therapy appoint at Town & Country Hospital, Jose waits for another family member to come pick him up and take him home, while Joan scans the parking lot for that ride, since she's already late in getting back to work.



Jose Rodriguez's pride and joy is the 1977 Porsche Targa parked in his garage. Even though he can no longer drive, he still sits in it once a week, starts it up and revs the engine. His wife Joan refuses to sell it because of how happy it makes him.

Elsewhere

I haven't had much to say lately, but Sol and Kevin have been prolific and profound with their posts. Go read.

Alzheimer's Diptych

(L) For the last five years of his wife Marianne's life, Robert Anspaugh, 91, watched her mind deteriorate quicker than her body from Alzheimer's disease. Saturday morning, Anspaugh traveled across the street from his home at John Knox Village to attend the grand opening of the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer’s Center & Research Institute, in hopes that they will find a cure for this "vicious disease."

(R) Empty shelves waiting to be filled at the newly-opened Byrd Institute.

Megahed's mom

Ahlam Megahed, center, is greeted by friends and family, including her daughter Miriam, 18, left, Friday evening outside the Federal Courthouse after a judge set bail at $200,000 for her son Youssef Megahed, 21. The government immediately appealed, which means Megahed will remain in custody. In August, Megahed and fellow USF student Ahmed Mohamed were pulled over in South Carolina and today it was revealed that police found PVC pipe filled with homemade "low-grade explosive mixture'' and a videotape instruction for turning a remote-controlled toy car into a detonator in their car.

Bush Speaks

Joe Jennings takes a break from his evening job of doing maintenance at Oak Grove United Methodist Church, to watch President Bush's speech on television behind the pulpit. Jennings 21-year-old son Joey is a U.S. Marine on his second deployment to Iraq, this time serving in Fallujah. He should be home in October.

God Speed

Sad, sad, sad... Funeral services were yesterday for U.S. Army Sgt. Cory L. Clark, who was killed in Afghanistan when an IED exploded as his unit was crossing a bridge. His family welcomed us into the church and at times, the three-hour long service felt more like a Sunday sermon, complete with amazing music and people standing and swaying to the beat, than it did a sad occasion to say goodbye. But I think that's how his mother Wrenita Codrington and wife Monica Clark wanted it. After all, it was called "A Homegoing Celebration" on the program for a reason.

So...

Did You Know?

Darrell Young

Darrell Young came to Jefferson for one reason: to play football with his cousin and best friend C.J. Mills, one of the county's top linebackers. Mills was shot and killed this April in front of his home, sending the whole community -- especially Young -- into a tailspin. Young sleeps in Mills' old room, which hasn't been changed at all since he passed away, and he finds comfort in the shrine erected for his cousin, where his jersey hangs on the wall, and photos and trophies adorn the shelves and tables.

50 Nifty

A few weeks ago, an S.L. Price quote re-inspired my restless soul, and encouraged me to set a goal to travel more. Travel more often. Find my salvation. And try to make one picture in every state.


View Larger Map

I've got 15 states on the map so far. I know I've shot pictures in California, Utah, Pennsylvania and both Carolinas that I need to find. And there are a few others I've been to, but I'm not sure how well documented they were. So I've roughly got 30 more states to go... including most of middle America.

Road trip, anyone?