Andrew Renneisen (Syracuse University)
Violent Times
Award of Excellence
Documentary
Often, traumatic stress is only thought in regards of soldier returning from war. However, it exists everyday in the lives of many people living in cities in the United States that have never placed a foot in Iraq or Afghanistan.
For the past four years, I have been documenting crime and the effects of a culture of violence in cities in United States to bring attention to it’s lasting emotional and psychological consequences. Violent crime, poverty, drugs, gangs, and high rates of unemployment are problems that often go unanswered in many of America’s cities. This leaves many families and local communities suffering, which only perpetuates further violence.
Story: Violent Times
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Jorge Categena, 11, was hit by a stray bullet two years ago on his way to a corner store in Camden. He is missing one eye and is blind in the other. Jorge is one of the many youth living in Camden affected by violence at an early age. The city of 70,000, often considered the most violent in the United States, saw a record amount of homicides in 2013 with 67.
Story: Violent Times
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A man walks across the street on Park Hill Avenue which is part of the 120th Precinct of Staten Island, New York.This year the precinct has more homicides than Brownsville, notoriously the most dangerous place in New York City. The area that covers the 120th precinct was also a leader in stop and frisk and it draws a remarkably high number of civilian complaints.
Story: Violent Times
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Children play on the sidewalk of Park Hill Avenue which is part of the 120th Precinct of Staten Island, New York. Residents say they need the police for protection but sometimes feel helpless due to the unnecessary use of force and stop and frisk. This year the 120 Precinct has more homicides than Brownsville, notoriously the most dangerous place in New York City.
Story: Violent Times
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Melvin Scott, from Brooklyn, mourns after the casket of Eric Garner was placed into the hearse. Mr. Garner died during an arrest in Staten Island due to an apparent chokehold by a police officer. His death was ruled a homicide and sparked much controversy on the role of police officers in New York City.
Story: Violent Times
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Young foot patrol officers from the 47th Precinct respond to a call in the Bronx. Officers are placed on a foot beat right out of the academy. This particular area in the Bronx saw surge in violence in 2014, including the slaying of a teenager by a nearby playground and an execution style murder where a 25-year-old man was shot three times in the head and once in the back.
Story: Violent Times
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Khayree Reid, 27, in his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reid grew up in southwest Philadelphia and has been shot a total of 10 times on three separate occasions. He says he still suffers physically and emotionally from the trauma experienced from the shootings. "Yeah, I owned a gun. I got caught up with it. But it's not the guns; it's the people who kill people."
Story: Violent Times
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Family members weep as the casket of Alexander Kamara is lowered into the ground on Saturday, July 21, 2012. Kamara, 16, was a promising student and soccer player who wanted to go to college. He was killed after being shot in the head in the crossfire of a shooting that took place during a Sunday afternoon soccer tournament in Wilmington, Delaware.
Story: Violent Times
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Ron-Ron kisses his girlfriend Daija on the night of the baby shower for their second son. Ron-Ron dropped out of school and has been selling drugs on Camden's North Side since he was 13-years-old to provide for his family.
Story: Violent Times
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A stop sign reading "Stop Snitchin" sits on the corner of Master and Chelton Streets in Camden, New Jersey. The city of 70,000, often considered the most violent in the United States, saw a record amount of homicides in 2013 with 67. Local authorities struggle with solving homicides due to the stigma of talking to the police.
Story: Violent Times
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The body of Zach "Zooty Bang" Taylor is mourned by friends and family members at a funeral home in Mays Landing, New Jersey. An aspiring rapper, Taylor was 19- years-old when he was shot to death in Atlantic City's Westside, making him the city's ninth victim of homicide in 2012.
Story: Violent Times
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Police from the 47th Precinct in the Bronx at a domestic violence call in a fight between a mother and her daughter. This particular area in the Bronx saw surge in violence in 2014, including the slaying of a teenager by a nearby playground and an execution style murder where a 25-year-old man was shot three times in the head and once in the back.
Story: Violent Times
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A young girl looks out of a window of her home in the Back Maryland neighborhood of Atlantic City, a section of the city struck with recent violence. Residents fear leaving their homes at night because of the violence in their neighborhoods. Most of Atlantic City violence can be tied to neighborhood gangs.