Rick Waldroup Photography: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Main Page Slideshow

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:47:19 GMT

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Streets

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:32:02 GMT

]]>Streets is an ongoing project.

The Town Crier - Volume 2

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:52:30 GMT

]]>The Town Crier - Volume 2, is an ongoing project

Occupy Texas

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:50:26 GMT

]]>November 19, 2011 - In light of what has happened around the country with invasions of different camps nationwide, Occupy Texas is now a complete project. The photos will now appear in chronological order.

Dallas - 10/6/11
This was the first meeting and organizing event for the Dallas group. They met in Pike Park, close to downtown Dallas, on a bright, sunny Thursday morning. The group of 400-500 protesters then marched to the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Dallas.

Fort Worth - 10/16/11
This was my first visit to the Fort Worth event.

Austin - 10/14/11 and 10/15/11
I arrived in Austin early Friday morning to find the protesters camped on the steps of City Hall. The next day there was a march to the Chase Bank on West 6th Street in which the protesters were actually able to shut the bank down for a couple of hours. Many of them, who were Chase Bank account holders, closed out their accounts that day. There were approximately 500-600 people who participated in the march.

Fort Worth - 10/25/11
On my second visit to the Fort Worth camp, I was impressed that the protesters were still there, despite several attempts by local authorities to drive them out, including dozens of arrests because many of the protesters refused to remove their tents.

Dallas - 10/28/11
This was my second visit to the Dallas camp, After the initial protest on October 6, the group had moved to a couple of different sites- Pioneer Plaza, then to Heritage Park across from City Hall, and finally to a small grassy knoll directly behind City Hall.

Denton - 10/28/11
Denton is about 40 miles north of Dallas. It is home to the University of North Texas. I arrived on a Saturday. The protesters had set up camp on the school at the corner of Hickory and Fry Street.

San Antonio - 11/3/11
The Occupy San Antonio camp is located in Hemisfair Park. I arrived late in the afternoon only to find a handful of protesters in the camp. According to several people I talked to, the number of protesters increases and decreases based on the amount of planned marches, etc.

Houston - 11/4/11
I arrived at the Occupy Houston camp in downtown, early Friday morning. The camp is located in Tranquility Park, a beautiful area in the heart of downtown Houston. There was an organized march scheduled for 10:a.m.to the Bank of America and Chase Bank centers. The protesters were hoping for a visit by Michael Moore but found out just before the march started that he would not be arriving until much later in the day. Mr. Moore was in Houston for a book signing at a local book store. The march to the bank centers was well organized and several hundred people participated.

The Town Crier

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:10:10 GMT

]]>The Town Crier is an ongoing project.

Dream City

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:43:31 GMT

]]>Dream City is an ongoing project.

Sports

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

]]>Sports is an ongoing project

Our Garden of Angels

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:22:55 GMT

]]>April 7, 2007 - Euless, Texas

On February 15, 1998, Amy Robinson was riding her bicycle to work when she met two of her co-workers on the street, Michael Wayne Hall and Robert Neville. Amy, a mentally challenged young woman of 19, worked at a local grocery store in Arlington, Texas. Arlington is a town of approximately 300,000 people located between Dallas and Fort Worth. The two young fellows told Amy they were going for a ride and talked Amy into putting her bicycle in the back of their pickup truck and to come along for the ride. That was the last time anyone saw Amy alive.

A few days later, Amy's body was found in a densely wooded area in far northeast Tarrant County, just outside the Fort Worth city limits. She had been shot numerous times with a 22-caliber handgun. The brutal and totally senseless murder shocked the City of Arlington and the entire Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. Her two co-workers were quickly arrested and confessed to police that it was just a random act of violence. They were simply looking for a thrill, or as they described it, "we were just looking for something to do." Both were found guilty at their trials and both were given the death penalty. Robert Neville was executed Februry 8, 2006 and Michael Wayne Hall is still on death row awaiting his execution.

Amy's grandmother, Carolyn Barker, who was raising Amy at the time of the murder, later placed a single wooden cross at the scene of Amy's death as a roadside memorial. A few months later, the family of Vern Price, who was also a murder victim, came across the roadside memorial and they put a cross next to Amy's. Some time later, the family of Chad Houston, another murder victim, placed a cross at the site. Slowly, the site began to grow as word of mouth spread about the spot with "the white crosses." This was the beginning of Our Garden of Angels.

Carolyn Barker decided to start a homicide memorial park dedicated to the memories of loved ones who had been murdered. It is the first and only homicide memorial park in the United States, and quite possibly the world.. The park was officially opened in February of 2000. Crosses are placed at the park in memory of loved ones who lost their lives at the hands of others. The park quickly grew in size and private donations from corporations across the Dallas-Ft. Worth area helped with the care and maintenance of the park. Today, the park is run by President Greg Price, who also makes the memorial crosses for the park, and Vice-President Ric Nesbit. Both men have relatives that were murdered and a bond quickly developed between them and Mrs. Barker. They agreed to take over the day-to-day operation of the park. It is through their efforts and those of many volunteers that the park has become a national symbol of the victim's rights movement in the United States.

Starting in late 2005, through a donation of $75,000.00 from Southwest Airlines, the park began a major renovation complete with bricked walking paths, custom iron work fences and gates, a continuously flowing stream and waterfall, plus major landscaping detail work was done throughout the park. Sometime later land was donated across the street from the original park to expand the park to over 4-5 acres in size. A "meditation" gazebo was built on the new land and new crosses were added as well.

Saturday, April 7 2007, the day before Easter, marked the seventh anniversary of the opening of the park. A memorial service was held featuring guest speakers and live music. The day was overcast, windy, and extremely cold with snow flurries in the forecast. It turned out to be the coldest day in April in Texas in the last 69 years. April 7 is also Amy's birthday.

I arrived an hour early to shoot the park before the ceremony began. It is an eerie feeling walking alone among the many white crosses. The top of each cross states the victim's date of birth and the date of death is at the bottom. The one thing that becomes immediately apparent is that this is a living, breathing park. Many of the crosses are adorned with flowers, mementos, and odd and unusual items that once belonged to the victims. Except for an occasional car or truck passing by, it is quiet in the park. There is a beautiful bronze statue of two children playing, that at first sight, seems to be out of place. Later, Greg Price explained to me that the park has come to represent much more than just a memorial place with crosses. It is an "affirmation of life" he told me. Greg described how in the beginning he, Ric Nesbit, and Carolyn Barker wanted this park to be for the living, for the survivors of the victims.

Slowly, a small crowd started to gather, including several children. Many walked amongst the crosses, pausing here and there to read, to touch, sometimes to brush away a tear. Others hugged and laughed quietly as they recognized old friends, brought together by terrible circumstances. At one point, I put the camera down, sat down on one of the benches, and just watched. It is indeed a park about the living, about the survivors that carry on day to day, year to year.

Children come to the park and play, adults come to sit and reflect on the memories of their loved ones and each spring volunteers plant new flowers and trees. It is a breathing and living memorial to those who are gone, but never forgotten. Greg told me "we celebrate life here, not death." Perhaps Amy's grandmother, Carolyn said it best "We are about kindness, hope for tomorrow, and helping others." Then she turned away briefly and looked back and said. "Besides, today is Amy's birthday. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate her life than to be right here, today."

UPDATE: February 15, 2011. Micahel Wayne Hall was executed today for the murder of Amy Robinson- exactly 13 years to the day that Amy was killed.

Camp Casey

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:40:35 GMT

]]>On April 4, 2004, Casey Sheehan, a U.S. army veteran, was killed in combat in the Iraq War. He was 24 years old. His death sparked a chain of events that would galvanize a waning peace movement in the United States led by, of all people, Casey’s mother, Cindy Sheehan.

In June 2004, Sheehan and other military families met with President George W. Bush at Fort Lewis, close to Tacoma Washington. Sheehan later remarked, "We haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled. The President has changed his reasons for being over there every time a reason is proven false or an objective reached."

Upon learning that President Bush was to begin a five-week vacation at his ranch in Texas, Sheehan and six other people traveled from California to Crawford, home of the Western White House, on August 6, 2005. There, they created a makeshift camp in a ditch by the side of the road, about three miles from George W. Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch. Sheehan announced her intention to stay (sleeping in a pup tent at night) until she is granted a face-to-face meeting with the President. A few days later, the media began referring to Sheehan's camp as “Camp Casey.”

Cindy Sheehan’s political exploits over the last two years have been well documented. She is, by far, one of the most controversial and polarizing political figures to grace the American landscape since the Viet Nam war era. In late 2005, Sheehan started a national “Bring Them Home Now” bus tour across the country. Many protesters stayed on at Camp Casey to keep the camp open. I first made my way to Camp Casey in mid August 2005, just a couple of weeks after Ms. Sheehan’s arrival in Crawford. By then, the camp had grown from the original seven protesters to a movement of thousands. Land, a large tent, and other supplies were donated and the camp moved from the ditches outside the President’s ranch to a sprawling 4-acre area. People were literally traveling from all over the world to visit Camp Casey and join in the protest against the Iraq War. Cindy Sheehan vowed that Camp Casey would never be closed until the war in Iraq was over. And two years later, Camp Casey is still open and thriving, with protesters still living and meeting on the property.

Back in August of 2005, what I had thought was a one-time assignment quickly became a two-year project. I have made at least a dozen trips to Camp Casey since that fateful day in August 2005 and my intention was not so much to report on the struggling peace movement, but to document the camp itself- the people who came from all over to visit Camp Casey. It was a fascinating gathering of people who came to Camp Casey- students, housewifes, doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, school teachers, people of all colors.... it was a true representation of American society. Many of those that came would eventually stay and live at Camp Casey, as there was a renewed groundswell of support for the peace movement in the United States. Many would make repeat trips to the camp over the next two years to bolster the solidarity of the anti-war movement. On some days, as many as 1,500 to 2,000 people attended Camp Casey, including many members of Congress, long time political and civil rights activists, notable actors, musicians and singers.

However, not everyone agreed with Cindy Sheehan and her protest of the war. The small, sleepy, conservative ranching community of Crawford, population 1,100, became the unwilling center of the peace movement in the country. Public opinion in Crawford was decidedly anti-Cindy Sheehan. This sentiment was echoed by thousands of citizens all over the United States. Death threats and bomb scares became commonplace events at Camp Casey.

From the very beginning, caretakers Gerry Fonseca and Carl Rising-Moore have been continuously living on the property. On special occasions, events and peace rallies were held at Camp Casey, usually to coincide with planned visits by President Bush to his ranch.

The pinnacle for Camp Casey came at the Easter weekend rally held there in 2006. Thousands of people made the pilgrimage to Camp Casey including many well-known peace and civil rights activists, icluding Rev. Joseph E. Lowery and Daniel Ellsberg.

In July 2006, Cindy Sheehan decided that Camp Casey needed a more permanent and easily accessible location. No one in Crawford would sell property to Ms. Sheehan so Gerry Fonseca, acting as her agent, purchased 5 acres of land approximately half a mile from downtown Crawford. She used the military insurance money from Casey’s death to buy the land. Cindy Sheehan was now a property owning, tax paying citizen of Crawford, Texas just like George W. Bush. This would be the final move for Camp Casey.

In May 2007, Cindy Sheehan released an open letter to the American people in which she announced that she was quitting the peace movement. "I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost.” She announced that Camp Casey was up for sale. This sent shock waves throughout the anti-war movement.

On June 14, 2007, in an exclusive one-on-one interview, I met with Ms. Sheehan at Camp Casey and asked about her shocking decision to step away from the peace movement that she helped start. It was a tired and extremely bitter Cindy Sheehan I met that day. She explained to me that after the November 7, 2006 elections in which the Democratic Party took control of both the House and the Senate, everyone thought the tide had turned against support for the war and the troops would be home soon. “They used the peace movement to help them gain power and nothing has changed,” she said. “We helped get them elected and they have turned their backs on the people and our brave soldiers. Nothing has changed. It is still the same old story. “ Ms. Sheehan was particularly despondent over the fact that Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, had removed from the Senate floor a bill calling for the impeachment of the President of the United States. “Nancy Pelosi promised so much and did not deliver on anything,” Ms. Sheehan said. “The peace movement has been betrayed by Pelosi and the Democrats and I am tired of fighting the battle.” Sheehan acknowledged that Camp Casey was indeed up for sale. “I’m tired,” she said. “I’ve traveled the world these last 18 months spreading the message of peace. And I honestly can’t tell if it has made a difference.” She then told me that she was planning one last rally for early July. “I want all of the wonderful people who have been supporting me and Camp Casey to come back for one last reunion- a last hurrah, if you will, for Camp Casey.”

This last rally was scheduled for the weekend of July 6th. Just a few days after my June 14th interview with Cindy Sheehan, she announced, live on Bree Walker’s Los Angeles radio talk show, that Camp Casey had been sold. In fact, it was revealed that Bree Walker, herself, had bought the property. Bree Walker is a well-known radio personality and fervent anti-war activist. Both women then announced that Ms. Walker would be attending the rally in July for a ceremonial deed transfer.

Starting July 6th, hundreds of protesters began arriving in Crawford for what many felt would be the last big rally at Camp Casey. Ms. Walker’s plans for Camp Casey are not exactly clear but she hopes to keep it up and running for now and to eventually perhaps turn the site into a peace learning center and a playground for the children of Crawford. Carl Rising-Moore will stay on as the lone caretaker.

On Friday night, July 6, Gerry Fonseca spotted me in the crowd and told me to make sure I was around the main stage that evening because Ms. Sheehan would be making a major announcement. I expected the announcement to be about the sale of the camp. I was wrong. At approximately 7:00 that evening, Cindy Sheehan took the stage. Fighting back tears, Ms. Sheehan announced, “ I know a lot of you thought this was over. That when I quit, I was just going to ride off into the sunset. But you know me, I get bored easily and well, I can’t just sit back and watch as the Democrats take the issue of impeaching the President off the table. There is too much at risk. So I am announcing that if the impeachment issue is not put back on the table by July 23, then I am running for Congress in 2008, in California’s 8th Congressional District. I am going to run against Nancy Pelosi in her home district.”

Camp Casey is still open and operating. Ms. Sheehan is currently running for Congress.

Riding the Rails

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:13:54 GMT

]]>Riding the Rails - August 2008-August 2009

In late August of 2008, I stared a new project, "Riding the Rails". When I first started shooting the people who ride the commuter trains in the Dallas - Fort Worth area, I thought it would be a quick study of how the masses are transported around a major metropolitan area. It became something much more. The more I rode the trains and visited the various train stations, I began to feel an emptiness, an almost desperate sense of loneliness. I began to sense that, somehow, I was completely cut off from humanity while being surrounded by multitudes of people. It was an eerie feeling to sense that you are all alone, when it was quite obvious that the reality of the situation was just the opposite.

I especially felt this emptiness and loneliness from the people who frequented the train stations and from those who rode the trains. But then, at times, people would let down their barriers and become human once again- a quick glance from a young man at a pretty girl, a loud round of laughter would escape from the back of a train, someone steals a small, knowing kiss, someone else shares their morning paper with a total stranger, a baby cries, I would hear soft murmers.... I would look around and realize that even though many of us may feel alone, we are never, ever really alone, are we?

Rick Waldroup - August 19, 2009