In anticipation of the upcoming Best of Miami issue hitting
newsstands June 17, here is a sneak peek at one category and its winner.
"DC Vision" of the Street
dcvision.tumblr.com
We've all seen some things in this city -- dirty, nasty, criminal, soul-crushing things. Most of us, with our trademarked 305 cynicism, tend to ignore them. But an anonymous man, going by the Internet handle of DC Vision, is paying attention. In 2007, he began taking photographs of the prostitutes and drug addicts who line the streets of downtown Miami. They wind up on his Tumblr, titled the Street. The site's header ominously reminds us: "This is an exploration of other people's lives. Look around you, there are streets like this in every town. They are all connected." Recently, he began posting mug shots and arrest info for some of the girls he has photographed. Sadly, many of them wind up right back on the streets. The effect is haunting, especially when much of the blatant activity takes place in broad daylight and most of the subjects wear the marks of hard lives on their faces. Some people might see it as exploitation, but it's a chilling reminder that the city has a long way to go to clean up its streets and that we should be thankful our lives don't resemble the images in these photos.
