'Be My Junkie Shadow'
I used to think of Vancouver’s downtown eastside drug ghetto as a ‘freak show’. I’d drive by and see people dealing, scoring, smoking crack, shooting up with needles plunging into arms, necks, legs and feet – all in plain view of anyone brave enough to watch or walk by. I didn’t realize I would end up working in the nucleus of these drug-infested streets.
I began
interviewing women who are addicted to crack, coke or heroin who live and
work in this area. The more I listened to their stories, the more I learned
and the more I understood their plight. The video interviews I conducted
with these women allow them to speak for themselves about themselves.
They tell of terrible tales of childhood abuse, incest and rape.
They tell of abusive families
annihilating their spirit and feeling their goals dissipating. They
talk of the loss of their own children and how drugs numb their emotional
pain. They talk about getting out of the hood, and . . . especially
. . .. they talk about their dreams. These are their words. Please
listen.
I would like to thank all the
incredible women
who consented to being interviewed:
Denise, Bernadette, Wendy,
Josey, Nicole, Angel, Alisha and Shanon.
-- Kat Kosiancic
Photo by Leah Wiebe