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Last Updated: April 5, 2023 by ritnppa

2023 Category: Photo Stories

First Place: Vincent Alban

Absence Gun violence in Rochester has been forced into a way of life, but many people are fighting back to mitigate the tragedies. The fact that the issue will not be solved overnight is acknowledged, but through the community uplifting each other, long after a funeral or vigil, hope is coming back alive. Rochester is referred to as a “warzone” by its outsiders due to its increase in violence. Below a layer of stereotypes, there is a community vibrant and full of life, rebounding from tragedy. Shaq Rodriguez, pours a bottle of liquor, as a ritual of respect, on the casket of Alexis Mercedes before he is buried at Riverside Cemetery on Nov. 30, 2022. “We always had fun when we were together, sparring, drinking, dancing. “There’s something very beautiful about what you see there, that how we show him respect.” says Rodriguez.

Isabel Rosa, a coordinator with Rise Up Rochester, a grassroots anti-gun violence group, chants into a megaphone at a protest in response to a recent shooting in the Marketview Heights Neighborhood on Sept. 19, 2022. The neighborhood has experienced a lot of violence, notably a shooting at a house party in 2020 that left 2 dead, and 14 injured.

A gun storage room is seen at the Monroe County Crime Lab in Rochester, N.Y. on Sept. 28, 2022. These weapons are considered reference guns, meaning they are no longer considered criminal evidence as their cases have been disposed. All these guns have been picked up in the City of Rochester. Crime lab workers use these weapons to compare to evidence guns to assist in forensics of active investigations of shootings.

Titiana Bogar, the mother of Ly’Saun Curry, cries out after a balloon release honoring Curry on the 2-year-anniversary of his death on Oct. 2, 2022. Curry, who was 18, was killed while walking home from his construction job on Oct. 2, 2020. Orange was his favorite color, and his friends and family have used it to honor him through clothing and accessories. Bogar has become a mentor to Curry’s friends, as they all deal with his passing.

Josh Lowe, a friend of Ly’Saun Curry, comforts Curry’s mother, Titiana Bogar after the hearing the news of the verdict in the court case over the death of Curry. The man who shot Curry, Jonathan Spinks, was convicted of second degree murder on Oct, 28, 2022. He was later sentenced to 90 years to life in prison.

Master Glover poses for a portrait in an Extended Stay hotel room in Greece, N.Y. on Sept. 20, 2022. Glover was shot eight times on July 20, 2022, and now needs to use a walker for an injury to his left leg. He spent 20 days in the hospital, where he says that he felt mistreated as if he was a throwaway case. He is living at the hotel for peace and quiet while he is recovering. “I am still trying to figure that out,” says Glover. Obviously for me to get shot eight times like I did; I know I definitely have to have a purpose because I’m still here. So hopefully one day God shows me that purpose and I see it. I mean, right now, my purpose is just trying to heal and be there for my son.”

Anaida Perez, a resident of the Harriett Tubman Estates canvasses the neighborhood on Dec. 7, 2022, to hang up flyers for a community meeting to create a safety plan for residents, following a shooting at the Estates. The shooting occurred at a vigil for Jeremiah Baker, a 17-year-old who was killed in June, also at the Estates. It was a vigil for his 18th birthday, and people who had disagreements with Baker came to shoot at the vigil. A 12-year-old, 16-year-old, and 20-year-old were all shot, but all survived.

Students from Flower City School No. 54 gather at a shrine dedicated to Bryson Simpson on April 14, 2022 during a peace march through the Edgerton Neighborhood. Simpson, who was 17 years old, was killed on March 11, 2022, after getting off his bus after school. The march was organized by Save Rochester, a community outreach group, to protest for better safety measures for students in the City of Rochester, as the shooting happened just blocks from Flower City School No. 54.

The day after he was killed, friends and family of Raymond Walls Jr., cheer as a dirt biker performs a burnout on his bike in honor of Walls at his makeshift memorial site at the corner of Lyell Ave. and Whitney St. on Sept. 4, 2022. When a fellow rider dies, motorcycle and dirt bike riders come out together to the site of where they died to perform burnouts as a tribute. Walls, 27, who went by the name Ray Ray Bae, was killed at the same street corner the night before. Walls had also been shot in 2017 and had survived.

Robert Ricks, center, a student play director, and playwright watches as students in his play production “Boys Black Lives Matter 2: The School to Prison Pipeline”, set up a makeshift shrine, like what one would see for a victim of gun violence on the street in Rochester on Dec. 10, 2022. The shrine was set up for set for a fight between two drug dealers at a shrine. The goal of this play for Ricks was for the audience to understand the reality of the life that children are being exposed to. “You get to see their fun side at the end of every performance, because they’re like, turn on the music,” says Takeisha Brinson, the program coordinator for Robert Rick’s organization, Mentors Inspiring Boys and Girls. “Let’s party, Let’s dance. Let the crowd see who we really are. Despite this negative message that we may have given you that may have broken down in tears, or made you see some reality. That was just a facade. These are characters that you really see out on the streets, and they’re not acting.”

A person walks across the corner of Willowbank Pl. and West Main St. in Rochester on Feb. 9, 2023, where a billboard for Yasir Clark, 23, stands. Clark, who went by the stage name, Guwop Gumbo, was an up and coming rapper from Rochester who was remembered by his friends and family for his fashion sense. He was shot and killed after an argument at a bar on East Ave in Rochester on June 11, 2022.

Jamma Balkum, 8, the son of the late Jamen Balkum, dances while surrounded by friends and family at the 30th birthday celebration for his father in Rochester, N.Y., on Jan. 14, 2023. The past two years since Balkum’s passing, his mother, Michelle Balkum, has through birthday parties to celebrate the legacy of her late son.

Second Place: Vincent Alban

A Father Devon Reynolds is a husband, barber, small business owner, food pantry director, advocate of legal gun ownership, and most importantly, a father. The motivation to open a barber salon and a food pantry all comes down to the legacy he wants to leave for his sons. “They are my reincarnation,” said Reynolds. “To see myself reincarnate before I die is a blessing.” Reynolds felt the need to obtain his pistol permit in 2020 as a means of protection, which he received in 2021. “There’s a high volume of crime, a low volume of compassion, and I have four boys I have to get home to.” Devon Jr., 11, and Jayden, 4, kiss their father, Reynolds, on the cheek while hanging out outside his barber salon and food pantry in Rochester, N.Y. on April 6, 2022, during a “Feed The People” barbecue he hosted for those in need in the community.

Reynolds helps guests at a Thanksgiving Food Drive at the Sweet Ida Mae Food Pantry in Rochester, N.Y., on Nov. 22, 2022. Opening a food pantry is Devon’s approach to reducing gun violence, by fighting food insecurity in his neighborhood. According to a study from Common Ground Health, 30% of people living in the 14613 zip code, where Devon’s food pantry is located, are food insecure. “If a person doesn’t have to use a gun to get money or to hurt somebody to be able to pay for a meal fro their family for the week then I did my job,” says Reynolds.

Reynolds helps Jamear Stallings, second from right, learn to cut hair at a block party organized by New York State Senator Jeremy Cooney in Rochester, N.Y. on Sept. 10, 2022. Reynolds mentors both Stallings, and Anthony Beaman, left, as barber apprentices. Reynolds was hired by the City of Rochester to join the city’s Advance Peace Program within the Office of Neighborhood Safety, a group dedicated to assisting and mentoring young men who are at a high risk of becoming involved in gun crime, whether as a perpetrator or a victim.

Devon Reynolds walks by the horse-drawn carriage for the casket of Charles Robinson III on March 29, 2022. Robinson was killed on March 19 at a party on State St. in Downtown Rochester. Reynolds cut Robinson’s hair at his salon the day before he was killed. “We lose someone major every year. Ever since the Boys and Girls Club shooting.” In 2015, three young men were killed after exiting the Boys and Girls Club on Genesee St. in Rochester after leaving a basketball game.

Craig Carson, left, and E. [name withheld for privacy], both friends of Reynolds, help to clean up glass from the broken front door at Reynold’s barber shop in the Lyell-Otis neighborhood. A gunman opened fire into Devon’s second salon on Jan. 5, 2023, targeting a client. Nine bullets struck the salon, breaking a window, and the front door, and hitting a mirror inside. Fortunately, no one was shot. “I feel violated,” says Devon. “My initial feelings towards it were to get it back in blood, to revert to my old ways. It was a battle with my lower self and higher self to be able to want revenge but to know that it’s not worth it. I did not want to contradict myself as a person on the front line of violence prevention and in the same breath want to take another man’s life.”

Reynolds, left, and Naeem White, right, one of the barber’s at Reynolds’ salon, show their legal hand guns at Reynold’s Lyell-Otis neighborhood salon, shortly after Reynolds hosted a press conference related to the shooting. Reynolds was not at the salon at the time of the shooting. Reynolds acquired his New York State Pistol Permit in Feb. 2022, to legally carry a gun in a concealed area, as a means of protection. White is a licensed security guard.

Reynolds held a group therapy session with a local therapist for his team of barbers and hair stylists to decompress and talk through their feelings after the shooting at his Lyell-Otis salon in Rochester, N.Y. on Jan. 16, 2023. The plywood on the front door was a temporary fix as the glass was destroyed by bullets.

Reynolds looks around during a group press conference organized following a shooting on the steps of Franklin High School in Rochester, N.Y., on Jan. 16, 2023. The group was calling for more of a response from the Rochester City School District, specifically more safety and support for students. The shooting, which took place on Jan. 5, 2023, occurred when a gunman chased a 16-year-old student towards the school building, and opened fired at the student on the front steps. Two other students were on the steps at the time. According to many community members who saw security footage of the shooting, the gun jammed after shots narrowly missed the student, potentially saving the lives of the targeted student and the bystanders.

Reynolds, center, laughs with with Karon Davis, left, a barber, and Javon Bradley, right, a close friend of Reynolds, and founding member of Devon’s salons after running a Thanksgiving Food Drive at the Sweet Ida Mae Food Pantry in Rochester, N.Y. on Nov. 22, 2022. He opened the pantry in his grandmother’s name, Sweet Ida Mae, who used to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to feed those in need in her Harlem, N.Y., neighborhood. Devon says the pantry is a way to “keep her name alive.”

Reynolds’ youngest son, Elijah, 2, rests his hand on Reynolds hand during a family outing at Chuck E. Cheese in Greece, N.Y., a nearby suburb of Rochester on Nov. 12, 2022. Reynolds has been married to his wife Lisa for three years, and Elijah is his mother. Reynolds has half custody of the rest of his children.

Devon walks his son, Elijah, into the atrium at First Genesis Baptist Church on Sept. 25, 2022, for National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, an event put on by ROC The Peace, a grassroots organization based in Rochester working to combat gun violence.

Reynolds feeds his son, Elijah, while watching the movie “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” with 2 of his other sons, Devon Jr. and Karter at Greece Ridge Mall on April 26, 2022. “Black wealth, ownership, being able to identify who they are before they hit their twenties, and hopefully a stronger sense of family a mother or father in the household, black love. That’s my goal.” said Reynolds, of his goals for his sons.”

Third Place: Evie Linantud

Julia Petry is a senior at Batavia High School where she is the kicker for the varsity football team. People told her “you’re a girl, girls don’t play football” and she chose to prove them wrong. She is a five sport athlete who is considering playing football in college.
Julia changes into her uniform before her game on Nov. 4, 2022 at Van Detta Stadium in Batavia, N.Y. Petry changes in the ice room because there is no specific girls locker room at the stadium, and she cannot change in the boys locker room with the rest of the team.

Julia kicks off at the start of the second half of her game on Nov. 4, 2022 at Van Detta Stadium in Batavia, N.Y.

Julia talks to her freshman friend Kaylynn Peyman after her game on Oct. 28, 2022 at Van Detta Stadium in Batavia, N.Y. Peyman attended most of Petry’s games, and would always meet her on the field afterwards.

Julia texts on her phone after her game on Oct. 28, 2022 at Van Detta Stadium in Batavia, N.Y.

Julia pulls on her boyfriend’s, Jett Davis’s, hoodie string on Nov. 26, 2022 in the living room at her mom’s house in Batavia, N.Y.

Julia lifts weights with the team during their practice on Oct. 27, 2022 at Van Detta Stadium’s weight room in Batavia, N.Y.

Julia laughs with her teammates during their team dinner after practice on Oct. 27, 2022 at Van Detta Stadiums JV locker room in Batavia, N.Y.

Julia eats dinner with her dad, John Petry, after her game on Nov. 4, 2022 at her dads house in Batavia, N.Y.

Julia scrolls on her phone before going to sleep on Nov. 5, 2022 in her room at her dads house in Batavia, N.Y.

Julia and her teammates, Emman Richardson and Devin Flannigan, watch their semi-finals game against Maine-Endwell High School from the sidelines on Nov. 26, 2022 at Union-Endicott High School in Endicott, N.Y. Batavia lost 61-20, ending their undefeated streak and season.

Julia texts on her phone after her game on Nov. 4, 2022 at Van Detta Stadium in Batavia, N.Y.

Julia and her boyfriend Jett Davis walk to their cars after Petry’s game on Nov. 12, 2022 at Van Detta Stadium’s parking lot in Batavia, N.Y.

Honorable Mention: Vincent Alban

A Mother “My kids’ fathers aren’t present at all, not one of them,” says Jasmin Vega. “It’s sad to know that two of them have the opportunity to be there and they’re not, and the one that was there, got killed.” Zy’Rah Hernandez-Ruffin was 8 months old when her father was killed in a shooting. She never got to know him, yet her mother, Vega, goes the extra mile to make him present in her life in whatever way she can, through stories and stuffed animals. As a single mother, her day-to-day life can be hectic, but Vega is dedicated to making sure her children grow up to be successful, and a good educational environment is at the forefront. Jasmin and her daughter, Za’Ryah Hernandez-Ruffin, 11, visit the gravesite of Za’Ryah’s father at Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., on Oct. 23, 2022. DeaVoghn Hernandez-Ruffin was killed on Father’s Day, on June 18, 2012. The pair visited DeaVoghn’s grave to mark Za’Ryah’s 11th birthday. “It just hurts,” says Vega. “I know what it was like not to have my father around for a period of my life. Like he was active, very active. But then he went to prison for 10 years and I yearned for him. Like I literally yearn for him. So, to have him and lose him. That hurts but I knew I was getting him back but to know that my daughter doesn’t even remember a hug or kiss anything from him that bothers me, and it bothers her so badly.”

Vega gets a tour of Rochester Prep before committing to sending Za’Ryah and Jaheem to the school. Jasmin has raised her kids in Rochester but moved out of the city 3 years ago to the town of Fairport as she says she was fed up with her children’s experiences with the Rochester City School District schools. “We could get a better experience with schooling instead of [me] having to show up at the school every day because of violence,” says Vega, referring to the many fights occurring at the schools. They eventually moved back due to the high cost of living in Fairport, and she saw charter schools as a better opportunity for her children.

Zy’Rah plays in her bedroom with her younger brother, Jaheem in her bedroom. “They’re growing every day,” says Vega. “I try to keep them busy. When they are bored, they start fighting. So, I gotta keep them busy. We don’t do boredom in our house. We can’t because it’s just time for them to be able to fight or pick at each other.”

Vega puts the finishing touches on Za’Ryah’s hair before one of her first days at her new school, Rochester Prep, a charter school in Rochester. In their own words, the administration of the Uncommon Schools, the parent company of Rochester Prep, sees their vision for students as: “In school and upon graduation, students will be respectful and responsible, understanding that through their efforts, they will achieve, succeed and give back to their community.”

Za’Ryah dances with Vega as she starts to cook dinner for her three children at home. “I want them to be the greatest them they can be,” Vega said of her children. “Whoever they find out to be, I want them to find themselves and I want them to apply themselves.”

Za’Ryah practices braiding hair while Vega finishes the braids on her friend, Stephanie, in her at-home salon. Vega used to work in a salon shop with other hair stylists but moved her business to her home to be around her children, Jamarion, 15, Za’Ryah, 11, and Jaheem, 8, more. According to Vega, Za’Ryah has been wanting to start braiding hair like her.

Vega reads a bedtime story to Zy’Rah on a school night. Zy’Rah’s bear is a custom-made bear from the Build-A-Bear Workshop, that has a voice recording of her late father inside that she can listen to. “It’s so hard,” says Vega. “She just tells me like Mommy, ‘I wish my dad didn’t die. I wish he could read me a book, mommy. I wish he could tuck me in,’ you know, that stuff hurts, like it’s hard.”

In the early morning hours, Vega pets her dog, Shego, before falling asleep around 4:30AM, to wake up again at 6:00AM to drive her children to school. With a busy schedule as a single mother, Jasmin often works late into the night braiding her client’s hair and has very little time for herself. “It’s like we’re in a world full of green lights,” says Vega. “None of them turn red. So, I’m basically always go, go, go, go, go. I never get a chance to stop.”

Category: 2023 What We Do, Contests Tags: Evie Linantud, Vincent Alban