These have truly been unprecedented times, full of health, economic, political and social strife. During the past nine months, there has been an incredible amount of change but as we approach a year in this ongoing pandemic, much of this change has become normalized. Since the pandemic started, I have been fascinated by the ways commercialism has been altered, the ways businesses have adapted, the ways they haven’t. No mask, no service. Six feet apart markers at the check-out lines. These are the new normal.
This year was the perfect concoction of pain and grief to disrupt society and life as we’ve known it: Trump’s inadequacy, frequent instances of police brutality, a pandemic that has ravaged our health and economic systems and revealed inequities within, election year. 2020 has been a turning point, a wake up call. As social distancing measures have kept us pent up in our homes, tensions have risen. Anger and pain that have been festering just beneath this country’s surface, have finally erupted. And now protests are a new normal.
As I’ve driven around my hometown in Massachusetts and explored a new city on the opposite coast (Seattle), I’ve been shocked by the appearances of businesses all throughout the country. Many have closed temporarily, some have closed for good, a lot have been boarded up. For this project, as I went out and shot during election week, I witnessed Seattle transform into a dystopian city. One by one, I saw businesses board up in anticipation of election unrest. I found this to be dark, sad, disappointing, comical, scary, unreal all at once. These businesses had learned from earlier riots and this time they would be prepared.
Eventually the election results were announced—Trump had been defeated—and riots were avoided and though this was what I wanted, I couldn’t help feeling upset that everyone appeared placated by Biden’s win. Everything would go back to normal for the big businesses that supported Trump and had temporarily feared the people’s wrath. People who called themselves allies would think our problems had been solved because Trump would no longer be in office. But the reality is the systemic issues that have come to light this year, they are far from over and just because we didn’t have to protest Trump’s re-election, doesn’t mean we don’t still have a ton of things to fight for. We can’t be fooled that the boards came and left. They’ll be back because 2020 has changed the game in our fight for civil rights, equality and equity.
