Photographer Tim Durkan documents Seattle’s glamour and grime
Photographer Tim Durkan has been cruising the streets of Seattle for years. It all started 22 years ago, when Durkan quit drinking. Instead of hitting the bars and putting a bottle to his lips, he would walk.
Broadway to Madison, then down to the waterfront, over to Broad Street and back home to Capitol Hill, all to get the thought of drinking out of his mind.
“I started meeting some really interesting people and seeing some crazy things. No one would believe me when I shared my stories,” Durkan said.
To accompany him on his late night strolls he picked up a point and shoot camera. It was a way to keep his mind occupied and document some of the fascinating things on the busy streets of Broadway, a type of walking and photography therapy.
Living on Capitol Hill and roaming the streets at night for the past 20 years, with his trusty camera companion, he has seen some of the wildest things you can imagine. But there is not just excitement in the neighborhood. He has witnessed depressing and heart-wrenching sights of homelessness, addiction and prostitution.
Durkan allied with many of the homeless, giving them money, food and sometimes even the coat off his back.
“Seattle is more than just the Space Needle and amazing views. It’s what’s under the highways and, in-between dumpsters.” Durkan said.
He likes to use the term “two sides of the same coin” to explain the contrasting realities of our city.
His passion for photography has allowed him to spread awareness about the grip of drug abuse and homelessness in Seattle.
Recently, Durkan’s photos and stories have been featured in NBC’s Meet the Press, ABC World News Tonight, CNN, The New York Times and USA Today.
In King County alone, there were 156 heroin overdoses in 2014, up from 99 the year before; and only 49 in 2009. Heroin is an extremely prevalent drug on the streets of Seattle, along with its prescription cousins Percocet and Oxycontin.
Heroin and its other opiate-based counterparts have been shuffled through the streets in alarming rates. “You can buy a fair amount of dope for just eight bucks outside the QFC on Capitol Hill. That’s less than a rotisserie chicken,” Durkan said.
The pain killer supply has plummeted and heroin was the one cheap alternative to the opiate-based narcotics. “I think it’s a matter of a perfect storm of very affordable, cheap, available narcotics and a growing population of people who are in pain, homeless and mentally ill. Everyone is being impacted by this,” Durkan said.
In recent news, the proposal of safe injection sites for drug users has inspired many controversial opinions. “It is a fantastic idea to open up a safe use site, whether it’s an alcoholic, a meth addict, or a heroin addict could come and use their drug of choice in a safe environment without fear of being arrested,” said Durkan. Some may say that this is an unjust expenditure of tax dollars because it gives those who break the law a safe haven.
I was walking down the streets of Capitol Hill with Durkan late at night after grabbing a bite to eat a few weeks ago, and as we made our way to Solstice café we saw a couple people next to a dumpster preparing to shoot up, with rats scurrying behind them.The conditions that most homeless live in are not safe or sanitary.
“These people need help and there’s no way in hell they’re gonna get that while injecting heroin and sleeping in alleys or under freeways,” said Durkan.
By James Garvey