. . . as rated by think tank Morgan Quitno, and reported by
MSNBC,
USA Today, and the South
Jersey Courier-Post (which is no
longer based in Camden, but Cherry Hill).
Don't shoot the messenger -- Morgan Quitno made the title of this photo essay, not me. But I will say that Camden is an
extremely seedy place to be, even at 3 in the afternoon (when I was there on May 28). Camden is not a dead town -- it is very much
alive, and very much poor. Like any city, it's got its nice areas, but it doesn't take a whole lot of effort to find the bad vibes,
straight faces, burnt shells, rusting cars . . . the despair -- or danger, if you will -- is tangible in Camden. There's hope, but
it's the kind of hope born when things can't get any worse.
DISCLAIMER: Most of these shots were taken from a car using autofocus and shutter priority of 1/500, so this essay isn't up for a
photography critique.Also, I didn't "set out" to find "Bad Camden" -- this is just Camden, Camden as I see it. |
