Garth Avenue - Day 30

Community leaders including area pastors, council members, teachers and parents called a meeting to listen to the youth of Columbia. The adults offered options for the young people such as after school activitiess and planned events. Adults outnumbered young people at least 3-to-1.

Garth Avenue Break - Sturgeon pics

I took a break from Garth to spend the day in Sturgeon, Mo. for my next Boone Life.

Garth Avenue - Day 27

The north end of Garth Avenue ends in a roundabout, which splinters the street into new subdivisions where thousands of homes have been added in the past five years.

Garth Avenue - Day 26

Danna and Keith Vessell pose with their children, Jillian and Alexander outside their home on South Garth Avenue on April 26, 2007. The Vessells have lived in their home for six years and say they like the security of the established neighborhood on South Garth Avenue.

Garth Avenue - Day 25

Wynesta Barney and Wydallas Tobar stroll down a Garth Avenue sidewalk along part PedNet's urban trail. The trail is marked with painted footprints and signs that display walker's current distance along the trail.

"I thought it was just some kids playing with paint," Tobar said. Tobar was on his way to work and Barney was headed to her home on Garth Avenue north of Broadway.

Garth Avenue - Day 24

ABOVE: Sirron Milo, 10, throws a left hand at Malik Smith, at The Intersection community center on April 24, 2007. Boxing gives the kids and teens a release for their anger and a way to practice not losing control, Intersection volunteers say.

BELOW: Ben Hughley shakes off a punch while JeVonte Prayer, 12, comforts him at The Intersection community center on April 24, 2007. Hughley fought another round, then caught a hook to the jaw that made him to quit fighting.

Garth Avenue - Day 23 (2)

Michael Pennington, 17, stares through a window into Russell Chapel's prayer vigil on April 23, 2007. Pennington's friend, Tedarrian C. Robinson, was shot in the back of the head on April 18, 2007 and died from the injury. The gunfight was between two other friends, and Robinson was caught in the crossfire. "We'd be over all summer. I'd stay at his house," Pennington said.

Pennington and his friends made shirts to raise money for the Robinson family.

Edith Prince, grandmother of the shooter, organized a prayer vigil where community leaders prayed and brainstormed solutions to help the youth in Columbia "get off the streets." "It's time for us to pray," Prince said at the service. "Lord, forgive us," she said. "As adults we have failed our youth."

Garth Avenue - Day 23

Robert and Jane Smarr step down the stairs of the front porch of their home at the south end of Garth Avenue on April 23, 2007. Robert Smarr has lived in the home, which was built by Robert's father in the 1930's, for his entire life, except for the four years he spent in the military. "I don't know," he says, "It's scary out there." Robert Smarr worries about the crime moving south into his neighborhood.

More hippie day

Hippie Day

TOP: The urban walking trail, sponsored by Columbia's PedNet, includes signs like this one that show you how far you've gone, and footprints painted on the sidewalk along Garth Avenue north of Broadway.

BOTTOM: (since the sign pic isn't terribly interesting, I photographed this guy, too.) Angel Tapia dons his denim jacket covered with patches on the front porch of his house on Garth Avenue on April 21, 2007. Tapia still wears the jacket from time to time. "It's just hard to keep it together," he says, pointing out the rips and tears in the jacket.

Not Garth

Some guy decided to stand on the bar and mouth the words to Mr. Roboto at the Alley Bar. This was just before a bouncer told me that I couldn't take pictures in the bar.

BOUNCER: "Hey man, you can't take pictures in here."

ADAM: "I'm just taking pictures of my friends."

BOUNCER: "Just don't do it."

ADAM: "I can't take pictures of my friends?"

BOUNCER: "Just don't."

ADAM: "[Laughing]"

I guess if you have a good enough camera, everyone thinks you're from Girls Gone Wild.

Garth Avenue - Day 21

Alan Rees, 11, left, and Corey Dahm, 7, share strategies for playing a Pokemon Gameboy game outside Dahm's house on South Garth Avenue on April 21, 2007. Selling lemonade and old VHS tapes at the Dahm's moving sale, Rees said he made about $20. "I might buy a video game," he said.

Garth Avenue - Day 20

SOMETHING MORE VALUABLE THAN TAKING PICTURES ...

I'm not posting a picture today. I stumbled upon an experience that was much more valuable to me than taking a picture of Garth Avenue could have been, and I decided to not worry about the picture.

Garth Avenue - Day 19

Ennis McClanahan was the first black man to move north on I-70 on Garth Avenue. Back then, McClanahan says, his friends advised him that moving into a white neighborhood wasn't a good idea. McClanahan recieved what he calls empty threats from area residents responding to a black man in their neighborhood.

"I don't scare easy," McClanahan says, citing his military background which includes a two-and-a-half year tour in Vietnam.

Garth Avenue - Day 18

Pedestrians stand under a streetlight in front of an empty lot near the intersection of Garth Avenue and Sexton Road on April 18, 2007.

Garth Avenue - Day 17

Alex Badant finishes sweeping the sidewalk of his home on Garth Avenue south of Broadway. The home was built in the 1930s, and the repair work on the original clay sewer pipes killed the grass in the front yard. The neighbors prefer a grass yard, he said, but Badant wouldn't mind keeping it muddy. "It beats mowing," he said. Badant moved into his home in 1985. "This is our neighborhood," he said.

Garth Avenue - Day 16

Micah Robertson, 10, sweeps grass off the sidewalk while Garrett Le, 12, and his little brother get ready to cut the grass in the backyard. Le was mowing the lawn to earn more time on his computer, and his friend, Micah, said he would help him. "He said he would give me a dollar," Robertson sai.

Garth Avenue - Day 16

Garrett Le trims the grass along the sidewalk at his house just north of where Garth Avenue ends. New construction in the area increased the traffic along Garth Avenue and attracted young families to the area. This subdivision was built in 2002. Garrett, 12, was cutting the grass to earn more time on his computer.

Garth Avenue - Day 15

Duarley Gettis shows off his jewelry outside Oak Towers apartment complex on North Garth Avenue on April 15, 2006. Gettis lives on the fourth floor of the eight story complex. He's lived in the complex for a year, and said he feels "relaxed" in the building. "I love it here. I find it more peaceful than livin' at Paquin Towers," he said.

"It's a family ike community here."

Garth Avenue - Day 14

Mike Palmer holds a picture of himself when he was 25 years-old inside his apartment at Oak Towers apartment complex on North Garth Avenue on April 13, 2007. Palmer has lived in the complex for two years and said he doesn't have any regrets about moving in. "I must be a people person," Palmer said. "Since I lived down here I liked it."

Garth Avenue - Day 13

Since I posted a ton yesterday. No photos today. More shooting on Saturday, day 14.

Ben's tatoo - Lisa Frank Stylee

Garth Avenue - Day 12 (4)

Elmer Spencer, a retired war veteran, stands outside Oak Towers apartment complex on Garth Avenue on April 12, 2007. Spencer was looking for a room at the complex, but was told that the complex was full. "I'm tryin' to get public housing," Spencer said. "I should have priority, unless there's an old woman." Spencer currently lives up the street on 1100 Garth Avenue, but wants to move into a different place.

Garth Avenue - Day 12 (3)

Edward Bailey smokes a cigarette inside his room at the Oak Towers apartment complex on April 12, 2007. Bailey has lived in the complex for two years and said it was a big adjustment from his life he remembers in Jamaica. He enjoyed practicing photography until he had a stroke, after which he lost full control of the right side of his body. His apartment is decorated with collages he has made and other masks and cultural artifacts.

Garth Avenue - Day 12 (2)

Carl Richardson (right), and Robert Wainscott live in adjacent apartments inside Oak Towers apartment complex. The two grew up in Fayette, Mo. and are now retired. They say that they enjoy the place. "I'm close to the VA hospital," Wainscott said.

"I like it okay," Richardson said. "It's a good place to live."

Richardson worked as a janitor at the University of Missouri until he retired. Wainscott worked in dry cleaning and laundry service until he retired in 1993.

Garth Avenue - Day 12 (advance)

The Columbia Public Library sits on the corner of Garth Avenue and Broadway, an intersection that divides Garth Avenue into its affluent and low-income sections. The library's 2006 proposed $7 million budget helps it sponsor programs and classes for the community.

Garth Avenue - Day 11

Gerald Lewis sits on his bed inside his apartment at Oak Towers low-income housing unit on North Garth Avenue on April 11, 2007. He keeps his room hot. "Most of the time I walk around here in the nude," he said. Lewis, a navy veteran, acts as tresurer and informal ambassador for the Oak Towers apartment complex.

Gart Avenue - Day 10 (2)

Jerry Lewis walks down a hallway at the eight-story Oak Towers low-income apartment complex on North Garth Avenue on April 10, 2007.

Garth Avenue - Day 10

Noble Banks gazes out the front window of the lobby of the Oak Towers apartment complex on April 10, 2007. Banks, originally from Kansas City has been in and out of the central Garth Avenue low-income housing unit three times, and said that he more or less likes it. He spends the afternoons peering out the window and bumming cigarettes from whoever might be outside.

Garth Avenue - Day 9

Becky and Dallas Deornellas moved into their home on Garth Avenue north of I-70 almost six years ago. When they moved in, no developments existed north of their home. Now, hundreds of homes line the streets of the newly developed area. New homes bring new traffic, which works against the Deornellas' original idea of being away from the bustle of the city. "We've seen a lot of changes," Dallas Deornellas said. "It was just trees and a 20 foot blacktop and a big ditch on both sides when we moved here.

"Looks new, looks like a big city now."

Garth Avenue - Day 8 (advance: easter)

Tameka Williams poses for a portrait outside her new home off Business Loop 70. (I went back for a portrait that showed what her new place looked like.)

Garth Avenue - Day 7

Melvin Gibson plays his bass guitar and sings inside the basement of his house on North Garth Avenue south of I-70. Gibson has expressed his attitude toward the degredation of the neighborhood. "I'm tired of it," he said. "When I lived here, it was a nice quiet neighborhood."

"I've lived here for 15 years," he said. "There's never been no shit like this going on up in here."
The horns are honkin, and the babys are hollerin', people are cussin'. All night long. And if you call the police, they'll come by when it's all over with."

Garth Avenue - Day 6 (advance: posted Thursday)

Debbie Tapia holds her dog's leash while her husband, Angel, looks on outside their home on Garth Avenue north of Broadway. The Tapia's moved in to their home 6 years ago and say they like the neighborhood, except for the loud traffic around rush hour. "I can tell it's close to five o'clock," Debbie Tapia said about the noise. "Nobody bothers us and we don't bother nobody," Debbie Tapia said. Several pink plastic flamingos dot their front yard. The Tapias said they collected them from garage sales over the years.

Garth Avenue - Day 5

Tameka Williams brushes her daughter's hair inside their apartment near Business Loop 70 in Columbia, Mo. on Thursday, April 5, 2007.

Williams moved away from her house at the intersection of Garth Avenue and Worley Street because she felt the neighborhood was too "busy." She recieved help from the Columbia Housing Authority through Section 8, which provides help with rent to low-income families. Recognizing her determination to get her life on track, Williams' case worker told her "That street is not meant for you."

Williams said her house was always full of people that would stop by from the street. The chaos was too much. "I didn't have control of my house," she said.

Williams decided to move to a new apartment far away from the neighborhood. "I needed to find myself," she said. "[Here] it's a lot better ... quieter."

Without all the "drama" of living in the central section of Garth Avenue, she said, she's able to concentrate and actually save some money. She considers herself a fighter.

"Struggle is a powerful thing to do," she said.

Garth Avenue - Day 4

Sharon Small walks her dogs, Rosie and Brutus, along the fence of the future "leash-free" zone of The Bear Creek Trailhead park while cars pass by in the background on Garth Avenue north of I-70. Tens of thousands of dollars were allocated to turn the former wastewater treatment plant into a park for residents. "This is kind of like my extended backyard," she said. Small's house backs up to the recently created park.

Garth Avenue - Day 3

Keisha Thompson, 16, does Cantirria Robinson's hair while Charles Buchanan laughs in the background at The Intersection near the Corner of Garth and Sexton in Columbia, Mo. on April 3, 2007. Thompson and Robinson grew up together "right around the corner," they said. The two come to The Intersection about every day, they say. "It keeps you out of trouble," Thompson said. "You have more things to do."

Garth Project - Day 2

Laura Spradling pushes her son, Charlie, with her 6 year-old son, Abram, past a weathered house on their way home from Grant Elementary school on Monday, April 2, 2007. The Spradlings recieve government money from the Columbia Community Development program to live in their home on Garth Ave. north of Broadway as the city tries to revitalize the area. Upon crossing Broadway, average property values along Garth Ave. drop drastically. The spradlings moved into their home four years ago, and say they are pretty much happy with it. "I just wish it was quieter," Spradling said. "I want a kid oriented neighborhood."

Garth Ave. project

In the spirit of my good friend Andrei Pungovschi, who started a "picture a day" project about small town America, I decided to join in on the fun and post one image per day from my project, Garth Ave. This is day one, April 1. I don't think it's going to be easy, but I want to force myself to shoot every day. I hope I can summon the power of the great Romanian to keep this going.

CAPTION: Alex Wenzel, 16, stares away from the action while Robert Ricks, center left, and Carl Harvey battle for the basketball at "The Intersection," a community center near the corner of Garth Ave. and Sexton Road. Wenzel lives next to The Intersection, whose aim is to be a crossroads for “connecting people across generational, racial and economic lines in a safe, caring environment,” according to the center’s mission statement. The center was started in November 2003 and has gained popularity since.

The story is about the different sections of Garth Ave., a main street that from north to south runs the length of Columbia, Mo. In the south, home values hover in the hundreds of thousands. Just across Broadway, home values drop drastically, and further north, with the help of government grants, new parks and subdivisions are popping up. The dividing lines couldn't be more clear. In summary, if you profile Garth Ave., you profile the different faces of Columbia.