VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY OUR Streets: IVAN EKONEK BY PAULA BARD “I’M 27, FROM GHANA, Accra, in West Africa. I came to this country for education — Chicago community college. That’s why I came to America. I came to the U.S. for advanced education. I lived in Chicago when I first came to America; I was in Chicago, going to school. Yeah, I got a degree; I’m a good electrician. My parents sent me here. I wanted to come to Chicago because when I was in Africa, they have school online from the U.S. And so, then to Denver after that...because it’s dangerous in Chicago. Chicago is so dangerous. Too dangerous. Oh my God! The police were called on me three times. The first one was out at the park. I was just jogging to the park and trying to, you know, raise myself. The police arrive to ask me a question. ‘We had a call on you,’ so I had to wait like 30 minutes [for them] to run my background, everything. ‘Keep walking, just keep walking.’ I went downtown. So, the second time, and it happened again, it was at night in downtown Chicago. They were just focusing on me. I think it’s because I’m Black. Yep, that’s why. Yeah, they just focus on me. They came straight to me. ‘Hey man, we want to have your ID,’ the man is like, ‘are you selling drugs?’ No, I was not selling drugs! Chicago is too dangerous. I’m focused now on getting out; I just want to go, to go home. In Ghana, we got lands, we got horses, we got a farm. A whole plantation, we grow pepper, okra, tomatoes. My grandfather built a lot of things. Families should be helping if you got family. I’m a Christian. But the truth, without a doubt, the truth — America is getting more dangerous, and America is in trouble. Yes.” ■ CREDIT: PAULA BARD OUR Streets are stories of Denver’s unhoused residents as captured by Paula Bard, who walks the streets of Denver to photograph the faces and collect the stories of those her city has abandoned. HOW TO HELP The money we take in from vendors helps us cover a portion of our printing costs, but we depend largely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to help us pay our rent and keep the lights on. DONATE Donations to the Denver VOICE are tax-deductable. Go to denvervoice.org to give a one-time or recurring donation. You can also mail a check to: Denver VOICE | P.O. Box 1931 | Denver, CO 80201 GET THE WORD OUT We rely on grassroots marketing to get the word out about what we do. Talk to people about our organization and share us with your network. Support us on @denverVOICE ADVERTISE Our readership is loyal, well-educated, and socially concerned. Readers view purchasing the paper as a way to immediately help a person who is poor or homeless while supporting long-term solutions to end poverty. If you are interested in placing an ad or sponsoring a section of the paper, please contact us about rates at ads@denvervoice.org. VOLUNTEER We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. SUBSCRIBE If you are unable to regularly purchase a newspaper from our vendors, please consider a subscription. We ask subscribers to support our program with a 12-month pledge to give $10 a month, or a one-time donation of $120. Subscriptions help us cover our costs AND provide an amazing opportunity to those who need it most. Go to denvervoice.org/subscriptions for more information. June 2021 DENVER VOICE 3
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