2020 in Kalamazoo
Citizen journalism
A march for racial justice, downtown Kalamazoo, on May 30, 2020, five days after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, setting off protests throughout the country.
In 2020, I dusted off my press hat and began documenting the effects the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown had on our city. As the year continued and communities across the country rallied together to march for racial justice, I was also there with my camera. The work earned me the honor of Photographer of the Year from Humans of Kalamazoo.
An empty downtown Kalamazoo at 8:26 p.m. on March 28, 2020, the first Saturday where bars and restaurants were closed to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
The Green Top Tavern would have been filled with patrons on March 28, 2020, the first Saturday where bars and restaurants were closed to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
Another view of an empty downtown Kalamazoo, no cars or pedestrians to be seen.
A discarded glove sits in a puddle reflecting an electronic billboard with information from the CDC on COVID-19, March 28, 2020.
The Arcadia Festival Site, like many public parks, were closed in the early months of the COVID-19 response, May 7, 2020.
The streets and churches are empty on Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 10:25 a.m., save Judy Sarkozy driving her van delivering bread. Sarkozy Bakery stayed open throughout the pandemic.
The first virtual meeting of the Kalamazoo City Commission on March 31, 2020, seen on Zoom outside of an empty City Hall.
"We are in this together" -- one of the many signs of encourage downtown Kalamazoo. April 10, 2020 outside of V&A Bootery on the Kalamazoo Mall.
Empty rooms at the Raddison Hotel have lamps turned on to make the shape of a heart, April 22, 2020.
A march for racial justice, downtown Kalamazoo, on May 30, 2020, five days after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, setting off protests throughout the country.
Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers set up a perimeter downtown Kalamazoo after a large protest on June 1, 2020 (Photo taken at 1 a.m. on June 2).
A broken window at Lana's Boutique on June 2, 2020, after multiple groups of people smashed windows downtown.
Memebers of the National Guard set up a parimiter downtown Kalamazoo on June 2 after some vandalism the night before. City leaders established a curfew that night.
Hundreds of people take a knee at Bronson Park during a racial justice rally on June 6, 2020.
A Black Lives Matter mural was painted on Juneteenth, 2020, downtown Kalamazoo.
Opening Day at the Kalamazoo Growlers, July 1, 2020.
Hundreds of people continue the call for racial justice in Kalamazoo on July 11, walking past boards that were used by businesses downtown and were turned into artwork.
A protester gives two middle fingers to members of the White Supremacist group the Proud Boys, after they came to Kalamazoo from out of town to hold a rally on August 15, 2020.
An empty patio outside Tap House on the Kalamazoo Mall on December 6, 2020.
A discarded mask downtown after a rain storm, December 13, 2020.