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Bob Shell: Heidi

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Bob Shell

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……….I’m enclosing a recent photo of me. Not for its artistic value, which is nil, but because I had to explain to the man who takes the pictures here how to set the camera. It was a little Kodak point and shoot digital with minimal features, but with the ability to make some basic settings. As I was holding the camera and showing him how to set it so the flash would fire and he would not get ghastly green, heavily shadowed photos under the fluorescent lights here, it suddenly hit me: This is the first camera of any sort that I have had in my hands in four and a half years! That thought brought tears to my eyes, and does again as I write this. Photography was my life, and it is an obscene form of mental torture to deprive me of it. I think that bothers me more than anything else about what was done to me by the system.

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Bob Shell: Pocahontas State Correctional Center, 11-11-2011

About The Author: Bob Shell is a professional photographer, author and former editor in chief of Shutterbug Magazine. He is currently serving a 35 year sentence at Pocahontas State Correctional Center, Pocahontas, Virginia for involuntary manslaughter for the death of one of his models, Marion Franklin. He is currently working on his appeal.
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Editor’s Note: Bob Shell was recently visited in prison by TWS associates to assist with his appeal process. To learn more about the case log on to www.BobShellTruth.com.

Gina Cotter

About The Photographer: Gina Cotter is enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2012.

Artwork by Mikel Elam

Posted on December 9, 2011 by A.H. Scott

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Well, as I thought about “Believe”, I pondered reasons to believe in President Obama. The problems that this country faces aren’t something that can be solved in a sprint. This is going to take someone with the fortitude of a marathon runner. And, that man is President Barack Obama. His leadership of our country is a steady and peaceful calm, compared to those who wish to defeat him and his ideas.

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It would be so easy for the President to get angry and flail around like a chicken with his head cut off, every time the opposition blocks him. Yet, he strides with pride And, for that, I think the level of hatred towards him rises many levels across the political spectrum.

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BELIEVE

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Believe that we are on the right path
Believe in the vision of the Obama plan
Believe that it might not be perfect
But, believe that he is on the side of the American people
Believe that he is a man of strength of character
Believe he has the integrity to get the job done
Believe that this is the man for the our times
Change isn’t easy
No one but a fool would believe that
Change isn’t a sprint
Believing in change is a marathon
Believe in strides this country is taking
Believe that faith is the path to future success for us all
We didn’t get into all the problems we have today overnight
And, we won’t fix these problems with just a snap of the fingers
We all know that the economic downturn lingers
Yet, the race is before us and not behind us
Believe that we ALL have a stake in our country’s future
Believe we all MUST work together to make it better
If only we BELIEVE in something beyond just ourselves
The FUTURE will put us all on the path to recovery
Believe in PRESIDENT Barack Obama
Because OBAMA is doing the job as best as he can
Believe FOUR more years is deserved by this man
Believe in Obama/Biden 2012
Believe in them and the next four years will make a CHANGE that lasts
This is HOPE of placing on our running shoes to win
This race is long but our WILL is strong
This is FAITH in America’s greatness
This is why we BELIEVE IN PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!!
BELIEVE!!

Editor’s Note: This is the third collaboration of TWS contributors for the re-election of President Barack Obama.

Occupy Philadelphia

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Kaitlyn Levesque

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……….I feel as if I’ve been following the Occupy movement as intensively as the average American, which is to say I hear about it and read the occasional article on various occupy happenings but couldn’t concisely tell you what the movement is about or what their demands are. And upon consideration, I’m really not sure if anyone can give a concise answer to those questions, because to the best of my understanding the movement has grown so fiercely that each individual person brings new grievances to the table and is unitedly taking an individual stance against whatever they think is wrong. All of this being said the Occupy movement is starting to falter in momentum. Numbers have thinned, coverage has lessened, and the latest news is focusing more on the misdoings of police officers than the goals and progress of the movement itself.

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Occupy Philadelphia

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I wandered into City Hall, the home base of the Occupy Philadelphia movement on a Sunday afternoon and found the whole scene rather anticlimactic and sorely disappointing. It was past noon and yet barely a dozen people were moving about; the tent city that had been erected weeks prior looked filthy and deserted. I walked, I observed, I read, I listened, and I ultimately documented. The movement is fading; they lacked organization and respect. There are still some people genuinely concerned and invested in this movement, but for every legitimate occupier there seemed to be someone who was just bumming along for the ride.

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Occupy Philadelphia

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Occupy Philadelphia

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This what I wanted to illustrate, the diminishing voice of the movement, the genuinely concerned citizens with a message to deliver barely seeming to keep their voice a float in an overwhelming sea of an off putting and massive mess. The signs shows a message trying to be delivered, but they are surrounded by filth and little else, for the signs now outnumber the people who are still valid members of the movement.

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Occupy Philadelphia

About The Author: Kaitlyn Levesque is a sophomore enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2014 – Copyright 2011

Obsessions

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Bob Shell

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Letters From Prison

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Obsessions

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Obsessions

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Obsessions

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Letters From Prison

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Obsessions

About The Author: Bob Shell is a professional photographer, author and former editor in chief of Shutterbug Magazine. He is currently serving a 35 year sentence at Pocahontas State Correctional Center, Pocahontas, Virginia for involuntary manslaughter for the death of one of his models, Marion Franklin. He is currently working on his appeal.
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Editor’s Note: Bob Shell was recently visited in prison by TWS associates to assist with his appeal process. To learn more about the case log on to www.BobShellTruth.com.

Artwork by Mikel Elam

Posted on October 9, 2011 by A.H. Scott

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……….Thinking about the Occupy Wall Street movement and the mass arrests across the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, October 1, 2011; I couldn’t let my pen stay silent. This poem is titled, “UNITY”.

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“Unity is what the ruling class fears most. When the 99 percent unite against the 1 percent, then things in this country will make a shift towards equality for all. Roaring river of righteousness will wash over those heightened fences of hubris which those of closed ears & minds inhabit. Unity is the brass key to unlock a brighter future for us all. Our raised voices are the defiance that will rock the foundations of white gloved arrogance. UNIFY & DEFY..!!”

Editor’s Note: This is the second collaboration of TWS contributors for the re-election of President Barack Obama.