Monday, October 15, 2007

Montgomery Station

I'm just realizing now that it was fate or something like it, but no way could it have been a coincidence. I was running late to meet some friends and the Bart train I'd taken was for some reason stopped at Montgomery Station, one stop from where I normally get off. I needed to transfer onto the Muni to get to my destination, so after waiting a bit I realized I could maybe just transfer from there. So I hopped off not completely certain that there was even an underground Muni station, but at worst I could go up street level and catch it there. To my relief there existed one and as I paid the fee, proceeded to push through the rotating gate I saw the most amazing sight. Black and white images everywhere of the people of Darfur and the world they live in coupled with simple questions asking the reader to think about the situation.

"Are you making a killing on the stock market?"

"Are you invested in genocide?"

"How aggressive are your investments?"

"When your portfolio gains who loses?"

"Are you investing for your future or against theirs?"

"What's your college fund funding?"

"Are your riches filthy?"

I loved it.

I learned three things that night: That Montgomery station is the busiest and has the highest concentration of wealthy traffic, there is an organization that is actively taking action for action in Darfur and last there's hope that people just might start to care.

I started snapping away like mad trying to capture all the images until I was stopped by the Bart authorities, ever since 91l photos apparently weren't allowed. I deleted the last two as requested but I had so many more, deceiving, I know. I'm going back today to get the rest.

In all the years I've lived in San Francisco..I've never gotten off Montgomery to transfer. Fate?