Love Thy Neighbor

Homes of Registered Sex Offenders

Actual Sexual Contact With A Non Stranger 8 Year Old Female

Sentenced To 6 Years Probation

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About the work.

For anyone familiar with the work of Steven Hirsch, these pictures seem to be a radical departure from his style. At first glance.

Technically flawless, quiet, without movement, uniform, they look to be documents of every day American life, with school lunches, baseball practice, bills and family.

But not quite. They are too still, too ordinary. White aluminum siding, candy blue skies, trees with bark and branches in stark focus. A sign to “Support Our Troops”, tucked in near the fence on the ground, a school bus parked out in front. The windows are dull, hung with blinds or curtains, without a story.

Ordinary.

When our eyes drop down to the titles of the photos, we may recognize one or the other story of a sex offender from the headline news.

Herein lies the link to other work of Steven Hirsch: the frame is slightly shifted, the twist of reality, eerie, unpredictable. Stirring up human ‘Angst’ and paranoia. The endless loneliness of strangers walking on New York streets is replicated in the faceless ordinariness of indistinguishable houses, some of which may have witnessed unspeakable horror and pain.

The photos do not investigate, they document. It is up to the viewer to project their thoughts and ideas, to interpret.

Steven Hirsch documents the surface. The image becomes a catalyst to the at times uncomfortable emotional experience the viewer brings to seeing.

Our projections become superimposed on the visual image.

Do we hate sex offenders, do we want them locked away forever, or do we empathize with a twisted soul who probably had a horribly abusive childhood himself.

This is the true strength of Steven’s work: he makes us look at our world anew, with a fresh, uncomfortable eye.

Dr. Ina Becker

MD

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry

Columbia University

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Disclaimer

All addresses, photographs of offenders and all other information which might pinpoint the location of the sex offenders is purposely omitted. Every effort is made to confirm that the offender has, in fact, lived at the home pictured herein. The offender might, in fact, no longer reside at the house pictured nor has in fact ever lived there. However according to the state authorities he or she has lived and/or has been registered as living at said location. The photographs paint a broad picture of some of the locations which might include other homes which are in fact not the offenders residence but merely shown to convey a sense of community. Some of the buildings are in fact multiple dwellings and the offender might only live in a part of the pictured residence and the photo does not imply any and or all occupants are in fact registered sex offenders nor did any crimes take place in the home pictured. Steven Hirsch makes no claims as to the truth, accuracy, or validity of any statements or addresses that were listed and used as a basis for this blog, and therefore takes no responsibility for any mistakes herein. From the New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry: Address information is supplied by the municipal police departments and County Prosecutors to the Division of State Police for inclusion in this website. Although efforts have been made to ensure the information is as accurate as possible, no guarantee is made or implied. The information may also be subject to change and re-verification. You are cautioned that information provided on this site may not reflect the current residence, status or other information regarding an offender. From the New York State Sex Offender Registry Website: DCJS attempts to ensure that the information in the Subdirectory is accurate and complete. However, the information on the Subdirectory is reported to DCJS by other sources. As a result, DCJS makes no express or implied guarantee concerning the accuracy or completeness of this data.