Paul Lai’s photos from the 2017 Baltimore Ceasefire

17 Photos

Baltimore Ceasefire — a plea for a 72-hour break in the relentless gun violence that’s struck Baltimore this year — was held this past weekend. Baltimore photographer Paul Lai followed organizers and supporters with his camera, at times feeling more like a participant than a documentarian.

When photographer Paul Lai showed up to the “Hug Don’t Shoot” rally that was part of last weekend’s Baltimore Ceasefire, supporters wouldn’t let him shoot their picture — until they’d given him a hug.

“It was around 20 or 30 people — they all came up to me and gave me a hug before I could start taking photos, which is something that I’d never experienced before,” said Lai, a MICA student. “People were just so genuine and nice.”

Baltimore Ceasefire — a plea for a 72-hour break in the relentless gun violence that’s struck Baltimore this year — was held this past weekend. Baltimore photographer Paul Lai followed organizers and supporters with his camera, at times feeling more like a participant than a documentarian.

“For certain events I was the only photographer there,” he said.

The first two days were joyous. A DJ blasted music. People began dancing in the streets. “That was really fun,” said Lai.

But as the weekend wore on, the atmosphere of celebration gave way to one of mourning. At a vigil held at the offices of the Real News Network near City Hall, walls were draped in black. Supporters beat drums and read the names of over 200 homicide victims this year. People were crying; Lai viewed their grief through his camera’s lens.

And then he put down the camera.

“At a certain moment I stopped photographing,” he said. “I had to respect what was being read on the stage.” Someone said the ceasefire would go on forever.

As the event closed and people walked out onto the street, he said, word came of the weekend’s fatal shootings.