A commitment to seeing — not looking past — the people on the street

You might’ve noticed Eddie Smith standing at the corner of 35th and Market streets in Oakland. He doesn’t hide his dark, glassy eyes. He wants drivers of cars paused at the stoplight on their way to Highway 24’s on-ramp to make eye contact. He wants you to see his dusty brown hat that announces he’s a Vietnam veteran, with a slim, salt-and-pepper mustache that is always neatly trimmed no matter how his body is feeling.