CURRENTLY ON EXHIBIT

Skid Row - 1984-1988
On Exhibit at the new Los Angeles Police Museum

Los Angeles Police Museum
& Community Education Center
6045 York Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90042-3503
(877) 714-LAPD

Captured during the years
1984-1988, Marshall LaPlante's raw, gritty images showcase the seedy underbelly and bleak despair of Skid Row life as seen through the unique perspective of the veteran foot-beat cops who worked the area every day. Marshall's extraordinary five-year photograpic journey and rare LAPD access enabled him to create deeply emotional images that capture lawlessness juxtaposed against order.

LaPlante's extensive documentation of life on Skid Row began as a whim. One day, he simply decided to go downtown to document a side of life he had never photographed before. On his first day of shooting, he met two footbeat cops who let LaPlante tag along with them. His work instantly took on a whole new life, and the project became all-encompassing. The cops' knowledge of each Skid Row resident - along with their individual behavoir patterns - enabled LaPlante to create thousands of images that captured the stark and brutal reality of life on the streets.

At the close of his project, Marshall continued with his aerial extreme sports and fashion work, not realizing that he had captured a slice of history in a way that had never been captured before. The project sat on a shelf for nearly 15 years until a manager at A&I Photographic & Digital Services stumbled across some of the work and realized that LaPlante had a unique documentary exhibit on his hands. At the manager's encouragement, LaPlante edited the photographs and had select images printed by master B&W printer Michel Karman and master digital printer Chip Leavitt. The exhibit opened to huge crowds in late 2002.

About the Museum

marshall LaPlante's exhibit of Skid Row images is the second show to run at the new Los Angeles Police Museum, which opened one year ago. Founded in 1989, the LAPD's Historical Society is charged with building up the museum's collections and curating the exhibits that hang there. The museum is located in the LAPD Historical Society Building (formerly the Highland Park Police Station).

About the Cops

The images in this exhibit chronicle life on the streets as seen through the eyes of the two footbeat cops who worked Skid Row daily in the 1980s. Policeman Don Moody started with the LAPD in 1966 and spent 24 years in the Central Division before retiring in 1991. Moody worked the Skid Row footbeat for 20 of those 24 years. After six years on the Skid Row beat, Moody got a new partner, Policeman Larry Soeltz. Soeltz worked the Skid Row footbeat for 15 years, and served as Moody's partner for 14 years. The beat included the area from 3rd to 9th streets and Main to San Pedro. Both Moody and Soeltz are still considered "LAPD Legends." Moody is now a deputy in Northern California's Lake Shasta area, while Soeltz is enjoying his hard-earned retirement.