KENDRICK BRINSON FOR NEW YORK TIMES CHILDHOOD INDEPENDENCE ARTICLE

Kendrick Brinson recently photographed an Atlanta family for the front-page New York Times story "Should Letting Children Play Alone Outside Be a Crime? Some parents have been surprised to find themselves in the legal system’s cross hairs”.

The family had recently given their son, 6 at the time, the opportunity to ride his scooter to a nearby playground by himself. On his way, a woman stopped him, questioning why he was alone and where he lived. “Ms. Shirley and her husband, Christopher Pleasants, believed in instilling a sense of independence in their two children, and they had recently started to give their son opportunities to do things unaccompanied, like asking him to find items in the grocery store.” But then a few days after the scooter ride, a case manager from the Fulton County Division of Family and Children Services showed up at their house.

Kendrick had to be sure not to include the children's faces in the images, and yet the photos are still full of story and emotion. Click here to read the full article.