Last month, members of the Roma community in Wroclaw, Poland, faced their first day in court for an eviction lawsuit brought against them by local authorities. The Roma were met with great hostility when they first settled in the city, over two decades ago, and the majority have since been expelled. But nearly a hundred Roma remain there, living in two settlements that they erected, one in a wasteland and the other in a former garden allotment. Most Roma are not registered residents of Wroclaw, and are considered by many to be illegal residents of the city. The next trial date in the lawsuit is set for January 10, 2014.
Growing up in Wroclaw, the photographer Adam Lach developed a curiosity about the community, and began to question the enduring stigma attached to the group. After his first few visits to one of the settlements, in 2011, Lach wanted to share what he had seen, and to provide a voice for the estranged and predominantly illiterate Roma. Lach has returned to the slum on several occasions—an unusual act, he recognizes, in Polish culture. “I continue to return to them, like to a group of close acquaintances and friends,” he told me.
Photographs by Adam Lach/Napo Images.
