Rustbelt

Moment of Silence by Justin Merriman

Supporters of President Donald J. Trump stand in a moment of silence along the Lincoln Highway on the 19th anniversary of 9/11 in Stoystown, Pa., just outside of the Flight 93 National Memorial on September 11, 2020. A crowd of Trump supporters lined the road in front of the site of United Airlines Flight 93’s September 11th crash site as the President and family members of the victims held a service inside.

Fayette County by Justin Merriman

Kids ride their bikes past a church along Pittsburgh Street in Connellsville, Pa., part of Fayette County, on October 25, 2020. Democrats in Fayette County lead Republicans with 39,857 voters compared to 34,460 Democrats, with another 8,028 independents. However, Democrats once held a 3-to-1 advantage in the county just 10 years ago. In the 2016 election, Trump won Fayette County with 64.4% of the votes over Hillary Clinton’s 33.4%.

U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works by Justin Merriman

Steam billows out of U.S. Steel's coke plant on October 25, 2020 in Clairton, Pa. President Trump placed tariffs of foreign-made steel in an effort to revive the steel industry. His efforts have drawn the support of many who work in the plant. While the tariffs succeeded for a short time to push down steel imports, create higher prices for domestic steelmakers, and to expand the workforce by about 6,000 jobs, by the following year those gains nearly disappeared.

Shell Cracker Plant by Justin Merriman

Shell’s petrochemical refinery, a massive complex that sits along the Ohio River about 30 mies outside of Pittsburgh, will pay nearly $10 million for violations in air emission limits that occurred in the first months of operations at the plant which opened in November. The company suspended production in March for repairs, but planned to restart operations yesterday. When fully operational, the ethane cracker plant will produce 3.5 billion pounds of plastic a year by converting ethane, a component of natural gas, into polyethylene, a common plastic.

Hot Mass by Justin Merriman

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Aaron Clark is photographed at Hot Mass in Downtown, Pittsburgh on March 20, 2019. Clark is co-founder of the Humanaut and Honcho DJ collectives/event production crews, and the weekly 'Hot Mass' after-hours club in Pittsburgh. He also serves as a key member of Pittsburgh's annual VIA Music & New Media Festival.

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Lauren Goshinski, co-founder of the VIA Festival, gfx collective, and resident DJ at Hot Mass is photographed at the after-hours club in Pittsburgh on March, 20, 2019.

Beto O'Rourke by Justin Merriman

Beto O’Rourke, the former three-term Texas congressman and Senate hopeful, campaigns at Penn State University a week into his presidential bid on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 in State College, Pa. O’Rourke’s stop in Pennsylvania follows visits to Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan before heading to New Hampshire.

Facing a Predator by Justin Merriman

Read more about this story on NBC News.

Shawn Jones by Justin Merriman

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Shawn Jones, 30, of Baldwin holds his AR-15 in an alley in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood on Tuesday evening, January 15, 2019. Jones was part of the pro-gun rally in Pittsburgh on Jan. 7 that was held in response to Pittsburgh City Council legislation calling to ban assault-style weapons and types of ammunition in the wake of the Oct. 27 mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. "I believe its important for any human to have the ability to protect themselves," says Jones.

Second Amendment Rally by Justin Merriman

Several hundred supporters of the Second Amendment gather at the City-County Building on Monday, January 7, 2019 in Downtown, Pittsburgh. The protesters gathered to rally against the city council's proposed restrictions and banning of semi-automatic rifles, certain ammunition and firearms accessories within city limits.

Nick Grimes by Justin Merriman

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Nick Grimes, who keeps an arsenal of firearms in his Oakmont, Pa., home, sees a practical line between his right to own those weapons and the federal government’s right to ban so-called “bump stocks,” which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns.