JR

4/14/11 - Week 15
Walking along Powell, I met JR in front of the Chagall Gallery.  An outgoing fellow, he was asking for $3 so he would have enough for a room tonight.  Said he had a hotel where he can get a room (with 2 or 3 others) for $17/night and he had $14.  I told him about the $2 Portraits project and he enthusiastically agreed to have me take his picture.  I took a few shots as JR continued to work the crowd.  And then we talked.

JR is 56 years old and from Chicago.  His 90 year old mother still lives there in a nursing home.  She is his only living relative, that he knows of.  He was once married to a woman from Michigan, an interracial marriage.  They had one child.  JR said his wife's dad hated him which made it tough on their family and finally his wife and child left him and went back to Michigan.  He has not seen them since and it's been many years.  He also hasn't seen his mother in a 1-1/2 years since he's been in San Francisco.  Came out to San Francisco because it was too hard living on the streets in cold Chicago.

JR graduated from Olivet Nazarene College in Kankakee, Illinois with a degree in religious studies.  Well spoken and articulate, JR told me about the various jobs he's had throughout his life.  He's a religious man and believes in the goodness of people.  He pointed to his feet and said last Christmas a kind man gave him the pair of (expensive) Gucci shoes he was wearing; the only pair of shoes he owns.  He laughed and said sometimes people look at his shoes and then don't think he really needs their help.  JR said he usually hangs out in the same spot; the local merchants know him and give him food.  He also knows the local beat cops who help him out now and then.  He said that he'd love to be working, but can't because of a heart condition.  He's got a lawyer working on getting him some supplemental security income (SSI) disability benefits.

I liked JR; he seemed like a genuine guy who has fallen upon hard times.  Despite that, his chin was up and his eyes were bright.  I gave JR the $3 he needed and wished him a good night.  Told him I might see him again sometime since I'm in San Francisco often.  He smiled and said, "Thank you and I'll see you next time."