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I was walking down Powell Street enjoying the holiday window displays when I saw from a distance the back of a person that looked vaguely familiar. My heart skipped a beat as I crossed the street to see if it was the person I hoped it wasn't. Thankfully, it was not. With long dark hair and slight build, he sat on the side walk with a sign that read, "Hungry & Broke". I told him about the $2 Portrait project and he agreed to tell me a little of his story.
Aaron is 41 years old and has been in San Francisco for 7 years. He was born in Korea (and is Korean) and came to the US when he was 3. His parents were in the US military so he moved around a lot. I asked how he came to be hungry and broke and he replied that he recently quit his job because it was getting really bad. Aaron didn't describe what kind of work he did, only saying he worked at the place where he got his meds. I figured that was a line of questioning not to pursue. Family was also a topic he didn't talk about only saying he didn't have any family around to help him.
Aaron was not too talkative, so I gave him two dollars, snapped a few shots and wished him luck.
Taken 12/11/12
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