Clarence: Hunts Point, Bronx
The "Junkyard" is a vacant lot on an otherwise industrial side street in Hunts Point. It's where many of the local addicts spend their time, gossiping and smoking. They bring their carts filled with what they can collect to sell to the adjacent scrap metal shops.
It's where I found Clarence, who has lived for forty years in Hunts Point since moving from North Carolina as a teenager.
I spoke with Clarence, a former truck driver, for a long time. He told me all that his addiction has wrought: job loss, homelessness, health problems. Never once did he sound angry, bitter, or depressed.
