Street Kids – The Chase

This summer I’ve been seeing lots more street kids in my hometown than I remember there being in other years.   When I say “street kids,” I guess I’m referring mostly to boys in their early teens who look like they’re homeless.  They look way too young to be living out on their own.  But they are – scrounging food and spare change during the day and sleeping under bridges or in abandoned buildings.

A few times I’ve stopped to talk  with a group of the kids in one or another of their hang-out spots I pass on my way to and from work – school – home.  I’ve gotten to know a few of them well enough to invite them over to our place for a meal or to get a hot shower.   I’ve been surprised that most of them, rather than feeling sad and hopeless about how they’re living, seem to see themselves as being on a sort of heroic adventure.

They’ve broken free from being controlled, and often abused, by their families or other adults.  They live in packs where they provide each other with companionship and support.  They’re not hung-up about having to own the newest whatever, or about what they wear, or about sex.  Most of them don’t seem ashamed or uptight about getting the money they need by trading sex for it.  And they try to always work in pairs, which seems to keep them pretty safe from harm.

I feel lucky that I’ve gotten to see the beauty behind the usually rough exteriors of these boys.  So I’ve done a few series of pics to try and portray some of that beauty.   Even though I’ve given the boys in my pics names, none of the pics are of actual, live boys – they’re just representations, usually over idealized, of the nature of some of the street kids I’ve been fortunate to meet.

The star of the first series is  “Chase,”  or as he likes to call himself, “The Chase.”   While he’s sort of scruffy and unwashed, he’s also usually irrepressibly happy and is a joy to be around.

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Sweet, isn’t he?  To see more of Chase, go HERE