Ajax

He told me he had no story.  During our 30 minute conversation, Ajax proved to me once again, that in fact, everyone has a story.  A 67 year old Army veteran who served during the Vietnam war, Ajax told me he was born in North Carolina and, except for his time in the military, has been homeless his entire life.  "I prefer to live outside rather than in the shelters" he told me.  "Too easy to get hustled when you're in the shelter."  Ajax shared his philosophy about homeless vs. street people.  "A few bad breaks and you could be homeless," he said. "The difference is that you wouldn't throw away your beliefs about right and wrong. Street people don't care so much.  They'll steal from a homeless person. Happens every day," Ajax told me.  He had strong views about city government and the lack of vision for how to address homelessness in Portland.  "We don't want handouts.  We want a chance." 

Ajax told me he hadn't had his photograph taken since he was three years old (notwithstanding his military ID card).  He really loved looking at the photos on my camera.  I arranged to send a photo to a place where he occasionally receives mail and Ajax was very moved by the thought of having a photo of himself.  Thank you, Ajax, for sharing some of your story with me today.