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AMERICAN HOT POT



By the Missisippi river in Minneapolis

Loud-voiced Woman: 
"This is a purebred dog, Ah paid 2,500 dollars for that dog."

Mumbling Man: 
"I'd -a given ya a baby. I'd-a given ya a baby."

Loud-voiced Woman: 
"Fuck you, Doug, I don' want yer baby. I wanted Jim's baby."

Wall, Chicago Public Library
photo by anuradha roy




Gangsta Hip hop dog, SF
"I'm just living the life, trying to make it on my own"

photo by anuradha roy

Ray Ban dogs, San Francisco.
photo by anuradha roy
About to board. Minneapolis airport.
photo by anuradha roy


Wayside man, Chicago: 
"You want to know where Trump Towers is? You don't want to go there. It's an evil place."


Taxi Driver, Chicago: 
"You going to Trump Towers? I'll take you. Though you shouldn't go there. But what difference does it make? Hillary. Trump. None of them gonna do nuthin."

Dustbin. Trump Towers.
photo by anuradha roy


In New York
Acrobat luring an audience: 
"Where else you gonna see black men runnin' 
and no police chasin' 'em?"



In Minneapolis, at Guthrie Theatre
African American cook on a smoking break: 
"We'll miss Obama. Oh yes, we'll miss Obama."

On the door of breakfast room, hotel, California.
photo by anuradha roy

32 cans of soup, no takers.
photo by anuradha roy



Entrance to the Chicago Public Library. 
No Smoking. Also, no guns. 
photo by anuradha roy

Inside the Chicago Public Library, some home truths
photo by anuradha roy

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