As a former reporter and photojournalist covering the three poorest and most ethnically diverse counties in Colorado, I have done my share of public interest articles. However, doing the story on Fare & Square in Chester, Pennsylvania was by far the most challenging for me to write because of the what happened while I was walking back to the subway from the store.
I was well-aware of the danger of being in Chester after dark and arrived there around 4 p.m. thinking that I would be able to do the story in a few hours and be back on the train by dusk. Because of the hospitality and enthusiasm of everyone I talked to at the store I didn’t end up leaving until close to 8 p.m. I had a bad feeling when I left with my backpack full of camera equipment.
During the 5 minute walk to the subway station I heard the sound of footsteps pounding behind me and before I was able to turn around I was hit twice in the back of the head. When I did turn around I was confronted by a young man who demanded that I give him my bag.
I was enraged and when I refused, the young man started walking backwards and then I saw two other young men jump from behind a set of shrubs and sprint towards me to join the ambush. Looking back, I don’t think they had anticipated a confrontation because it turned to total chaos. After dodging what seemed like fifty punches I managed to work my way into the middle of the street and they all sprinted away empty-handed.
For several days following the confrontation I was extremely conflicted in writing the story. To make matters worse, I had a major neck and shoulder surgery several years ago due to an injury I sustained during a wrestling match in high school and a few weeks before doing the story, the symptoms came back and it is still unclear whether I will need another operation. Because of being hit in the back of my neck and head it made my symptoms much worse and I had to write the story standing up and in small increments because of the pain and numbness from maintaining the same posture for any extended period of time. The discomfort served as a constant reminder of what took place in Chester that night. How could I possibly advocate for the people of such an impoverished community after being attacked by the people I was supposed to advocate for?
After putting a great deal of thought into it, I finally concluded that the incident was exactly why I needed to write the story. I now realize that the attempted mugging was a direct result of the poverty and conditions in Chester and Fare & Square is a huge step towards drastically improving those conditions.
I met so many great people while doing the story that are dedicated to making the city better and have a great deal of pride in their city. I now understand that I would be doing each one of them a great injustice by not telling their story.
I also adamantly believe that the Fare & Square business model can and will be reproduced in many more economically-challenged cities across the country and I have no doubt that they will succeed as long as the dedication and resilience of the people in those cities are even close to that of the many amazing people in Chester.
