Vendor Chino Dean likes to be known as the “Grand Baby Bugs Bunny” and from his cartoons you may agree. When creating one of his cartoons, the first thing he does is think about his character. Once he has a character formed in his mind and drawn on his tablet, he will imagine speaking to the character which is how he creates the dialogue for his cartoons.
When not drawing, Chino likes to stay active by playing street soccer. In 2008 he was honored with a medal for his outstanding performance playing for the San Francisco team in the competition for the Street Soccer USA Cup here in Washington. Street Soccer USA draws homeless players from 20 cities across the country to compete for goals both on soccer fields and in their lives. The program not only encourages players to stay physically and mentally fit but helps them to improve their social skills and self-esteem.
Chino says that working for Street Sense was the reason he had the opportunity to participate in soccer and that the paper has opened other doors for him as well. . One of his favorite things about being a Street Sense vendor is that he has had the chance to meet with the famous and not-so-famous people of the United States government.
Chino also served in the United States Navy. So if you see him selling papers by the Capitol or over on 12th and G streets he would love for you to, “start up a conversation about his naval career.”
