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Beasto, 54, born in Puerto Rico, has been in the U.S. and Camden for 40 years, been back to his island 4 times, and has been living in a tent for 16 months. Used to work in a factory. He spoke almost no English, so I had to communicate with him through my few words of Spanish and occasional, frustrated interjections of Italian. He has a daughter back in Puerto Rico, and another in Reading, PA. When he said "hija," I asked, "Daughter?" but he replied, "No, hija!" That's how bad his English was. Beasto didn't like the soup kitchen not even half a mile away--I've been there--but prefered to cook his rice and beans on a grill. He also had meats, hotdogs and bacon, all unrefrigerated. Kept inside a sack of rice, they were reeking. I also saw a cooked piece of pork chop.



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