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LARRY RACIOPPO

“Growing up in the streets, I’m comfortable in them, so I loved it, and the fact that I would - after a while, people wouldn’t even come with me, they’d give me maps, they’d give me - photograph these buildings, go there - I’d talk to the superintendent and I’d get access to all these buildings and I just loved it. I would meet people, talk to them, always respectful, sometimes things would be a little dicey, but I basically understood I wasn’t there to hurt people, and if you’re selling drugs, you don’t want any trouble, it’s bad for business. I might come to a building and see four or five guys smoking pot on the stoop or doing something and I would just say listen, I’m here for the city, I’m here to take some pictures, I don’t want to take any people pictures, but just let me do my business, I’ll be gone in a few minutes, and people understood that, I never pushed anybody and I was treated nicely.”

Larry Racioppo is interviewed by Johan Norberg at the Central Library on April 5th, 2018.

To hear the excerpt, click below.