He is originally from Honduras, but several years ago he made the journey to America to live in complete freedom and expectant safety. His plans did not 100% materialize.
The Central American country has been known to hold some of the most violent gangs in the world and many citizens live in fear. Gangs like MS13 and Barrio 18 run free in the country and control much of the larger cities. Drug cartels are often responsible for a large number of deaths in Honduras. The murder rate in Honduras is one of the highest in the world with the city of San Pedro Sula seeing 111 murders per every 100,000 residents yearly.
This man that I photographed came to America to be safer. He decided to make his journey to Nashville, TN where he lives in a wooded campsite today with about ten other friends that he met here.
However, Nashville has not been any safer for him. Several men of Mexican descent decided to let him know how they feel about him being in their area by dousing him with flammable liquids and then lighting him on fire. He told me in broken English that the Mexicans were racist towards him because he is from Honduras.
While the attack happened a while back, he still wears the hospital bracelet as a reminder to himself that he needs to be careful.