CPOY

CPOY 68 Domestic Picture Story Award of Excellence: Am I Really Free?

A narrative picture story or thematic essay photographed in your home country that either reports on significant events, celebrates life, portrays sport or explores environmental, social, economic or political topics.

Caption
Slide 3 of 8
July 8, 2013

Daniel carries Danielle, his niece, inside his brother David's house on Monday, July 8, 2013. On either side of David's house there are evicted homes where gangs, similar to the one Daniel and David were in years ago, sit with guns in their laps openly dealing to passersby. There has been a lot of violence in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago, where they live, so Daniel wants to move into a safer area, to insure Danielle's safety and to prevent himself and his brother from returning to their old lifestyle. David met Danielle's mother while visiting Daniel in prison, which is only part of why Danielle is named for Daniel. Daniel and Danielle have become quite close since Daniel came home. "If I hadn't gone to prison, there is a chance that my life would have been a lot different," Daniel said. "I probably wouldn’t be the thinker that I am now. I probably wouldn’t be the understanding person that I am now. I probably would have turned out to be a thug or a bum or someone that should be taken off this earth, or I may not even be here!"

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