Nevada

They won't even let us use the bathrooms, half these places. If we don't buy nothin'--even thought I'm a Vietnam vet--they tell me I can't use the bathroom. I fought the war for them, got shot four times, and I can't use a bathroom?

--"Downtown Dave"

This is the third in a series of excerpts from my book, Of No Fixed Address: A Collection of Voices from the Streets of Chicago. Read more about the project here.

CLASS WARFARE

The Republicans tried to make fun of Barack Obama as a community organizer at their national convention in Minnesota, which I guess just goes to show how little Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have to fear from right-wing "humor."

Now they've gone further: Now they're attacking ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), one of the strongest, hardest-working, most dedicated community organizations in both Chicago and in 40 states across the U.S.