Randy stood in the soup line, clutching the bowl provided to him, just like the hundreds of other men, women, and children in the line.

As he felt the cold evening air brush against his face, he thought back to how things had ended up this way. it had been a year since he was an accountant at a major shipping and logistics company. He lived a simple life, with a decently sized apartment on the nicer side of town and a German Shepherd named Chuck. It wasn't a lavish life, but it was his.

When the market crashed in October of 87, the government failed to act in time. Too concerned about Soviet aggression, they said. Every American knew by that point the Soviets were done for; this was just the government trying to cover their asses.

Only the top 1% of corporations were bailed out by the government during the early days of the recession. Everyone else was left in the mud. Overnight millions were laid off, Randy included.

In an Instance, it was all gone. Everything Randy had worked for, snatched from him. One moment the CEO told everyone they were declaring bankruptcy, and the next Randy was sleeping in a park with an empty stomach and chuck by his side, trying to hold back tears.

He couldn't go back home to New Jersey either; his parents had lost their house & their savings had long since dried up. Now they were living in an overcrowded shelter in Trenton.

With nothing left, he became a husk of his former self and now found himself living in a homeless camp in Fairmount Park, doing anything he could to get by day to day, just like everyone else.

Randy's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a nearby radio playing.

“In other news, the unemployment rate is expected to continue rising from 8.2% to 10.1% by the end of the year. President Bush, in his latest address, stated,” My cabinet and I are working day and night to solve the crisis we now find ourselves in, but rest be-.” The radio was shut off by a worker.

“Working day and night, my ass!” He thought. ” They’re the reason why I'm in a fucking soup line, and living in a fucking park. They're the reason we're all here!”

Just as he got close to the front, he heard the words that shattered any hope he may have had. “Sorry, folks, we're out of soup. Come back tomorrow. “One of the workers shouted over a megaphone.

“What do you mean you're out of soup! “A random man shouted. “We’ve been waiting in this line all fucking day, and now we don't get any god damn food?! My daughter is starving!”

As the man continued yelling at the worker, Randy turned to look at the girl. She was wearing raggedy red overalls and clutched an old, worn stuffed rabbit. She looked thin, like a stiff breeze could have blown her away.

Suddenly, Randy heard shouting. “Knife, he's got a knife!” Before he could turn to see what was happening, he heard it: gunshots. The police had been called to quell the angry crowd, but instead found themselves in a riot, one which Randy did not want to be a part of.

As Randy ran away from the scene but turned to see the same little girl sitting over the body of her now lifeless father, clutching her rabbit and crying while holding his hand.

He ran, and ran, and ran until his legs were about to give out. As he sat against the wall of an alley to catch his breath, his mind raced trying to process everything he had just witnessed, until finally he slowly got up and walked back to the park, all the while thinking.