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With the shoeshine under arrest, a Black militia gathered at a local jail to prevent a lynch mob from kidnapping and murdering him.

Another depicted shoeshine boys from Rio de Janeiro hustling for business on the sands of Copacabana.

Imagine something as simple as a shoeshine and news stand providing not only a sense of community, but economic stability and opportunity.

For months, he said, he scraped by, sharing meager rations and a scrap of plastic for shelter with his best friend, Haftom, a former shoeshine boy who had big dreams of success.

At David Mesquita’s Leather Spa, which operates five shoe repair and shoeshine businesses, including two in Grand Central, the bulk of the business comes from shoe, handbag and garment repair.