The Salvadorans in the park—all men—had each narrowly escaped murder, unlike so many of their friends, relatives, and spouses. Other family members had stayed behind because traveling north was too dangerous, expensive, and uncertain. A large contingent of the men drank and raged and lurched around in a fog. Others drifted into a quieter, nightly oblivion, having spent the day working menial jobs to the point of exhaustion.
