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Of the largest inner-city photograph collections of anybody. i used to know everybody that went by. that neighborhood thing is like really important to me. so i photographed the puerto ricans, the dominicans. drag queens from the pyramid club. basically the whole hardcore scene in '87. i was more interested in like the eccentric people, the unique people. >> anthony: you were at the battle of tompkins square park, which is sort of the gettysburg of the lower east side. i remember it had essentially become clogged with nodding junkies, homeless people who set up permanent camps. >> clayton: it ...

>> anthony: you were at the battle of tompkins square park, which is sort of the gettysburg of the lower east side. i remember it had essentially become clogged with nodding junkies, homeless people who set up permanent camps. >> clayton: it was dangerous. >> anthony: it was genuinely dangerous. when the police came down and decided to clean the park, the question is, who won? >> clayton: well, in the beginning, we did. >> it's our [ bleep ] park. it's our [ bleep ] park. it's our [ bleep ] park! >> clayton: you know you have to remember in 1988 they couldn't close a 10 1/2-acre square park on...

>> clayton: i probably have one of the largest inner-city photograph collections of anybody. i used to know everybody that went by. that neighborhood thing is like really important to me. so i photographed the puerto ricans, the dominicans. drag queens from the pyramid club. basically the whole hardcore scene in '87. i was more interested in like the eccentric people, the unique people. >> anthony: you were at the battle of tompkins square park, which is sort of the gettysburg of the lower east side. i remember it had essentially become clogged with nodding junkies, homeless people who set up ...

>> it's our [ bleep ] park. it's our [ bleep ] park. it's our [ bleep ] park! >> clayton: you know you have to remember in 1988 they couldn't close a 10 1/2-acre square park on the lower east side. not with 450 riot cops, horses, helicopters. they couldn't do it. >> we're going to defend the city. >> we don't got no weapons. they got 9mm's down there. shotguns and machine guns. >> clayton: there were big bonfires on the middle of avenue a, buses couldn't come down, cars couldn't come down, they were stuck. >> anthony: you were on the news a lot, i remember, you were the most despised man in --...

Decided to clean the park, the question is, who won? >> clayton: well, in the beginning, we did. >> it's our [ bleep ] park. it's our [ bleep ] park. it's our [ bleep ] park! >> clayton: you know you have to remember in 1988 they couldn't close a 10 1/2-acre square park on the lower east side. not with 450 riot cops, horses, helicopters. they couldn't do it. >> we're going to defend the city. >> we don't got no weapons. they got 9mm's down there. shotguns and machine guns. >> clayton: there were big bonfires on the middle of avenue a, buses couldn't come down, cars couldn't come down, they wer...