Rip Hopkins Dallas (Romania) © Rip Hopkins, 1998 The 50 families that comprise the Dallas community survive exclusively from what they find on Cluj's municipal rubbish dump situated in the outskirts of Cluj. Dallas got its name from the american television series because of the numerous love intrigues and internal disputes and also because this slum's poverty and misery could not be further from the american opulence. The 400 gypsies of Iris live in the remnants of 20 small flats built originally for Cluj's brick factory workers. Here the majority of the men are employed by the local authorities collecting rubbish or doing odd jobs. Albac is a block of council flats built during the 60's in Cluj's centre. Upon arrival, 7 years ago, the gypsies stripped the building of everything of any resale value : doors, windows, plumbing, floor boards etc. The rooms on the ground and second floors now serve as toilets. "We sleep in a small hut covered with plastic bags, with our many brothers, all together. Only God sees how we live. We beg for a little bread, or for anything. It's the will of God", Ciprian Lacatus, 13 years old, Dallas community Back Next