The New York Times-20080127-An Escape From Rwanda- Then a Struggle to Survive in New York

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An Escape From Rwanda, Then a Struggle to Survive in New York

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As conditions in his homeland, Rwanda, went from tense to murderously chaotic in the mid-1990s, Stan Knight clung to his music.

Before the wave of violence that erupted in 1994 -- and even, for a time, after it -- Mr. Knight, then a teenager, earned money as a D.J. at clubs and parties in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, spinning records by American hip-hop and R & B artists.

It makes you feel good knowing that without the music, people would have been thinking about the situation they were in, said Mr. Knight, now 27. They could escape all their problems for that moment.

But it was hard to escape the problems for long. Though he evaded the genocide that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of his fellow Tutsis in the span of a few weeks, Mr. Knight could not avoid the disorder and the fear that followed. The streets teemed with thugs, preying on impressionable youths and urging them to join their ranks. Men armed with AK-47s ransacked his home, terrorizing his family in ways he is reluctant to talk about. He knew he had to leave.

For five years he was adrift, he said, a refugee in central Africa: to Zaire (now called Congo), to Uganda, to Kenya, back to Congo. Finally, he and a friend sneaked onto a cargo ship, concealing themselves in a container that held clothing and electronics. They crept out only to take peanuts, bread and water from the ship's galley when the ship stopped in ports, which it did several times. Each time, they wondered where they were and whether it was time to get off. His friend left the ship sooner; Mr. Knight does not know what became of him.

When the ship arrived in New Jersey -- he still does not know which city it was -- in February 1999, he emerged from his metal box malnourished and dazed after three months of hiding.

A dockworker found Mr. Knight, who had learned English as a child, and asked him if he was part of the crew. Mr. Knight told him the truth, though he was afraid he would be deported. The man instead took him to a Manhattan church. When he told the people there his story, they took him to Covenant House, where he was given food, and a place to bathe and sleep.

Workers there helped him apply for political asylum, Section 8 housing and other assistance. He worked in retail and continued to pursue his interest in music.

When his Section 8 housing came through in 2004, Mr. Knight left Covenant House. His new home is a tiny apartment with a kitchenette in a town house on the Upper West Side. He has his own bathroom, though he has to walk down the hall to get to it.

He continued to support himself with retail jobs until a seasonal position at J. Crew ended in 2006. Mr. Knight was hopeful he would find work before he went through his savings, but he did not. He was unemployed for about a year. It was a struggle to find a job that would work out, he said. It was a horrible time.

He received $63 a month in food stamps; when he ran out, he did not eat. He sat in the dark because he could not pay his electricity bill. His rent was $80 a month, but he could not pay it.

He walked as far as he could in every direction from his apartment, stopping at stores to seek work.

I was this close to losing the apartment, he said, holding up his hand with his thumb near his index finger.

The Coalition for the Homeless referred him to the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. Last February, the federation, one of the seven agencies supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, drew $800 from the fund to cover 10 months of back rent. For the balance, he was able to scrape together $80, and public assistance paid $80.

I was lucky, he said, adding how thankful he was for the grant. Soon after, he found work as a customer service representative in the men's department at Filene's Basement, where he works today.

I'm trying to reach my goal to be somebody, he said. Notebooks stacked by his bed are full of lyrics, ideas and dreams.

I get inspiration from everywhere -- just the daily struggles, people trying to get by -- I take all that and just put it into music, Mr. Knight said.

Recently, he recorded a few tracks and has put them on his MySpace page. Last week, he started college courses in marketing at Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Every day, it is getting a little better, he said. I feel lucky I am alive, that I am breathing.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Stan Knight came here as a stowaway on a cargo ship. Now he lives on the Upper West Side and works at Filene's Basement. (PHOTOGRAPH BY NICOLE BENGIVENO/THE NEW YORK TIMES)