Ruben Castañeda was an overnight reporter at The Washington Post, covering shootings, robberies, and was even present when former D.C. mayor Marion Barry was busted for doing crack at a local hotel. But Ruben had a secret: he was addicted to crack and alcohol himself. He talks with Maria Hinojosa about his reporting and his addictions.

Thanks to a couple of stand-up Post editors and a heroin junkie prostitute, Ruben got clean in 1992. He went on to expose widespread police brutality in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Ruben has won or shared in several journalism awards. He contributed the short story, “Coyote Hunt,” to D.C. Noir, an anthology of crime stories edited by best-selling author George Pelecanos, which was published in 2006. He is a passionate fan of Bruce Springsteen, the Beatles, The Clash, Paul McCartney, the Dodgers, and the Lakers. Ruben still plays pickup basketball every Saturday morning. “S Street Rising” is his first book.