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Homeless man given pair of boots . . . seen wandering the streets shoeless
NY Daily News ^ | December 3, 2012 | Barry Paddock AND Bill Hutchinson

Posted on 12/03/2012 6:52:06 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia

The barefoot homeless man who was given a pair of shoes by a kind-hearted beat cop is wandering the streets shoeless again.

Jeffrey Hillman, 54, was spotted panhandling on the upper West Side Sunday without the $100 boots NYPD Officer Lawrence DePrimo bought for him on a frigid November night in Times Square.

“Those shoes are hidden,” Hillman told The New York Times after he was spotted walking around with no shoes on Broadway near W. 79th St. “They are worth a lot of money. I could lose my life.”

A tourist from Arizona snapped a cell phone photo of DePrimo giving the boots to Hillman on Nov. 14, and the picture quickly went viral, making the selfless cop a national celebrity.

“I appreciate what the officer did, don’t get me wrong. I wish there were more people like him in the world,” Hillman said.

“I want to thank everyone that got onto this thing. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. It meant a lot to me. And to the officer, first and foremost.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: boots; homeless; homelessman; nyccop; police
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To: EQAndyBuzz

Getting your idea of just giving food is good however along with it I’d like to include some fake dollars with Bammy’s face in the middle with the inscription “In Me You Trust”. Should be legal tender and honored by any fawning leftist establishment.


41 posted on 12/03/2012 7:46:17 AM PST by tflabo (Truth or Tyranny)
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To: tflabo

You just know the reaction to that would be “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! I VOTED FOR MITT ROMNEY!”


42 posted on 12/03/2012 7:51:50 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

“They are worth a lot of money. I could lose my life.”


Thats as believable as jumping to the conclusion that he sold them for booze.


43 posted on 12/03/2012 7:54:52 AM PST by chessplayer
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To: chessplayer

Both are eminently possible. For the same reason you wouldn’t ever want to give a Rolex to a bum....


44 posted on 12/03/2012 7:58:18 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
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To: EQAndyBuzz
When I worked in Manhattan, I always stopped and dropped off a sandwich and cup of coffee for someone. Never gave money.

When I had a couple of contracts in downtown DC I would offer lunch to the panhandlers who asked me for money. Every single one of them cursed me out and I never bought a single lunch.

45 posted on 12/03/2012 7:58:53 AM PST by OldMissileer
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To: Above My Pay Grade

it tends to quench any spirit of generosity in many people and replace it with a spirit of cynicism.”

...you’re correct. It teaches a great lesson. Give. But not to homeless people. Put some thought into your giving. I like local giving.

Two years ago, about 10 miles from where I live, a Father of 4 murdered his wife and went to jail leaving his 4 young girls completely on their own. No relatives and some friends. We gave money to a fund that was set up for them.


46 posted on 12/03/2012 7:59:40 AM PST by albie
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To: albie

Hard to believe that in such a case the Department of Humanistic Services or whatever it’s called didn’t swoop in... unless these “girls” were grown.


47 posted on 12/03/2012 8:01:29 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
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To: I still care; rightwingintelligentsia

A few years ago I was driving home from work and stopped at a light near an overpass. There was a beggar out with a sign, “Hungry. Please Help.” I had my lunch bag in the car and hadn’t eaten my grapes or two hard-boiled eggs, so I gave them to him before the light changed.

The next day I was driving the same route, came to a stop at the same light, and there on the ground, in almost the same place, was a bag of grapes and two hard-boiled eggs, untouched. I NEVER give to beggars any more.

And this rule can apply to addicts as well. My brother is/was a pill addict. Used to come around asking for money for food and gas for his truck. I ordered a pizza, sat down with him for a bit, told him I had a 5 gallon container of gas that he could have. I took it out to his truck, filled it up, and he made up an excuse that he had to go. I said, “I thought you were hungry?”

“Well, I was looking for some cash so I can eat later,” he said.

He wasn’t interested in eating. He wasn’t hungry. He wanted money for pills and was pissed that I ordered a pizza and gave him fuel from my personal stock instead of giving him cash.


48 posted on 12/03/2012 8:04:20 AM PST by rarestia (It's time to water the Tree of Liberty.)
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To: wideawake
90% of panhandlers are not homeless. They are grifters.

A co-worker who lived in the heart of downtown Los Angeles said that the number is closer to 100%. He told of a panhandler who took a vacation to Tahiti.

49 posted on 12/03/2012 8:04:27 AM PST by Fiji Hill (Io Triumphe!)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

A victim of hyperthermic feet syndrome!


50 posted on 12/03/2012 8:04:27 AM PST by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

The shoe-shoeless situation of this homeless guy is a great metaphor for Johnson’s-et-al War on Poverty.


51 posted on 12/03/2012 8:05:31 AM PST by C210N (In favor of private rights and public happiness)
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To: ArGee

Our church associate pastor has a daughter living in college in Austin. She is stopped regularly by the street people. She carries a pair or two of new socks and oranges which she hands out the window at stop lights, etc..

Sensible idea. Scurvy happens to those with poor diets.


52 posted on 12/03/2012 8:06:11 AM PST by geologist (The only answer to the troubles of this life is Jesus. A decision we all must make.)
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To: MrB

Sadly, “have them stolen” probably is higher on that list. Probably 50/50 with sell them for booze, perhaps even greater. This man likely is mentally ill, so another good category is “leave them in an alley and wander off barefooted.”


53 posted on 12/03/2012 8:07:34 AM PST by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: chessplayer

Let’s cut out the middleman and their fake stories BS and just start handing out 4oz.mini containers of Jack Daniels. Make a bum/panhandler really happy with some Holiday cheer.


54 posted on 12/03/2012 8:08:24 AM PST by tflabo (Truth or Tyranny)
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To: albie

This is exactly why the left likes the gov’t doing “charity”.

When private charities or individuals are involved, they scrutinize the recipients. The left doesn’t like this, because people will “judge” whether the recipients are deserving or not based on their own, usually Christian, value system.


55 posted on 12/03/2012 8:10:51 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

I see a lot of posts here assuming this guy sold his shoes for booze. While I agree the homeless are not the saints that the Libs portray them to be, and that there are grifters out there, I think posters are jumping to the wrong conclusions. Not every homeless person is out looking to sell everything for booze and drugs. Unless they are mentally ill, most are not going to wander around shoeless in the cold to get booze. This man likely either had them stolen or is mentally ill and left them somewhere. Situations like this point out the frustrating, heartbreaking problem of homelessness. Once you separate out the grifters and people who are going to use what you give them to buy booze or drugs, you have a very vulnerable population who simply cannot put together what it takes to live a basic life — like shelter and clothing. You have men like this literally walking around with no shoes. The answer is not not more money but on the other hand, these people are not all con artists and drunks.


56 posted on 12/03/2012 8:14:13 AM PST by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

I just tell them I already gave to them, I pay taxes.


57 posted on 12/03/2012 8:15:57 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

Jesus Christ didn’t have a home.


58 posted on 12/03/2012 8:18:10 AM PST by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: OldMissileer

At least Mr. Bojangles would do a dance for drinks and tips. These modern bums want money for nothing. Let them start auditioning with mini street ‘talent’ shows for some cash. No funnies = no money’s.


59 posted on 12/03/2012 8:19:16 AM PST by tflabo (Truth or Tyranny)
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To: CreviceTool

“african American”... You mean a black guy?


60 posted on 12/03/2012 8:19:29 AM PST by Doctor 2Brains
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