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He was a Yale graduate, Wall Street banker and entrepreneur. Today he's homeless in Los Angeles
CNN ^ | Sept. 17, 2019 | Dan Simon

Posted on 09/17/2019 8:39:58 AM PDT by Innovative

Shawn Pleasants has the kind of resume that would attract the attention of any job recruiter: high school valedictorian, economics major from Yale University, Wall Street banking jobs, small business entrepreneur. But a few wrong turns in life 10 years ago left him homeless, and today he's living underneath a tarp in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles.

He's been told before that a smart and capable person like him should not be in this situation.

"But I'm like, should anybody be here? Who should, then?" Pleasants said.

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


TOPICS: Cheese, Moose, Sister; Miscellaneous; Society
KEYWORDS: homeless; yale
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He had everything going for him, then he screwed up his life all by himself.

It is hard to have sympathy for someone like this,

1 posted on 09/17/2019 8:39:58 AM PDT by Innovative
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To: Innovative

Went from riches to rag but can he go the other way?


2 posted on 09/17/2019 8:43:17 AM PDT by BEJ
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To: Innovative

Not very smart if he can not find a job in this job market.


3 posted on 09/17/2019 8:43:41 AM PDT by bobrlbob
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To: Innovative

“Pleasants is gay”

Oh.


4 posted on 09/17/2019 8:45:03 AM PDT by SaxxonWoods (The internet has driven the world mad.)
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To: Innovative

mental health and addiction.


5 posted on 09/17/2019 8:46:10 AM PDT by Mercat
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To: Innovative

Wow. A porn producer and a homo to boot! What could go wrong???


6 posted on 09/17/2019 8:46:11 AM PDT by PetroniusMaximus (<img src=(;.()))
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Did they find out that he voted for Trump or something?


7 posted on 09/17/2019 8:46:13 AM PDT by dsrtsage (Complexity is merely simplicity lacking imagination)
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To: Innovative

I don’t get being homeless when you have all your marbles?! If you really want to work, why can’t you? Laborers, fast food, car washes etc will hire about anyone.


8 posted on 09/17/2019 8:47:02 AM PDT by albie
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To: Innovative
Wait a minute...I've seen this story before.


9 posted on 09/17/2019 8:48:01 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog (Patrick Henry would have been an anti-vaxxer.)
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To: Innovative

Must be a Republican in the White House.


10 posted on 09/17/2019 8:48:07 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

“It was never easy for me, I was born a poor, black child.”


11 posted on 09/17/2019 8:48:31 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Innovative

“He grimaced at the notion of ever going to a shelter.
‘They’re always set up with such rigid protocols. I would leave the place immediately,’”

Oh well, sucks to be him.


12 posted on 09/17/2019 8:48:49 AM PDT by Yogafist
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To: Innovative

From the Article:

“He grimaced at the notion of ever going to a shelter.

“They’re always set up with such rigid protocols. I would leave the place immediately,” he said.

Pleasants believes a shelter would restrict his freedom and is concerned he wouldn’t be able to keep all of his things due to a lack of space.

“I would prefer to be somewhere where I can still go to the library and do the things I need to do when I need to do them.””

This is exactly the case with the vast majority of the homeless - they would rather be living on the streets than in shelters.

When they cleaned out the Santa Ana Riverbed they had to offer shelter before kicking out the homeless. An OC Supervisor personally went to offer shelter & found out that 92% would rather live on the street than go to shelters.


13 posted on 09/17/2019 8:50:14 AM PDT by gubamyster
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To: gubamyster

Homelessness is a choice.


14 posted on 09/17/2019 8:51:13 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

Same story, different guy.

Too bad that some people just insist on destroying their own lives.


15 posted on 09/17/2019 8:51:18 AM PDT by Innovative
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To: Innovative

With all those credentials he chose to get into the porn business. When one lies with dogs one gets fleas.


16 posted on 09/17/2019 8:52:23 AM PDT by KevinB ("Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." - Charles Darwin)
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To: Yogafist
"They’re always set up with such rigid protocols. I would leave the place immediately.”

Yeah, hard to keep up with your meth habit while you're in a shelter.

17 posted on 09/17/2019 8:54:15 AM PDT by KevinB ("Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." - Charles Darwin)
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To: PetroniusMaximus
Porn producer, gay AND meth addict. See, it could happen to anyone.

I do think people sometimes choose a dysfunctional way of life that on some level "works" for them. It's not good in an objective sense, but he won't change if it's good enough for him.

Thought question: What would it take to turn him around?

18 posted on 09/17/2019 8:54:41 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o ("For peace within your gates, speak truth and judge with sound judgment." - Zechariah 8:16)
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To: Innovative

Trash often ends up in the gutter.


19 posted on 09/17/2019 8:57:11 AM PDT by IronJack
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To: Innovative

I think that the “Kinison” solution might be the best one in this case...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v_xDdpT4YwQ


20 posted on 09/17/2019 8:57:53 AM PDT by fireman15
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