Homeless People Give Check to N.Y. Cop (this will warm the cockles of your heart)

AP ^

[Dallas]

NEW YORK --

A police officer got a Christmas bonus of $3,000 from homeless people who wanted to thank him for standing up for them.

Officer Eduardo Delacruz was suspended for 30 days without pay last month after he refused a sergeant's order to arrest a homeless man found sleeping in a garage.

In gratitude, organizations for the homeless put together the fund for the 37-year-old officer, his wife and their five children. Homeless people also contributed change scrounged from passers-by, money earned from recycling cans and bottles, even a portion of their welfare checks.

"We just wanted to thank him by contributing however we could," said Joe Bostic, one of 30 former and current homeless men and women who announced the gift. "And a lot of us gave quarters, nickels and dimes."

According to police, Delacruz told his superiors in the department's Homeless Outreach Unit that he would not arrest a homeless man on Nov. 22 because the man nowhere else to go. The officer was suspended for refusing to comply with an order.

Delacruz's attorney, Norman Siegel, said the officer was back at work Tuesday but was "very moved" by what the homeless did.

The officer and his family "specifically asked me to say, `God bless everyone, especially the homeless,'" Siegel said.

[speedy]

Wow, these guys were willing to give up some of their crack cocaine funds to show their appreciation. This ranks right up there with "Miracle On 34th Street" as a heart-warming Christmas saga. I want the film rights. Yes, Officer Delacruz, there is a Santa Claus. Got any spare change for him?

[Arkie2]

The officer got what he deserved. If homeless people want to reward him for failing to do his job maybe they can also offer him a place to live. Hmm. What's best, under the overpass or on the beach?

[tenthirteen]

Great. Another chapter in the breakdown of order within our society. Wonder if the department let him keep the money? Most departments have a clause against gift taking from the public.

[Timesink]

In New York City, even the homeless are high class! You'll never see that in SF, where they're all addicts that defecate in the middle of the city's sidewalks.

[Timesink]

Christ. In New York, you gotta give a little. If this guy was splayed out in front of the Plaza Hotel, that's one thing. But he'd found himself a quiet little garage to stay safe and out of the way. He ought to have been left alone.

[Texas Eagle]

Why was the guy homeless in the first place? I wonder if it was because he was one of those people who don't do what their bosses tell them to do.<P

[MeekOneGOP]

Wanna see a little Santa funny? hee hee !.....

[Gemflint]

Amen!

For pity's sake people, the homeless man was trying to sleep in a garage, trying to keep out of the wind.

We ALL need to remember Christ's teachings. Have mercy upon those who are defenseless, hungry, homeless. Have mercy because someday *YOU* may be in need of the generosity of some stranger.

Heaven help you, for we will all be judged by our actions...

[advocate10]

          MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[freddy]

Out of 9 posts, 4 of you are IDIOTS...!!!
Merry Christmas to you..!!~!

[4Americaslove]

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

[The Obstinate Insomniac]

I would be willing to bet that some rich liberal put the homeless up to this and provided all of the funding in an attempt to manipulate public opinion.

[newwahoo]

He deserved his suspension for disobeying a lawful order. What people don't understand is that the Homeless Outreach Unit used to be a "soft" detail with steady hours and weekends off. From what I've heard, guy didn't want to make the trespassing arrest because he would have to stay past the end of his shift to effect the arrest and it would have impacted his child care situation. Tough luck.

Guess what? The HOU is now a unit that has to make collars (arrests) due to the increase of homeless people and the quality of life problems they create. If Delacruz didn't want to bend with the new breeze coming from 1 Police Plaza he should have transferred back to patrol. This had nothing to do with any sympathy for the homeless.

[JusPasenThru]

Bah humbug! Are there no prisons, no work-houses? They should just die and reduce the surplus population.

[newwahoo]

Thats not the point. I'm as sympathetic as anyone regarding the unfortunate situation some people find themselves in. Osama destroyed livelihoods here as well as lives.

But Delacruz disobeyed the lawful order of a superior in a paramilitary organization, and he didn't do it out of sympathy either. Now he's a political pawn of the left, the same people that would castigate him at the drop of a hat if he had made even a small good faith mistake. He's a disgrace.

[newwahoo]

And people should know why Delacruz did what he did...it wasn't some liberal daydream political statement. It was the act of an insubordinate officer. He richly deserved his punishment.

[xrmusn]

There definitely is a big time problem here. But the only point I want to make is that if I should ever be unfortunate enough to become homeless, the LAST place in the world I would stay would be New York, Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC, etc etc etc.. Since I had nothing else to do anyway, my
first priority would be to get my butt to San Diego or someplace similar......

[Bella_Bru]

Obviously you have never heard of cafeteria Christianity. Many around here have and our proud of it.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Are you expecting visitors later this evening?