NYC Homeless Man Shoeless Again Despite Boots

NYC Homeless Man Shoeless Again Despite Boots

Remember that heart warming picture of the NYC Police Man buying a pair of $100 all weather boots, with ultra warm socks, for a homeless man on the street? The police man paid for it himself out of his own money. Well .. the homeless fella is once again without shoes and is going barefoot. He claims that he 'hid the boots' because they were worth a lot of money and would get stolen. (I'm not buying that ... the city is crawling with 9 million people .. there is no place for him to 'hide them').

Then the homeless guy (who is homeless by choice, because his brother said he could come live with him anytime he wanted) said this ....

He says he's grateful for the gift, but he wants "a piece of the pie" because the photo was posted online "without permission".

Dollars to donuts .. he sold the boots on the street for a bottle of booze.

Flame away.


ETA - YAHOO COMMENTS Looks like I"m not the only one who thinks this guy sold 'em for booze money ..

Just saying, how many other homeless people do you think there are in NYC, and how many of them do you think would beat that dude to death just to get them, sell them, and get their own drug of choice?

reply to post by FlyersFan


No good deed goes unpunished...

reply to post by FlyersFan


Its the guys choice, whether he sold them for booze or actually hid them to protect them. People always want more.

Needless to say, this does not take away from the kind act of the officer. It actually can be a testiment to the BS some of the good cops have to put up with.

Not wearing shoes is probably his hustle.

I know I would of given him some money if I would of seen him barefoot.

Unfortunately, mental illness is probably to blame.

ADD: Also, wasn't he sitting in front of a shoe store?

reply to post by FlyersFan


That's just so sad... because there really are needy people who would appreciate the kindness and it's unfortunate that he sold the boots for whatever he purchased with the money.. He's obviously very sick.

So what? This homeless guy is a good capitalist. He sold his boots for a profit. OP should love him.

Or does it only bother you when poor people are scam artists?

Originally posted by whyamIhere
Not wearing shoes is probably his hustle.

I know I would of given him some money if I would of seen him barefoot.

Unfortunately, mental illness is probably to blame.

Wow that is a great point.

Come to think of it, homeless people with pets really tug on my heart strings and I can not help but donate. This instance would be similar.

This could have been an elaborate ruse that gained nation wide attention.

This is the very reason I have a hard time giving homeless men any of my hard earned money.

I just hope that this does not take away anything from the cop that tried to help.

reply to post by FlyersFan

Dollars to donuts .. he sold the boots on the street for a bottle of booze.

Or had them stolen

Or swapped them for more clothing

Or sold them for food

Man, anyone would think from your post that the guy is trying to annoy you. Life on the streets can be for a lot more reasons than alcoholism. Maybe those boots that warmed your heart weren't enough to change his life all around? What a despicable person to annoy all the folk who had their hearts warmed by the photos?!

I mean, it's only winter out there and he might have more than a pair of boots and the hearts of a nation to worry about.

Or...the cop's buddy whose boots they *really* were too 'em back

reply to post by FlyersFan

What a disgusting toad of a man. He should be ashamed of himself. Deeply. I mean my first thought was 'Thats what the cop gets for being decent for a change!'....then my second thought was how horrible that first one really is to think. I mean, whats become of us that a gesture of kindness from THAT direction of all unexpected places for a homeless guy, would be repaid with the item not being USED as that was the sole reason to buy them for him.......but then he has the nerve to whine that he didn't receive fair credit and *MONEY* of course, for being the guy someone happened to snatch a pic of while the Cop was being a good human being.

I'll bet that cop never lives down the 'I told ya so's' and 'That'll teach ya' from his fellow cops. People wonder why so many cross the street or walk OVER the homeless? Well they aren't all gutter slime like his character, but enough seem to be for the public to see and hear about so sympathy is a sign of weakness not virtue.

What a sad sad statement for someone who got such a gift absolutely out of the blue. Merry Christmas.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Dollars to donuts .. he sold the boots on the street for a bottle of booze.

It's possible.
It's also possible he hid them like he claimed.

We don't know.

Having worked with the homeless there are codes for survival the average person knows nothing about. Similar to the hobo culture/codes during the Great Depression.

A homeless man walking around the streets in $100 boots is reckless, having the fact that you have those boots broadcast to the general public is dangerous.

I once met a homeless man who did an interview about homeless culture and ended up getting his teeth knocked out by a group of other homeless men.

Either way...they were his boots and it was his choice.

If he wanted booze over the boots I don't see the problem.
The officer didn't give him those boots to get him off the street and kick his addictions. It would take more than that.

When you put money in a cup, you have to accept the fact that you can no longer dictate what happens to it.

- Lee

I believe he hid them. There are more places to hide stuff in NYC than any other place on Earth. Not only do you have other homeless people to worry about, but you gotta worry about some asshole taking your stuff for kicks. He's just worried, nothing more.

Originally posted by Trustfund
So what? This homeless guy is a good capitalist. He sold his boots for a profit. OP should love him.

I'm sure it's his 'hustle' and it doesn't take away from the good deed that the cop did.

It's just a huge black eye for those who are trying to help those who need it.
People who 'give' will see this and (rightfully) say that there are many out there who
really don't need it but who are instead 'playing poor' in order to scam good hearted
people.

Donations will suffer.

It's only a "black eye" for people who don't understand the nature of homelessness.

Hording / hiding / caching perceived valuables is one of the hallmarks of the most common mental illnesses in the homeless population.

As is not wanting to go back home and live with your family.

If our compassion begins and ends with a photograph of a pair of boots, we never had any in the first place.

Originally posted by azbowhunter
This is the very reason I have a hard time giving homeless men any of my hard earned money.

I just hope that this does not take away anything from the cop that tried to help.

I consider it a blessing to be able to give to the homeless. I live in a nice home, reasonably affluent and comfortable.

It's none of my business what the homeless do with the money I give them; just like it's none of anyone else business on what I spend my money on.

He says he's grateful for the gift, but he wants "a piece of the pie" because the photo was posted online "without permission".

I really don't care what he did with the boots, but the above statement is making me question what kind of man he really is.

Originally posted by Kandinsky
Or had them stolen Or swapped them for more clothing Or sold them for food ..

... or sold them for booze or drugs.

If they had been stolen he would have said so in order to get sympathy and another pair. There are homeless shelters that give out the clothing and the food. Therefore, the only thing he would have needed would be booze or drugs ... which he can't get at the shelters.

Man, anyone would think from your post that the guy is trying to annoy you.

You are not even close. BTW .. check the YAHOO link I gave.
Most people aren't polyannas but instead are street smart and agree with me.

But like I said .. flame away ...

reply to post by Kandinsky


I think your missing one important point................

Where he said, he wanted a piece of the pie!

If he hadn't said that, I would be on the fence on this one.

Also, where in the world did you get that the boots the LEO gave him were his buddies??? As I understood it the LEO spent $75 dollars and the clerk gave him the employees discount to get them.........

reply to post by FlyersFan



the cop giving a homeless man boots was a farce. with law enforcement being portrayed in the media as they are(and as they deserve to be) someone set this photo opportunity up to make police look good, and whomever took the picture to get paid. the whole thing was bullshnipe to begin with