Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York Cop Speaks Out
The New York Times tracked down Jeffrey Hillman, the man at the receiving end of the Internet’s favorite good deed.
Captured by tourist Jennifer Foster, a communications director for the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona.
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6 Responses So Far
- cjkline83 thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
- suzyr Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ...
- Crusindude06 thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
- Alejandra V. Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... and thinks it’s Fail & WTF
- kellyl16 Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... and thinks it’s Ew, Fail & Trashy
- tiffchin thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is Trashy
- nancypantalones thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is OMG
- Chacha129 thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
- beerchen thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is OMG, WTF & Fail
- Charles Renfield Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... and thinks it’s Fail
- Mom thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is Ew
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SitaSky 5 months agoIt’s hard to think of this as such a heartwarming story when the guy doesn’t’ even wear the shoes and just “hides” them away somewhere. He says it’s dangerous to have them but it’s also dangerous to walk around an urban city without them. What if he cut his foot on something and got an infection, and it’s freezing out? He could easily die so I’d rather wear the boots if I were him. I still think what the officer did is great and he’s gotten a lot from it and the homeless man has gotten nothing (except boots) and still needs much more help. Considering he’s a veteran I think he should at least get mental help from the government.
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runyourcourse 5 months agoWell with that attitude you probably won’t receive much of anything else from caring people, buddy.
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- alyssep thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is
- lauraarayata thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
- Rissy thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
- jodieh2 Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ...
- JACKROLL thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is OMG
- neonhowl thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is Ew
- fefagonzalez thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is Fail
- janice! Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... and thinks it’s OMG, Fail & WTF
- joannaj2 thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF & Fail
- bryanw9 thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
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summerk2 5 months agoAnother example of the saying “no good deed goes unpunished.” Had a coworker several years ago that saw a homeless woman hanging out near his apartment in Brooklyn. Feeling like he should do something, he stopped by the local Subway and ordered her lunch and several bottles of water. Proud of himself, he sought her out and explained he wanted to make sure she ate something. Her response? She looked at the food disdainfully and said “That’s all you got? I was hoping for some Chinese.” #TrueStory.
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- ceraelizabeths Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ...
- jimmy smits thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is Fail
- lchilese thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
- inkblot thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
- rowenas thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
- Erin Rammer thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is Fail
- Katie825 thinks Homeless Man Given Shoes By New York ... is WTF
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itmustbeken 5 months agoRead the NYT article.
It reads like Mr. Hillman is struggling with emotional and perhaps mental issues. Officer DePrimo did something nice for the man, not for the camera.
That should be enough for all of us. Even if Mr. Hillman doesn’t quite get it. -
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AvenueHebrew 5 months agoI’ve heard stories that this isn’t the first time the guy has been given free shoes. He’s often seen barefoot in and around Times Square, which has prompted other Good Samaritans to provide him with footwear and assistance. But in no time, the shoes disappear and he’s back out panhandling. Maybe he’s selling the shoes, or maybe he really is just stashing them away out of pure fear. If the latter is true, that’s a level of severe paranoia that, sadly, wouldn’t be surprising to find in a man who has lived out on the streets as long as he has.
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AvenueHebrew 5 months ago
Hardly. I’m not judging, at least not in terms of the quality of his character or whether he deserves this lot in life. I tried to illustrate a likely assessment of his mental state. He doesn’t seem to be psychologically well, and his paranoia over the shoes is just one way in which this manifests. Consider that the article also states that he has several known family members just a couple states away. They claim to have offered their homes to him. He refuses. Now, if their account is true, do you think he refuses their aid out of some noble sense of self-reliance? No, that would be ludicrous. More likely, he suffers from a kind of untreated mental illness that is alienating him further and further, leaving him frightened by invisible threats and shunning aid from those who would care for him. It’s just a very, very sad state of affairs. Also, I’m disgusting? Yet you have John W. right below me, making fun of the guy for being a “bum,” and that goes without comment? Get lost.
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