A Feel Good story for the Festive season - New York Cop buys homeless man some shoes

AudreyHepburn

http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/cop-buying-homeless-man-shoes-a/

As the title says this is just s feel-good story for the festive season. A young cop in NY was caught on camera purchasing a pair of shoes for an elderly homeless man. The photo has now gone viral.

Little acts of kindness like this are so few and far between and they remind that amid the constant doom and gloom and moaning about this, that and the other there is still goodness and reasons to smile.

El Guapo!

He probably sold them again for crack.

DesperateDan

He was reportedly seen again by multiple American reporters going mental over this story, only without the shoes again

Micky Dolenz

The story is good for the sole.

Scioch

Cop probably done him an hour later for possession of stolen property. Little shít trying to make a name for himself.

TouchingVirus

Is this another psychology experiment for Boards?

Spiritual

Saw this on Fox News, the cop went into a Skechers story to purchase a pair of all weather boots. The store manager let the cop use his store discount reducing the cost from $100 to $45. Strange that the store didn't just give the boots, this would have came across as kindness rather than how I perceived it as minimising loss.

TouchingVirus

Spiritual wrote: »

...The store manager let the cop use his store discount reducing the cost from $100 to $75...

FYP

fullstop

Dean09 wrote: »

He probably sold them again for crack.

You mean the craic?

Spiritual

TouchingVirus wrote: »

FYP

Thanks, makes it worse.

BUBBLE WRAP

I hope they aglet him wear them now..

EDIT: Nobody gets my pun?

Scioch

Spiritual wrote: »

Saw this on Fox News, the cop went into a Skechers story to purchase a pair of all weather boots. The store manager let the cop use his store discount reducing the cost from $100 to $45. Strange that the store didn't just give the boots, this would have came across as kindness rather than how I perceived it as minimising loss.

I'm sure they would have if they knew it was going to get so much attention. But I dont think it fair to criticise them for chipping in on Mr Coppers good deed.

AudreyHepburn

A little surprised at the cynicism on display here.

Can we not just see this for what it is....a small act of kindness in a world and a time where most people are only interested in themselves and their problems and willingly ignore those far worse off than themselves.

Scioch

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

A little surprised at the cynicism on display here.

Can we not just see this for what it is....a small act of kindness in a world and a time where most people are only interested in themselves and their problems and willingly ignore those far worse off than themselves.

Its never enough though. Cop buys shoes, he's a hero. People now want everyone to be hero's, why didnt the store give away the shoes ? Why didnt everyone else chip in and buy him a suit ? If the cop didnt do anything nobody would give a shít about the homeless man with no shoes.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Scioch wrote: »

Its never enough though. Cop buys shoes, he's a hero. People now want everyone to be hero's, why didnt the store give away the shoes ? Why didnt everyone else chip in and buy him a suit ? If the cop didnt do anything nobody would give a shít about the homeless man with no shoes.

What are you on about?

Scioch

Billy Dazzling Clergy wrote: »

What are you on about?

About the criticism of the store not giving the shoes away and only selling them at a discount. Small acts are never enough in these stories and people usually look around where more could have been done rather than what still can be done.

Scioch

Homeless guy says he hid the boots cos they were too expensive to be wearing.

http://www.thejournal.ie/homeless-ny-man-barefoot-again-despite-officer-buying-him-boots-700658-Dec2012/

Mr. Manager

In fairness, it's AH. This place is filled with about 89% miserable keyboard warriors.

This is always the way these threads go. Someone does something nice and then some asshole comes along and dissects the post and makes a spin on it to make the "hero" appear not so "hero like".

The guy did a good thing. Give it a rest.

El Guapo!

Cereal Rapist wrote: »

In fairness, it's AH. This place is filled with about 89% miserable keyboard warriors.

Pretty specific number there Cereal!

Scioch

Dean09 wrote: »

Pretty specific number there Cereal! 😄

1% margin of error maybe ?

Mr. Manager

Dean09 wrote: »

Pretty specific number there Cereal!

I'm good with numbers. Like rainman, only, not quite as retarded.

Vojera

Does this make anyone else think of the worst Christmas song ever: Christmas Shoes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJcPVB-we7g

TheFisherKing

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

A little surprised at the cynicism on display here.

Can we not just see this for what it is....a small act of kindness in a world and a time where most people are only interested in themselves and their problems and willingly ignore those far worse off than themselves.

Nonsense, you deliberately started this thread to annoy the cynics of this forum, knowing full well that we are unable to see good in humanity!

Thread reported for baiting.

Emeraldy Pebbles

Scioch wrote: »

Cop probably done him an hour later for possession of stolen property. Little shít trying to make a name for himself.

Wha'?

Where To

'Hid' the shoes did he?

Yeah right.

Madam_X

Not saying this in a "Look at me I'm so jaded and cynical and cool" way but I heard it was a stitch-up - that the homeless guy is known for pulling stunts like this for tourists.

Spiritual

I am not criticising the cop.
Anyone that saw the Fox News report will see that Sketchers milked it for all it was worth when it was the store manger that used his discount.

AudreyHepburn

Madam_X wrote: »

Not saying this in a "Look at me I'm so jaded and cynical and cool" way but I heard it was a stitch-up - that the homeless guy is known for pulling stunts like this for tourists.

Spiritual wrote: »

I am not criticising the cop.
Anyone that saw the Fox News report will see that Sketchers milked it for all it was worth when it was the store manger that used his discount.

Both of these could well be the case, though I've seen no proof of either.

However can we not let these get in the way of what that young cop did. His good deed should not be made any less of regardless of how any of the others involved acted.

HeyThereDeliah

When I seen it i thought it was a kind gesture, have not read anything about it since but no harm done regardless of the background to it.
It's Christmas a feel good story is good for the soul.

risteardb

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

A little surprised at the cynicism on display here.

Can we not just see this for what it is....a small act of kindness in a world and a time where most people are only interested in themselves and their problems and willingly ignore those far worse off than themselves.

What this story really is, is kind hearted cop taken for a fool when he came across this man wearing no shoes, the Cop did the charitable thing and spending his own money on a con man, and that's all the homeless man was..... after this story broke, this (homeless man???) was found again with no shoes pulling the same stunt again....

This is absolutely shameful, seems that some people take advantage of decent people who do want to help people low on luck..... "Wonder how many pairs of shoes has this homeless man accumulatedy by now?"

Duggy747

Not to be too cynical, what the cop did was good-natured but I've often heard of homeless people pulling these sort of stunts by not wearing any shoes, as well.

I'm sure American cops need an image like this, considering the past few years have been unrelenting videos of police individuals battering people / over-excessive force and getting into trouble.

RGDATA!

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

A little surprised at the cynicism on display here.

Can we not just see this for what it is....a small act of kindness in a world and a time where most people are only interested in themselves and their problems and willingly ignore those far worse off than themselves.

nice gesture on behalf of the cop, but hard not to be a wee bit cynical when the guy is still walking around barefoot.

AudreyHepburn

Duggy747 wrote: »

Not to be too cynical, what the cop did was good-natured but I've often heard of homeless people pulling these sort of stunts by not wearing any shoes, as well.

But should that be allowed to take from Officer De Primo did?

I'm sure American cops need an image like this, considering the past few years have been unrelenting videos of police individuals battering people / over-excessive force and getting into trouble.

Ah now I highly doubt he did for publicity.

Policemen and women can just be good people you know...and for no reason other than...they're just good people.

AudreyHepburn

RGDATA! wrote: »

nice gesture on behalf of the cop, but hard not to be a wee bit cynical when the guy is still walking around barefoot.

I know but again how the others involved acted should be allowed to take from the cop's act of kindness.

It doesn't make any less of what he did for that man.

Duggy747

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

But should that be allowed to take from Officer De Primo did?

I said it was good-natured, what's there to take away from that?

Ah now I highly doubt he did for publicity.

Policemen and women can just be good people you know...and for no reason other than...they're just good people.

Taking my post completely out of context, didn't even say the cop personally did it as a publicity stunt.

HeyThereDeliah

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I know but again how the others involved acted should be allowed to take from the cop's act of kindness.

It doesn't make any less of what he did for that man.

It doesn't take away from the cops act of kindness at all, we all do things sometimes even though we know it will not be appreciated but what the hell, will not stop us doing it again I'm sure.

Hannibal Smith

Madam_X wrote: »

Not saying this in a "Look at me I'm so jaded and cynical and cool" way but I heard it was a stitch-up - that the homeless guy is known for pulling stunts like this for tourists.

Funny you say that...there was a guy around Dublin doing it a few years ago. I first saw him begging on dame street in the freezing snow in 2010...freezing and crying...I didn't know what to do...other than give him money and I rang pearse street garda station to see if there was anything they could do....even to take him in off the streets and the garda told me he knows about him...he does it for the pity effect to get more money and he in fact is sitting on his shoes !

That's the first thing that came to mind when I heard this story...I wondered was the guy in the story working the same angle.

So people may throw a word like cynicism around but take off the rose coloured specsand you'll see the big sly world out there.

That said...whatever about the hopeless dude...the cop did a really lovely thing.

Wicklowrider

The winner here is the cop. He did a genuinely good thing. If the homeless man is pulling a stroke that isn't important. The cop has advanced himself by developing his own humanity and character. He is a better person for doing what he did. He has also promoted a good image for his force by demonstrating a humane and caring side to the Police Dept. All the naysayer's are, on the other hand, eroding their own humanity and lessening their own character. Take a leaf from the cop's book - go do a good deed. You will be surprised how much you will benefit.

BUBBLE WRAP

It would have been cooler if the cop bought the homeless chap a set of beats. :cool:

RGDATA!

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I know but again how the others involved acted should be allowed to take from the cop's act of kindness.

It doesn't make any less of what he did for that man.

not saying it does. however, i see people do naive things all the time with the best intentions, but that doesn't make me "feel good" personally.

Plazaman

risteardb wrote: »

What this story really is, is kind hearted cop taken for a fool when he came across this man wearing no shoes, the Cop did the charitable thing and spending his own money on a con man, and that's all the homeless man was..... after this story broke, this (homeless man???) was found again with no shoes pulling the same stunt again....

This is absolutely shameful, seems that some people take advantage of decent people who do want to help people low on luck..... "Wonder how many pairs of shoes has this homeless man accumulatedy by now?"

I hear ya and rumour, that I just started, has it that the guy has opened a shoe store down the street with all the shoes he has.

I think the same guy has a box of kittens that he rotates every second day cause everyone who sees homeless person with an animal gives them more money for pet food (well except for this cnut)

/cynicism

movingsucks

Was his name Mr Wendall?

TPD

BUBBLE WRAP wrote: »

I hope they aglet him wear them now..

EDIT: Nobody gets my pun?

It is a pretty crappy pun to be fair.

Gummy Panda

I saw something similar before. That Roma who begs barefoot was given a pair of shoes by an OAP. When she walked off he threw them in a bin. He isn't homeless. Just a conman.

As soon as he sees any garda he is on the move.

BUBBLE WRAP

TPD wrote: »

It is a pretty crappy pun to be fair.

Do you not get it!? :eek:

HeyThereDeliah

BUBBLE WRAP wrote: »

Do you not get it!? :eek:

I don't get it at all.

BUBBLE WRAP

HeyThereDeliah wrote: »

I don't get it at all.

an aglet is the plastic part of a shoe lase. aglet/let

Hippies!

Hey will you take a pic of me as I buy this homeless guy some shoes, you know so the wimmens will think I'm nice and I can get laid

Wompa1

A few years ago in Galway I went into Supermacs and got 2 cheeseburgers for a homeless guy and a girl claimed I was fake and cursed me out. Some girl I didn't know gave me a b0llockin for giving a homeless guy food...f'kin w@nk stain...

TPD

BUBBLE WRAP wrote: »

an aglet is the plastic part of a shoe lase. aglet/let

I'm sure the thanks will roll in now that you've enlightened everyone.

steddyeddy

New York is incredibly cold in winter so I can imagine how the man was walking around without shoes for long. Fair play to the cop for doing that it doesnt only help the homeless man but will build a greater trust between the cops and community.