I didn’t see a thread on this, but it deserves mention. A cop in Times Square bought a pair of boots for a shoeless homeless man shivering in the cold last month. Story and photo here.
I first saw this on BBC TV. The photo in the link has gone viral. It was taken by an Arizona tourist. The cynic in me immediately thought it may have been staged, but after hearing the full report, no, I don’t think it was staged. Not mentioned in the linked story but reported on BBC is the fact that the boots were going to cost $100, but when the store learned what they were for, they knocked 25% off the price.
I don’t know which style he purchased, but here is a pair of men’s cold-weather boots for $103. So, yes, it’s possible to spend that much at that store.
i stand corrected, and my mind is currently being blown by the price of a pair of skechers. i guess those ass-exercising shoes they sold a ton of made them think they’re a real shoe brand.
I heard an interview with the person who took the photo. She is (I believe) a civilian member of the police force, and she said something like “our duty is to protect and serve, and this is where the protect comes in.” I thought that was a very nice statement. She also said that things like this happen all the time without public knowledge.
For all the cop bashing that goes on when one rogue cop is filmed doing something dumb, I’d like to think that overall they are public servants and really do want to make a difference.
Not meaning to hijack the thread, but I bought my ass-exercising shoes because my surgeon told me to. $100 for the most comfortable pair of walking shoes I’ve ever worn. They have been my daily shoes for a year now. I used to pay 20 bucks for a pair of Target shoes that weren’t nearly as comfortable and throw them out after about 3 months. IMHO, they are worth the money.
Back to the cop. I’m glad that pic went viral. Usually, we only hear about the bad things, not all of the help and acts of kindness that Law Enforcement people do.
Nobody takes pics of a Sheriff changing someone’s tire. They don’t take pics of a Police Officer giving a tramatized child a stuffed toy. That doesn’t sell.
If this is part of their job, shouldn’t the department be paying for it?
I don’t see this as a police thing. This is a person thing. Lawrence DePrimo here is a good guy, not a “good cop” (though I hope and presume he is that, too).
It made me sob. That somebody should need such a basic thing (here in the US.!! And nobody cared.) And that giving it to them would be so unusual as to go VIRAL. I knew officers who were that kind. Nobody writes about them.
