NYPD Officer Gives Homeless Man a Pair of Boots & Socks

[Ja's 2¢]

What A Story of Genuine Kindness


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...Y-KJdA?docId=34fb43ea5aa04610881aaf5d606acf0d

NYPD officer's kindness sparks online sensation
By By DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press – 21 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — A tourist's snapshot of a New York City police officer giving new boots to a barefoot homeless man in Times Square has created an online sensation.
Jennifer Foster, of Florence, Ariz., was visiting New York with her boyfriend on Nov. 14, when she came across the shoeless man asking for change in Times Square.
As she was about to approach him, she said the officer — identified as Larry DePrimo — came up to the man with a pair of all-weather boots and thermal socks on the frigid night. She recorded his generosity on her cellphone.

DePrimo, speaking to reporters on Thursday, remembered the night clearly, that even with two pairs of socks on, his feet were freezing.
The homeless man "didn't even have a pair of socks on and I could only imagine how cold that pavement was," the 25-year-old said, clutching a box containing cufflinks given to him by Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Foster's photo was posted Tuesday night to the NYPD's official Facebook page and became an instant hit. More than 420,000 users "liked" it as of Thursday evening, and more than 140,000 shared it.
Thousands of people commented, including one person who praised him as "An officer AND a Gentleman."

The photo shows the officer kneeling beside the man with the boots at his feet. A shoe store is seen in the background.
"I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let's put them on and take care of you," Foster quoted DePrimo as saying to the man.
She wrote: "The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on this man. The officer expected NOTHING in return and did not know I was watching."
DePrimo said buying the boots "was something I had to do." He tried to persuade the man to get something to eat, but he declined and left.
"When I brought out the shoes, it was just a smile from ear to ear," he said. "It was a great moment for both of us."

DePrimo said he only told his family about the incident at the time, and was surprised when a friend told him the photo was posted on the Internet some time later.
Foster, who is a dispatch manager at the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, said she's worked in law enforcement for 17 years and has never been more impressed.
"His presentation of human kindness has not been lost on myself or any of the Arizona law enforcement officials with whom this story has been shared," Foster wrote on Facebook. She said she never got the officer's name.
DePrimo said he has been on the NYPD for 2½ years. He is assigned to the Sixth Precinct, encompassing Greenwich Village and the West Village, and lives on Long Island with his parents.
He said he keeps the receipt from the boots in his bullet-proof vest, as a reminder that even when things are tough, some people have it tougher.

 

[leannsupreme]

Good to see that there are still some police officers who genuinely care about those they serve.



*Waits for comments about how this was staged*

 

[rawex5]

18 posts max.

 

[ksteezy]

Good for him and good for the NYPD they sure need the positive publicity.

That's a kind young man.

 

[kadeemf23]

I saw this on the news . I wonder if he was doing the deed because it was the right thing to do or the publicity.
 

 

[water]

Glad to see this happen. Props to the officer

 

[lucasofwg]

he's still wet behind the ears

By next year he'll be shooting homeless men

 

[quell]

He's 25 so I'm sure it was genuine

 

[zona0924]

Definitely an action worthy of praise, but the publicity it's getting shows just how screwed up our police force is. For every 1 cop like this, there's 100 more who would dismiss, degrade, and or eventually arrest a homeless person just for being homeless. Seen it more times than I can remember.

Still, props to the officer.

 

[ag 47]

Officer or not, makes me happy to hear stories like this.

 

[bandit country]

Definitely an action worthy of praise, but the publicity it's getting shows just how screwed up our police force is. For every 1 cop like this, there's 100 more who would dismiss, degrade, and or eventually arrest a homeless person just for being homeless. Seen it more times than I can remember.
Still, props to the officer.

Agree with all this.

 

[jjs07]

Wh

I saw this on the news . I wonder if he was doing the deed because it was the right thing to do or the publicity.

 

Why does there have to be an ulterior motive? I understand it's the NYPD, but against popular NT belief, i'll say that this was done out of the kindness of his heart. There are good people who are police officers.

 

[ag 47]

Wh
Why does there have to be an ulterior motive? I understand it's the NYPD, but against popular NT belief, i'll say that this was done out of the kindness of his heart. There are good people who are police officers.

I firmly believe there's no such thing as a selfless act (true altruism doesn't exist) and that everything is done with the idea of receiving something in return, even if it's as small as feeling good about yourself for doing a "good deed."

 

[checks grossman]

he's still wet behind the ears
By next year he'll be shooting homeless men

QFE. Repped.

 

[so nyuh shi dae]

I firmly believe there's no such thing as a selfless act (true altruism doesn't exist) and that everything is done with the idea of receiving something in return, even if it's as small as feeling good about yourself for doing a "good deed."

this is such a huge assumption.

 

[ag 47]

this is such a huge assumption.

Not really. A selfless act by definition is one that's done by someone who receives nothing in return, correct? Think of all the selfless acts you can....in every scenario that giver receives something in return such as feeling good about being charitable as in this case.

Does that make it wrong? Not at all.

 

[cj863]

Nice deed but he's working for a force full of scumbags, nothing will negate that.

 

[Ja's 2¢]

if you actually read the article, the NYPD officer did not even know his photo was taken by a tourist. He only told his family about his good deed. The tourist posted the pic on the web and that's how we know now.

 

[so nyuh shi dae]

Not really. A selfless act by definition is one that's done by someone who receives nothing in return, correct? Think of all the selfless acts you can....in every scenario that giver receives something in return such as feeling good about being charitable as in this case.

Does that make it wrong? Not at all.

no, that's not what a selfless act would be, by definition.

self·less [self-lis] Show IPA
adjective
having little or no concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish.

it has nothing to do with whether you receive something, even a "good feeling". it has to do with what your intentions were when you committed that act.

 

[tr1ll]

Hope that cop stays that way.

 

[samx562]

he's still wet behind the ears

By next year he'll be shooting homeless men

 

[pig love]

View media item 152347
infowars

 

[ag 47]

no, that's not what a selfless act would be, by definition.
self·less [self-lis] Show IPA
adjective
having little or no concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish.
it has nothing to do with whether you receive something, even a "good feeling". it has to do with what your intentions were when you committed that act.

That first part suggests that the doer would be receiving something, good or bad. IF there was nothing at all to be received, then there would be no need for "concern." A classic example is saving a person from drowing. One could argue that the rescuer acts in a selfless manner without receiving anything. But that's false as the rescuer receives not only receives hero recognition, but does not have to live with seeing the person drown and not acting.

In this case, the same can apply. Police Officer clearly couldn't live with himself seeing the barefoot homeless man so he gave him shoes/socks obviously bettering the homeless man's situation, but also making the Officer feel better about the type of person he is, regardless of fame, money, position...

 

[so nyuh shi dae]

no, that's not what a selfless act would be, by definition.
self·less [self-lis] Show IPA
adjective
having little or no concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish.
it has nothing to do with whether you receive something, even a "good feeling". it has to do with what your intentions were when you committed that act.

That first part suggests that the doer would be receiving something, good or bad. IF there was nothing at all to be received, then there would be no need for "concern." A classic example is saving a person from drowing. One could argue that the rescuer acts in a selfless manner without receiving anything. But that's false as the rescuer receives not only receives hero recognition, but does not have to live with seeing the person drown and not acting.

In this case, the same can apply. Police Officer clearly couldn't live with himself seeing the barefoot homeless man so he gave him shoes/socks obviously bettering the homeless man's situation, but also making the Officer feel better about the type of person he is, regardless of fame, money, position...

no, that first part suggests that the doer doesn't expect to receive something in return. whether they receive something or not is irrelevant. receiving something doesn't change the intention of the act. there's a difference between doing a good deed because you receive something in return and doing a good deed and receiving something in return as a result.

 

[ag 47]

no, that first part suggests that the doer doesn't expect to receive something in return

I'm enjoying this discussion so I don't want it to seem like I'm going "at you", but I'd disagree with that. The definition was more about if the doer cared about what if something happened to them, not necessarily if they expected it...hence the word "concern", which is closely related to one's feelings or level of worriness. No action, good or bad, is without consequence.