I was homeless by the time I was 17 it was one of the longest years of my life. I was addicted to iv heroin by the time I was 15. I made it out, but most of us never do and without the help of my family and kindness of strangers (much like you) I never would have either. The hope that comes from the compassion of strangers in these situations can save someone’s life for the day and has mine. You are helping change things with what you are producing and putting out into the world: thank you 💕.
In NYC this past week a man fell off his wheelchair while I was walking by in midtown. My wife wouldn't let us leave without helping. I helped him up. He smelled like urine and then I did after. The disgust made me feel awful in the moment. I regret not pushing past the urge to walk on sooner. My wife reminded me that we're people who help.
I think of how I was in San Francisco this past year, for a conference smack in the middle of the Tenderloin district. One morning I was at Mel’s diner with my coworker, and a homeless man came inside, and started pointing a knife at patrons. And the staff were trying to corral him out. He came toward my table and started saying he was just hungry. My coworker told me to just stay still and be quiet like he was a bear in the woods or something. I looked at the short stack I didn’t eat and bacon I barely touched. I said softly “I will give you my food, I’ll give it to you in a take away box”. He nodded and backed off. When the workers got him out I got the food to go and offered it to the man he went on his way. It’s as simple as that sometimes.
For those who might not know, Brian Thompson was being investigated for Insider Trading ($101M split three ways between himself and the two other UHG execs = lawsuit from Firefighters Pension, which saw their fund lose value), as well as Monopolistic Practices and Racketeering. Rumored that he might have been cooperating with DoJ, but surely an awkward array of potential charges to have to address, at an annual stockholders meeting, and all mention of this has evaporated. What's striking is that he was working at UHG when his then-CEO McGuire resigned in disgrace over many millions in stock options he'd laundered thru Minneapolis non-profits. The Horatio Alger sob story is risible.
We should always humanise the victim, but why do we not also humanise the man who acted in the interest of the other passengers? Jordan Neely, by all accounts, was in the middle of a schizophrenic episode on a crowded train, shouting aggressively about how he didn’t care if he died or got locked up. Penny, as a former Marine, was trained to act deliberately in these kind of situations where a clear threat emerges. Neely wasn’t killed because he was homeless or black; He was killed because he was failed by the US healthcare system at every turn. People with mental illnesses like his should not be out walking the streets, terrorising others with a condition they have no control over. I feel for the mother, no parent should have to lose their child, but we can’t pretend this was something other than what it was. Penny reacted to a man behaving dangerously in a manner befitting a Marine. Neely might not have been a danger to anyone in the end, but counterfactuals aren’t helpful in situations like these. A 6-minute chokehold is grossly unnecessary, but who is to say that restraining the man in the first place wasn’t?
I can tell you've never been on public transport in a big city, because that's the only way to have a take that validates this violent action in the slightest. Public transport rule #1 worldwide is mind your business. A real “navy” would know to wait with violence until the guy actually did something physical to someone. What he did is the equivalent of the police locking someone up because they COULD be commiting a crime soon. That holds no water. He didn't act in the interest of other passengers either because it doesn't matter if you're in NYC, London or Berlin, people follow the mind your business rule unless they wanna white knight intervene before something even happened. No need to humanize the man that ultimately got to walk free, he already got humanized by the legal system not locking him up for what he did. He can be glad people even interpret his actions as good faith actions.
Your assumptions are baseless. I lived in London for many years and routinely took public transportation. ‘Mind your business’ rule works if there is enough space but in a crowded transport nobody knows what could happen. I’ve seen bystanders get hit with acid because those people were just “minding their own business”. You weren’t there, you are arguing off some abstracted idea of justice. Meanwhile, the people who were there said they were scared for their lives. Are we to take the opinion of an online commenter over someone who was actually there at the incident? Seems like a ridiculous way to go about understanding a situation like this.
This is so good. Thanks. It’s disgusting. I grew up in the east village, filled with challenges, and watched the development of the area create lots of money for those already with lots of it while the poor got nothing and were just simply left behind. Sad how we live in one of the “richest countries in the world” under the constant reminder that “in God we trust”.
I was homeless by the time I was 17 it was one of the longest years of my life. I was addicted to iv heroin by the time I was 15. I made it out, but most of us never do and without the help of my family and kindness of strangers (much like you) I never would have either. The hope that comes from the compassion of strangers in these situations can save someone’s life for the day and has mine. You are helping change things with what you are producing and putting out into the world: thank you 💕.
Thank you for this piece. We have to humanize the homeless since we're one paycheck away from joining them.
In NYC this past week a man fell off his wheelchair while I was walking by in midtown. My wife wouldn't let us leave without helping. I helped him up. He smelled like urine and then I did after. The disgust made me feel awful in the moment. I regret not pushing past the urge to walk on sooner. My wife reminded me that we're people who help.
I think of how I was in San Francisco this past year, for a conference smack in the middle of the Tenderloin district. One morning I was at Mel’s diner with my coworker, and a homeless man came inside, and started pointing a knife at patrons. And the staff were trying to corral him out. He came toward my table and started saying he was just hungry. My coworker told me to just stay still and be quiet like he was a bear in the woods or something. I looked at the short stack I didn’t eat and bacon I barely touched. I said softly “I will give you my food, I’ll give it to you in a take away box”. He nodded and backed off. When the workers got him out I got the food to go and offered it to the man he went on his way. It’s as simple as that sometimes.
I like this a lot. Good job, Alex.
For those who might not know, Brian Thompson was being investigated for Insider Trading ($101M split three ways between himself and the two other UHG execs = lawsuit from Firefighters Pension, which saw their fund lose value), as well as Monopolistic Practices and Racketeering. Rumored that he might have been cooperating with DoJ, but surely an awkward array of potential charges to have to address, at an annual stockholders meeting, and all mention of this has evaporated. What's striking is that he was working at UHG when his then-CEO McGuire resigned in disgrace over many millions in stock options he'd laundered thru Minneapolis non-profits. The Horatio Alger sob story is risible.
I love reading your posts!! So good. ❤️
This was very honest.
Thank you for writing this.
We should always humanise the victim, but why do we not also humanise the man who acted in the interest of the other passengers? Jordan Neely, by all accounts, was in the middle of a schizophrenic episode on a crowded train, shouting aggressively about how he didn’t care if he died or got locked up. Penny, as a former Marine, was trained to act deliberately in these kind of situations where a clear threat emerges. Neely wasn’t killed because he was homeless or black; He was killed because he was failed by the US healthcare system at every turn. People with mental illnesses like his should not be out walking the streets, terrorising others with a condition they have no control over. I feel for the mother, no parent should have to lose their child, but we can’t pretend this was something other than what it was. Penny reacted to a man behaving dangerously in a manner befitting a Marine. Neely might not have been a danger to anyone in the end, but counterfactuals aren’t helpful in situations like these. A 6-minute chokehold is grossly unnecessary, but who is to say that restraining the man in the first place wasn’t?
I can tell you've never been on public transport in a big city, because that's the only way to have a take that validates this violent action in the slightest. Public transport rule #1 worldwide is mind your business. A real “navy” would know to wait with violence until the guy actually did something physical to someone. What he did is the equivalent of the police locking someone up because they COULD be commiting a crime soon. That holds no water. He didn't act in the interest of other passengers either because it doesn't matter if you're in NYC, London or Berlin, people follow the mind your business rule unless they wanna white knight intervene before something even happened. No need to humanize the man that ultimately got to walk free, he already got humanized by the legal system not locking him up for what he did. He can be glad people even interpret his actions as good faith actions.
Your assumptions are baseless. I lived in London for many years and routinely took public transportation. ‘Mind your business’ rule works if there is enough space but in a crowded transport nobody knows what could happen. I’ve seen bystanders get hit with acid because those people were just “minding their own business”. You weren’t there, you are arguing off some abstracted idea of justice. Meanwhile, the people who were there said they were scared for their lives. Are we to take the opinion of an online commenter over someone who was actually there at the incident? Seems like a ridiculous way to go about understanding a situation like this.
"Sometimes I forget that our thoughts do not equal us." Hmmm, will sit on that. Thank you
This is so good. Thanks. It’s disgusting. I grew up in the east village, filled with challenges, and watched the development of the area create lots of money for those already with lots of it while the poor got nothing and were just simply left behind. Sad how we live in one of the “richest countries in the world” under the constant reminder that “in God we trust”.
Loved reading this, such valuable perspective. Thankyou 💜
Hi Alex—apologies if I missed clarification elsewhere, but it looks like you wrote “Brian Stevenson” when I assumed you meant “Brian Thompson.”
He meant Bryan Stevenson- he’s the person who said “no one is the worst thing they’ve ever done”
Really good stuff! Thank you for sharing💛
Exceptionally well written
🎯