WTF i in this picture,and dont know how it ended up in this fucked up,misinformed article..i dont use heroin and how dare you assume such things about people you dont know,fuck off and get a life

i miss this sort of life (trust me, there is a wonder-full sort of allure to it)- not homeless and desperate, but houseless and as free as you can get these days. Drifting, everyday full of all things crazy beautiful ugly a delve into new stretches of identity and humble-ness~ relying on the kindness of strangers when you need a lil $$ drinking whiskey and space bags getting rowdy be it under desert skies, on city streets, in the woods. drugs can get nasty, never shot up or popped pills, not my thing~ but had some intense and transformational moments under the effects of hallucinogens and the such. Also, I had a dog with me and the dog always ate before I did. I always pay it forward too~ I recieved enough cash to get by, I learned the true feeling of hunger and now when I see gutter punks/rainbow kids spangin' on the streets I donate what I can to their cause. I think the world is a more beautiful place having these wild rebels still around drifting freely... crusty and crude as they may be...

for ur information that so happens to be my good friend hair sitting there and hes a good guy so why dont u fucking get to know him before u jugde him assholes

my son called himself a travler. He had the words "hard traveler" tatooed down the inside of his arm. He hopped trains, he hitched, he did what he needed to do to get from one place to another: SF, New Orleans, New York (Tompkin's square, lower east side)Chicago, Austin. You name it. He lived like this for ten years. He described a culture that was hard, gritty yet full of laughter, a fierce loyality and a code of honor all it's own. He used to talk about getting arrested just for carrying a sleeping bag. He used drugs, he'd seen a lot of death, dispair and sadness. He also experienced some wonderful acts of kindness from complete (straight) strangers who, with eyes of compassion, saw past the dirty clothes, tatoos and combat boots. He finally came home and got clean in all ways. Then he used "one last time" and died on a sunny fall day on the streets of Chicago. Every day I miss his intelligence, humor, his love and his brilliant self. He may have been dirty and he may have used drugs but I tell you he was fine son despite his many challenges. My advice to you all is look beyond the surface - these young people are worth savings. Certainly my son was. Addicts can only recover if they stay alive. Educate yourself if someone you love is addicted. Remember the most dangerous time for an addict is after he's been clean for a while - Overdose is most likely at that time. One good place to get accurate, realistic information about harm reduction is The Chicago Recovery Alliance - google their website. Information, the anti OD drug Narcan and realistic treatment saves lives. Jesus loved all the children - he made no exceptions for the troubled, dirty ones. Neither should we. Don't lose your child.

Berefit, Ian Raindog Murphy's Mama

we have them in chicago. i've run into them on the bloomingdale trail. some seem nice enough (maybe troubled) some act pretty aggressive though. they come around every summer and then they are gone by fall. i don't know why, but i've wondered how far are they coming from. thought they might just be suburbanites. maybe they are from further afield.

Let's give em free stuff like we do with the Mexicans.

so i realize no one's going to read this anymore (because the 'news' is just about as disposable as toilet paper) but i just wanted to issue a 'fuck you' to your blighted, mis-informed, provincial identity: fuck you, scum.

just makes me wonder, what ever happened to the hipster grifter...

how fucking stupid do you have to be to brag to the newspaper about how much money you take scrounging from people with jobs.

$150-200 a day? enough to buy a wii and an ipod, etc.?

do you really think anyone is going to consider giving you money again after you brag that you make more money a day than the people you are begging for money from.

fuck you right in your stupid stretched out earlobe holes.

and, i cant decide if i feel bad for homeless dogs.

one one hand they are homeless, but on the other, they are on a perpetual walk.

More stuff white people like...

i feel like ive seen the guy on the left.. before. for many years. but in manhatten. with that dog.

anyways. i'm happy to live someplace that people with no place to go, or need to go. go to! i'm sure people aren't skipping trains to get to no where dakota. (or are they?).

Junkie kids go where there's a steady supply of decent dope. NY LA SF Seattle, etc. You wouldn't want to get strung out in Bumfuck Iowa waitin' for The Man...

They'll hang around til the weather gets cold. Few bumsicles & crispy critters when they start their fires and they'll head back to Seattle. Until then, can't we just deport them to Staten Island?

Gutter punks are the new Chrissie Brodigan.

sometimes you see a few pregnant ones hangin around... imagine how that musty vag must smell. phew!

who really cares? i still dont get how this is news

i like em.

it's the painted orange ones in the furry boots i got problems with.

I was out in Coney Island for a 5k on the boardwalk a few weeks ago in the morning. The community Director police officer (Jen, I believe you interviewed him previously)went ape sh*t on them to "Go back to Manhattan and stay out of Coney Island" They were sleeping under a shelter, about 20 of them and about 15 dogs. One guy had a pool cue, he asked me what time and date it was. I will say, I couldn't smell them, but it was outside at Coney Island.

"way to go putting the homeless back on the streets new york daily news and gothamist."

But they enjoy being homeless, that's why they're doing it by choice. I'm sure they're loving all this attention.

why are you idiots who comment on gothamist, gawker, etc so quick to accept the knee-jerk reaction spoon-fed by these worthless articles of generalizing everyone into groups so easy to spit upon? the policing of homeless people is always a tragic consequence of the well-off trying to justify spitting upon the poor-- creating this "gutter punk" specter is exactly that justification, and you stupid fuckers bit blindly like you always do.

assholes just don't fucking get it.