NY Antique Shop Owner Sues Homeless Foursome for $1 Million

[Kristijntje]

The owner of an upmarket New York antiques shop has filed a lawsuit aimed at keeping four down-and-outs at least 100 yards from his emporium, the Daily Telegraph reports. The lawsuit is also claiming $1m a pop from the booze-swilling bums, although this has been included purely for "technical reasons".

According to the court papers, the drunken quartet have spent "significant amounts of time" outside Karl Kemp Antiques on Madison Avenue, "consuming alcoholic beverages from open bottles, performing various bodily functions such as urinating or spitting on the sidewalk"...

full article: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/19/...sers_sued/

[BellisimaJ.]

A homeless guy used to sleep in front of my shop (downtown DC) every night. But, he would leave as soon as I arrived with his breakfast------a coffee and palmier from the French pastry shop next door.

[accentnepal]

"consuming alcoholic beverages from open bottles..."

I assume consuming it from closed bottles would be OK???

[quote author=BellisimaJ. link=topic=6747.msg40701#msg40701 date=1169227805]
A homeless guy used to sleep in front of my shop (downtown DC) every night. But, he would leave as soon as I arrived with his breakfast------a coffee and palmier from the French pastry shop next door. [/quote]
Belle you are so kind - but that also is a wise way to deal with the situation. He probably served as a night watchman for you.

[BellisimaJ.]

I assume consuming it from closed bottles would be OK???

Belle you are so kind - but that also is a wise way to deal with the situation. He probably served as a night watchman for you.

Ty, Bob.   Really though, it is my feeling of guilt whenever I see a homeless person. Guilt because I could do more (we could all do more) and guilt because I know that many people look through homeless people----as though they aren't there. That bothers me.  Anyway, he was a nice guy---it made me feel a little better to do something for him.

Btw, when Gorbachov visited Reagan during the 80's, the government rounded up all the homeless (we had enormous numbers of them) and put them................somewhere. Didn't want the rest of the world to see how we treat our own citizens, I suppose. Pathetic.

[accentnepal]

From what I have seen, a lot of homeless are that way by choice. Not some "I'm a loser" (Beatles) thing at all, but instead an unwillingness to make the trade-offs that society demands in order to get money.

Face it, most jobs suck. In the literal sense of sucking everything creative and interesting out of your life, and taking most of your time, leaving you exhausted for the remainder. Add to that the attitude of most employers that you are expected to be there every day on time or you are fired and it is not too many steps removed from slavery.

Some people refuse to play that game. Sleeping outside is expansive, houses can cramp your mind. The fellowship and sharing of the homeless can sometimes be deeper than ordinary society.

I do not mean to prettify the situation, there is a lot of booze and mental illness, and they are vunerable to lots of of bad things, both from the criminals and sometimes the cops. But it is not a simple situation and many do not want the kind of life that so-called productive people have.

BTW, Belle, my name is David.
*
*
*
*
*

[BellisimaJ.]

Ty, Bob.

Sorry, David. :oops:  I didn't know that your name was David, but I didn't know it was Bob, either. I must have been asleep or distracted. 

Face it, most jobs suck. In the literal sense of sucking everything creative and interesting out of your life, and taking most of your time, leaving you exhausted for the remainder. Add to that the attitude of most employers that you are expected to be there every day on time or you are fired and it is not too many steps removed from slavery.

Some people refuse to play that game. Sleeping outside is expansive, houses can cramp your mind. The fellowship and sharing of the homeless can sometimes be deeper than ordinary society.

I agree. But.........there are many who do not make the choice for themselves, including whole families.

In DC, during the recession(began in 1990), entire families were walking the streets. It was heartbreaking to view.

But it is not a simple situation and many do not want the kind of life that so-called productive people have.

I can't dispute that. I just feel very badly for those who don't want to be in that position. There but for the grace................well, you know.

[accentnepal]

I just feel very badly for those who don't want to be in that position. There but for the grace................well, you know.

Certainly true. The darwinian nature of our economy means some will be shoved away from the table. Not that I would prefer communism, but there is a closed door attitude where there are not good alternatives for many people.

But we Americans rarely see beyond our borders. In India, near where I was staying, there was a long bridge over a railway yard (they called it a flyover). In the couple hundred feet between where the bottom of the bridge left the ground and the fence for the rail yard there was a row of tiny cardboard shacks, pressed up against each other. Several hundred people were jammed into there, cooking on little fires in front of their houses.

On the other side of the road were great big mansions with nicely tended gardens and several acres of land each. And fences to keep the rabble out. No doubt the city, pressed by the property owners, periodically cleared them out from under the bridge.    :'(

*

[BellisimaJ.]

But we Americans rarely see beyond our borders

Very true.

On the other side of the road were great big mansions with nicely tended gardens and several acres of land each. And fences to keep the rabble out. No doubt the city, pressed by the property owners, periodically cleared them out from under the bridge.

Life is so frickin unfair. Very sad, damn it.

Btw, for anyone interested, there is an ABC story on 20/20 tonight, 10pm Eastern time, related to this story. It is about poverty in America.