\n\nThe New York City homeless man \u00e2\u0080\u0093 whose gift of boots from an NYPD police officer became an online sensation last week\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u0080\u0093 is back on the streets with no shoes.
\nThe New York Times found him Sunday night wandering barefoot in Manhattan. The paper identified him as Jeffrey Hillman, formerly of South Plainfield, N.J.
\nAsked about the $100 all-weather boots Officer Larry DePrimo gave him on Nov. 14, Hillman says he\u00e2\u0080\u0099s hidden them because \u00e2\u0080\u009cthey are worth a lot of money.\u00e2\u0080\u009d
\nHe says he\u00e2\u0080\u0099s grateful for the gift, but he wants \u00e2\u0080\u009ca piece of the pie\u00e2\u0080\u009d because the photo was posted online \u00e2\u0080\u009cwithout permission.\u00e2\u0080\u009d
\n\u00e2\u0080\u009cI was put on YouTube, I was put on everything without permission,\u00e2\u0080\u009d he added. \u00e2\u0080\u009cWhat do I get?\u00e2\u0080\u009d
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When you give people free stuff, they usually don't value it as much as when they earn it themselves. Via Homeless Man Behind Viral NYPD Photo Now Shoeless Again, Demanding \u00e2\u0080\u0098Piece of the Pie\u00e2\u0080\u0099 | TheBlaze.com.
\nUPDATE: We also need to realize that the NYPD guy did not actually help the homeless man here. He doesn't appear to be better off. But the NYPD guy feels better about himself for having \"done something,\" and *you* feel like a good person for approving of it. That's what a lot of charity ends up being: a way to make you feel better about yourself, not a way to do actual good in the world. If you want to feel better about yourself, fine, but don't fool yourself into thinking you're doing real good -- *unless* you follow up with individual persons you helped, afterwards, and see how they're doing. Real life-changing charity work is difficult to do.
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