July 12, 2026
"We take what we do very seriously. We’re not making little goody bags — we’re really thinking out what it is people need the most."
Said Jeffrey Newman, quoted in "Jayson Conner, 48, and Jeffrey Newman, 58, Die; Gave Thousands of Backpacks to Those in Need/The couple, who died within a few days of each other, provided needed supplies, like socks and wet wipes, to people living on New York City’s streets" (NYT).
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16 comments:
I tried to read this and found it’s NYT, not WaPo.
I’ve never seen the compassion in empowering people to sleep in the street…
Enablers.
Good for them, but we all provide massive unacknowledged charity by paying taxes.
So, it appears that the younger man died first, of cardiac arrest, and the decade-older one a few days later, of unspecified causes and in an unspecified place. Their two dogs and cat were not provided for. I certainly hope this means that the older man actually died of a coincidental, unexpected, but natural cause, rather than suicide. Otherwise, what a perfidious thing to do.
The two dogs were removed from the home right away, but the police couldn't find the cat, and sealed the apartment (with her inside). Her cat sitter persistently bugged the police and finally, like a week later I think it was, they unsealed the apartment. Thankfully the cat was still alive and is now being fostered.
An amendment: if the older man did die by suicide, maybe he did make arrangements for the pets to which the public is not privy, but the cat is really good at hide and seek and the police assumed she'd gotten outside. (The police did in fact assume she'd gotten outside - that's not in dispute.) I shouldn't slander a dead man.
Socks and wipies aren’t going to tilt the balance for or against homelessness. “Oh, bless you sir! I was going to get an apartment but now with these wipies I can survive another winter outside!” And they’re not enabling the way clean needles or Narcan are. Really just feel-good gestures for the donors.
If you really want to make a difference, donate to a Gutfeldville: homeless settlement far away from the normies. Services available for the ones who want them. Security imposed from the ones who don’t. CC, JSM
What the homeless really want is drugs. Did they pack drugs in the bag?
I wish the line between helping people who need it and being an enabler was more distinct. FWIW I think they’re on the wrong side of it, wherever it is.
How much money were they getting from the government to do this?
They're not homeless, and I wish people would stop calling them that. They are in fact "homephobes." There are accommodations available for them in most cities but they eschew those because they are mostly lunatics and dopers who *desire* "the life" on the streets.
I feel for the loons but they need to be controlled by some means (meds, institutions. etc), not encouraged and supported on the streets. The dopers can go ahead kill themselves - a civic improvement.
Really. Were we paying for their efforts?
Awfully young to die that way, but, I read the younger one had a history of drugs and sex work. Could that be related?
According to the linked article, the pair started doing this back in 2018, and by this year, they (along with volunteers and those who donated items for the backpacks) had distributed more than 180,000 packs. I think this is an impressive grassroots effort, and I think their endeavor is admirable. They took personal action rather than just bitching. Isn't that something we want?
In a previous state, our church did something similar, though not as comprehensive and in plastic bags rather than backpacks. I thought that was an admirable effort to help meet basic needs. It's what churches do, and should do. And many churches DO engage in this sort of direct aid.
I suspect the politics of this pair are not my politics. But I'm not going to put down folks who put their time and resources where their mouth is and actually went out and did something to address an issue they perceived. There's no shame in lauding people's personal efforts of this nature.
No idea what their religion was, but the Good Samaritan jumps to mind.
Regards,
Lori
It's the NYT, not the WaPa. Archived here:
https://archive.ph/V4liG
RIP to both for their steadfast charity work, no doubt having a beneficial impact.
But Geez, this relentless twisting of the language into intentionally awkward variants of common words, to avoid the completely accidental and minor risk of offending someone that will only become offended by something else. "Unhoused". Really? Is it that painful to use normal English and say "Homeless"? A word that makes more sense, is recognizable, and perfectly accurate, communicating without causing mental stumbles to the reader?
Make yourself useful. Spare us your virtue-associated dopamine addiction and go hand out some freakin' backpacks.
@Breezy Thanks. Fixed.
Antifa: folks who put their time and resources where their mouth is and actually went out and did something to address an issue they perceived.
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