When my wife and I lived on Newark years ago we came to "know" some of these guys ... he definitely sounds familiar.

What I remember most about our interactions with the boys was that they were mostly civil ... but could get rough.

The only times we called the police were when they had to much Popov and were blacked out ... BUT this is what I remember most. The cop who I spoke to made it very clear that there was no where to take them. The shelters were full and they wouldn't stay there regardless ... in other words, "nothing we can do"

One of our old friends has actually made it to the heights ...

Maybe our fearless new Mayor can do something ...

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Unless you know how to rehabilitate an aging, mentally ill, pissed-off, homeless alcoholic man, consider paying more attention to the world and you?ll be able to avoid most situations that you don?t want to be involved in. Use the power you already have. It?s what people used to do before the smart phone was invented.

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Has it crossed your mind it may be due to the heatwave? Enough to make anyone cranky, especially the mentally unhinged.

This description sounds like the fellow who haunts Coles street.

He is shabby-cleanly dressed (not smelly or gross), very quiet and even friendly 90% of the time--though he can get grouchy when down.


He's a fixture, been here for a couple years at least.


He occasionally sits on our stoop and regularly leaves small glass vodka bottles in our tree well.


I wish we could help him out. I feel bad when he tries to sleep on our walk and we have to tell him to move on.

What can we do? I've seen the city cops/ambulance take him away when he is fall down drunk---I know the cops probably are not the long term answer. What is?

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Check out the "Homeless in Van Vorst Park" discussion from a couple of years ago.

I would also check for lice and bed bugs if he came that close to you. I wouldn't want any of his DNA to cling to me.
I notice homeless sleeping on the gazzebo in Van Vorst Park just before the farmer's market opens on Saturday mornings. How can we control their loitering ? If they weren't homeless would it be a crime ??

What was he wearing? Did he have an accent? My suggestion is to pay attention when you are walking. Just like any other city this one is full of characters. People that are not paying attention are asking for trouble.

You are allowed to call the Police -just note I don't believe blocking your path or cursing (not really offensive when you hear the language used on tv) is an offense the police will act on, however spitting would be.
The city is riddled with problematic homeless persons that have mental health issues or substance abuse issues or both. We really need a Local, State and National program to deal with the homeless and mental health.

I posted about this recently. There's definitely been an increase in unstable, aggressive homeless folk and junkies/crackheads here lately.

I had a disturbing experience with a homeless man walking down Newark Ave (Ward E) this afternoon. The person in question from what I can remember, is a 5ft 5" white male, around 60-ish years old with short cropped gray hair. I think his eyes may be blue or grey. He walked right up to my face and asked for spare change. I was deep in thought so didn't notice him until he was right in front of me. I said sorry and tried to walk by, but he wouldn't let me through. I tried dodging left and then right as he followed me at each direction I took, continuously asking for money, so I finally told him to get out of my way. He then turned belligerent and started cursing at me. I was finally able to walk past him as he continued to curse and then actually spat at me. Luckily I was a safe range away from his spit. I was afraid at first when he wouldn't let me walk past him. He was so close and aggressive that I thought he was going to grab me at any moment.

Not sure if anyone else has experienced something similar with this homeless person or others. There are usually homeless people hanging around Newark Ave and I have wondered before if they were ever aggressive. This proves to me that safety may indeed be an issue.