A random act of kindness as cop tends to homeless man on cold NY night
Nothing in return
“The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on the man,” Foster said in a note attached to the image she posted on the NYPD Facebook page. “The officer expected nothing in return and did not know I was watching.”
Although she didn’t know DePrimo’s name, Foster wrote, “I have been in law enforcement for 17 years. I was never so impressed in my life.”
At a press conference on Thursday, DePrimo (25) clasped a box of cufflinks given to him by police commissioner Ray Kelly. He has been a cop for 2½ years and lives with his parents in Long Island.
He is stunned by his newfound celebrity. “When I brought out the shoes, it was just a smile from ear to ear,” DePrimo recounted. “It was a great moment for both of us.”
Although they haven’t drawn anywhere near the attention, I have noticed many acts of kindness in the Irish community in recent days.
The Flax Trust, a charity founded in Belfast in 1977 to promote reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics, announced at its annual breakfast in Washington that it has raised $233,394 for education programmes in Northern Ireland.
Irish Network USA is holding benefits for the victims of Hurricane Sandy in at least eight US cities.
Seventy-five people attended the Washington event this week, contributing more than $2,000 for Sandy’s victims and other charities.
The American Ireland Fund has raised $250,000, mainly for the strongly Irish-American communities of Breezy Point and the Rockaways.
Sandy victims
The Ireland Fund’s Young Leaders will co-host fundraisers with US ambassador Dan Rooney and Irish ambassador Michael Collins in coming days, while Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and secretary of state Hillary Clinton will announce further support from Ireland for Irish- American victims of Sandy when they meet in Dublin on December 6th.
In this seasonal gusher of good will, I couldn’t help recalling one of my favourite quotes, often attributed to Plato: “Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”
Larry DePrimo was kinder than necessary. He wanted to buy the homeless man a cup of coffee and some food, but the moment he was shod, the man walked away into the cold New York night.
