Homeless: Human

Well, we definitely have the most interesting and colorful characters here in HK, and for sure, this is one of the them, and it just happens to be that he's homeless.

I have seen this cat before over the years, and the article I read about him in todays NY Times seems to be a pretty accurate description of him (one would hope so, it is the NY Times) from what I know, and it's definitely worth five minutes of your time to read it (read it HERE).

The article is about a long time resident of DeWitt Clinton Park, Matthew Eckstein, and when I say resident, I mean just that; he lives in the park. Mr. Eckstein is homless, and from the article and interviews, it would appear that his residency in the park is by choice.

My brief encounters with Mr. Eckstein over the years have only been of the several second and momentary NYC glimpse variety, either from him passing by or seeing him from a distance. However, my NYC skell/scumbag/a-hole radar is pretty damn good (if I don't say so myself), and I have always thought he appeared to be a pretty gentle soul, but thats just my intuition.

In any case, Mr. Eckstein is the step-son of the legendary Jazz singer Billy Eckstein, and the brother of Guy and Ed Eckstein, with Ed being the former President of Mercury Records, and Guy being a well known  Drummer and Grammy winning music producer (he worked on a Grammy winning album but I was unable to find out whether he was awarded one, but you get the point).

Point being, read the article, and next time you see a homeless person, don't be so quick to judge; they are after all, human beings. And if you see Matt Eckstein, say hello to him. From what I have seen and read, unlike the rats in our hood, he doesn't bite.