Homeless heroes...

the hobo days

They may not be able to fly and with the possible exception of the transients who lifted a two-tonne car off of a nine-year-old girl, may not be able to display super-human strength. All these people have, however, demonstrated feats of extraordinary courage, selflessness or honesty and kindness towards fellow human beings and all of them can be called heroes. None of them fit the stereotypical image commonly associated with homeless people.

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In December of last year, John Beauchamp, 61, a resident of The Homeless Voice Shelter in Hollywood saw what he at first thought was a dead body floating in the canal while out selling copies of The Miami Herald in the street. When he noticed the woman turn and gasp for air he sprang into action to rescue the woman in distress. Stripped to his underwear, he waded in but the water was sufficiently deep that it was necessary to swim out to save her. Grasping the mentally-ill wife and mother by the arm, Beauchamp was able to drag her ashore where she was tended to by paramedics. [primary source homelessvoice.tv]



Andre Nash, 45, dubbed 'Supertramp' became an unexpected hero in February of this year when, using a beer-soked rag as a mask, he forced his way into a Brooklyn apartment which was ablaze. Nash, who is known to regularly spend the nights on park benches pushed his way through thick, choking smoke to reach the burning appartment and lead Terence Naylor and his two school-age sons out to safety. [primary source New York Post]

North Las Vegas, November 2006, Stanford Washburn and a handful of other homeless men lifted a two tonne Cadillac off a little girl who was pinned beneath it. The New Mexico man who helped save 9-year-old Robyn Rubio's life is not only tearful, but humble when he talks about his act of bravery. He had been drinking in an alley near the Las Vegas strip in Nevada when he saw the Cadillac hit Robyn head-on. Washburn and several other transients jumped up and ran to help, miraculously lifting the 5,000 pound car off of Robin's tiny body. [primary source goodnewsblog.com]

When Portland police officer, Matt Tobey, got into difficulty, only homeless Clinton Whitman came to help. Tobey's head hit the ground again and again as the man on top of him, swearing and grunting, kept hitting him. Whitman, 53, described by Tobey as 'a blessing' and who had been living in a 1977 Lincoln Versailles, parked in a lot, stepped in and pulled the perpetrator from the officer. Tobey believes he owes his life to Whitman who was awarded with a Citizen Medal for Heroism in May 2006. [primary source Portland Tribune]

In April of last year, Milton Pendleton, 57, a homeless man, rescued two men from the wreckage of an experimental plane in Delray Beach. Pendleton had been peddling by on his bike, on his way to work washing cars when he came across the men in distress. Pendleton was quoted as saying he wasn't always homeless, and had a roofing job, but eventually fell on hard times when he could no longer pay for a roof over his head. He still works washing cars everyday, but it's not enough to pay for a place to live, so he must continue ?'camping out' as he calls it. [primary source CBS4 News]

While searching for something for breakfast in a row of garbage cans, Miroslav Szamszeli made a startling discovery. In one of the containers where he had hoped to find food he came across a live baby wrapped in a plastic bag. Szamszeli, who had no means of calling an emergency line, craddled the baby inside his coat, close to his chest for warmth. He approached several people asking them to call the police but after a quick glance at him, they all walked away. Undeterred, he eventually found an officer and the baby - critically hypothermic - was rushed to hospital. Doctors say Szamszeli saved the baby's life and the man who hadn't had a hot meal in five years became a hero overnight. [primary source radio.cz]

Homeless Stephen Baxter intervened to stop a man who tried to rape a woman at Bayfront Park, Miami. Baxter, who had seen a man drag the woman into the bushes called on a security guard for additional help. "I ran over here and got the security guard and told him what was going on," said Baxter. "Then I ran in the woods, and that's when the guy got up and ran. [primary source wsvn.com]

In 2005, the Trinidad and Tobago Express reported how homeless man, Derrick Lee Pack, saved the life of Narendra Maharaj, after Maharaj's Mercedes plunged off a bridge and fell twenty feet into the waiting river below. Pack lived under the bridge and saw the accident take place. After running for help, Pack realized he didn't have time to wait for rescuers to arrive on the scene, so he waded out into the river and with a piece of iron he had found nearby, pulled the driver to safety. Pack's home had been lost in a fire two weeks previous. With no money, he and his wife had lived under the bridge during the day, spending nights in an abandoned freight container near the river. They lost everything in the fire that destroyed the apartment they rented. Pack went on to say the last thing of value he owned was his steel-tipped boots which were lost during the rescue. [primary source emercedesbenz.com]

In a selfless act of bravery in 2002, Hugo Brannigan lost his life after succumbing to toxic fumes while attempting to rescue his friend, Jim Irvine, from a blaze at the Morning Star Hostel, Belfast. Brannigan, 62, was later honored with a posthumous award for bravery. [primary source news.bbc.co.uk]

In uncommon acts of honesty, Canesha Blackman and a gentleman known only as 'Chris' have been reported as finding and returning significant sums of cash.

In Victorville, a woman down on her luck lost her purse with nearly $1,000 inside. Fortunately, a homeless Samaritan, Chris, found it, tracked her down, and returned it.
"I offered him a $50 reward, and he turned me down," Nancy Daniels said. "I'm going to be able to pay the rent because of his honesty."
"I'm not a perfect person. I just did what I thought was right," Chris said. "She had three kids. She needs the money. I know I'm homeless, but she has three kids. ... It seemed too important." [primary source wdailypress.com]

In Tampa, 2005, Canesha Blackman, with her five children found and returned a purse containing $800 in cash and two paychecks. Blackman, 24, was on her way to the Polk County Government Center for a bus pass when she found the purse in the parking lot. But instead of keeping the cash, she turned the purse in to a worker inside the building. [primary source goodnewsblog.com]