Hoboken Photo of the Day- Bob and Eric

Last night I was taking some pictures of the former Barnes and Noble store when I ran into two homeless men that I have spoken to before on several occasions. I gave them each a few dollars (they asked nicely) and listened to some of their stories. Bob, depicted on the left is 64 years old, a Vietnam Vet and has been homeless for thirty years. Eric on the right was recently beaten up. He told me that the Hoboken Police were very helpful in apprehending the guy who assaulted him while he was sleeping passed out from drinking on a bench very recently. He said he was sucker punched and wasn't bothering anybody.  His right eye has a nasty shiner and corroborated his story. Eric can also be seen dancing at the many public events down by Sinatra Park. I myself have never seen either of these two give anyone any trouble when I have seen them out and about.

One thing that really struck me as intriguing from my conversation with them is that they both are adamant about not wanting housing assistance. Bob said to me "I don't like being inside surrounded by walls. I like to be outside where the people are, where the action is". The other memorable moment in our conversation was when Eric referred to Sun Tzu, the Chinese warrior/philosopher. Clearly, Eric at one point in his life was educated formally or informally. I forget the exact quote but both him and Bob saw being homeless as like being at war in a constant state of struggle for survival.

At their request I am publishing their photo to shed some human light on an element of Hoboken life that some people may not know about. As a parting question I asked Bob how many homeless do you think there are in Hoboken? His reply was over one thousand. There is much more to this story and when I get a chance I will try to do it justice.

From left to right Bob and Eric

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Hoboken Photo of the Day- Bob and Eric