'I can't do this anymore': Homeless man's desperate tears in harrowing video filmed just months before he died on freezing Birmingham street near Bullring shopping centre

A homeless man who was found dead on the streets during freezing temperatures said he was 'done' and couldn't 'live like this anymore' just months before died.

Passers-by found Kane Walker, 31, near Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre at 3.30pm on Sunday January 27.

Upsetting video of Mr Walker, which was recorded last August, shows him talking to outreach worker Colin Rankine - the founder of Active Christians.

In the footage a visibly upset Mr Walker says: 'I'm not living like this no more. This ain't my life. I'm done.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6660291/Homeless-mans-desperate-tears-filmed-months-died-freezing-Birmingham-street.html

How very sad. And yet, the report says he had friends and family and refused help from them.

What a mess.

You know, we all walk a very thin line with homelessness. Imagine losing all your family and your means to support yourself. What would you do?

I was homeless for a short time when I was seventeen. It made me really ill. I've never forgotten it. It was the most desolate feeling in the world.

HoratioTarr wrote:How very sad.  And yet, the report says he had friends and family and refused help from them.  

What a mess.  

Drugs and/or Mental illness

the system is pretty broken
there is a few homeless people that 'live' around the office block I work in
and a couple it is apparent that they have mental health issues that would make it impossible to complete the gov't forms to get help by themselves.
so they just slip through the cracks, the dept of human services is just down the street, do they ever help any of these people with processes they created? of course not

HoratioTarr wrote:How very sad.  And yet, the report says he had friends and family and refused help from them.  

What a mess.  

It's heartbreaking.
You know Andy Burnham has vowed that everyone in the Manchester area will have a bed for the night, his aim is to drastically cut down on the homeless who sleep rough.
He admits though that some refuse the help, even in the freezing temperatures we are having now, they prefer to be on the streets.
Their sense of hoplessness is heartbreaking, to prefer to freeze to death rather than accept the bed.

I live near the homeless shelters in Ft Worth. There is very little you can do until these people want help. Lots of them get picked up and given psychological evaluations when they do something crazy, but that's only temporary because usually the drug or alcohol effects wear off and they are lucid enough to be released until the next time.  Or until there isn't a next time,

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Fort-Worth-Pays-Homeless-People-to-Pick-Up-Trash-470183833.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_DFWBrand


But we are trying everything.

HoratioTarr wrote:You know, we all walk a very thin line with homelessness.  Imagine losing all your family and your means to support yourself.  What would you do?  

I was homeless for a short time when I was seventeen.  It made me really ill.   I've never forgotten it.  It was the most desolate feeling in the world.

You managed to get yourself out of that hole thankfully, some people just dont.
The man in the video, it's hearbreaking. He was young and nice looking. I bet he he and his family had such happiness once, looking towards the future. Then both parents, and his grandmother died, and no doubt he just gave up.
Life can deal such harsh blows sometimes.

Maddog wrote:I live near the homeless shelters in Ft Worth. There is very little you can do until these people want help. Lots of them get picked up and given psychological evaluations when they do something crazy, but that's only temporary because usually the drug or alcohol effects wear off and they are lucid enough to be released until the next time.  Or until there isn't a next time,

Actually I think its a failing of society itself. As again you look to them as being the issue to the demons they suffer with. Whether that be through drugs, alcohol, trauma etc. Many homeless people are veterans, who find it difficult to fit into society, when they have suffered trauma through combat. Who then turn to drugs and alcohol, drugs etc, to numb the pain they feel and then society has simple failed these very people that served their country. All homeless people have gone through a form of trauma.

So yes the best course of action is when people admit to what they are going through, but if you do not have countless facilities in society to help people from the start. Espcially when they leave the army. Then society is failing these people and setting them up to be drawn to things that they believe help dampen the pain they feel. It means society has failed them

Its easy to say they need to recognise the problems them have, when it was society, that failed them adjust back into society in the first place. Or provide the help required when they have suffered

There is a terrible stigma around homelessness and as seen by the above this is evidently proven by your replies. So clearly society and medical help is required to help these people before them descend into the places they are now in

Thor wrote:

Maddog wrote:I live near the homeless shelters in Ft Worth. There is very little you can do until these people want help. Lots of them get picked up and given psychological evaluations when they do something crazy, but that's only temporary because usually the drug or alcohol effects wear off and they are lucid enough to be released until the next time.  Or until there isn't a next time,

Actually I think its a failing of society itself. As again you look to them as being the issue to the demons they suffer with. Whether that be through drugs, alcohol, trauma etc. Many homeless people are veterans, who find it difficult to fit into society, when they have suffered trauma through combat. Who then turn to drugs and alcohol, drugs etc, to numb the pain they feel and then society has simple failed these very people that served their country. All homeless people have gone through a form of trauma.

So yes the best course of action is when people admit to what they are going through, but if you do not have countless facilities in society to help people from the start. Espcially when they leave the army. Then society is failing these people and setting them up to be drawn to things that they believe help dampen the pain they feel. It means society has failed them

Its easy to say they need to recognise the problems them have, when it was society, that failed them adjust back into society in the first place. Or provide the help required when they have suffered

There is a terrible stigma around homelessness and as seen by the above this is evidently proven by your replies. So clearly society and medical help is required to help these people before them descend into the places they are now in

The help is there, but unless they are deemed a danger to themselves it's hard to commit them.  

It's always been a fine line when it comes to having the government force people to get help when they dont want it.  No doubt in the past we locked up a lot of folks whether they wanted to be or not.  

Even on very cold nights people will avoid the shelters because the shelters have rules.

Maddog wrote:

Thor wrote:


Actually I think its a failing of society itself. As again you look to them as being the issue to the demons they suffer with. Whether that be through drugs, alcohol, trauma etc. Many homeless people are veterans, who find it difficult to fit into society, when they have suffered trauma through combat. Who then turn to drugs and alcohol, drugs etc, to numb the pain they feel and then society has simple failed these very people that served their country. All homeless people have gone through a form of trauma.

So yes the best course of action is when people admit to what they are going through, but if you do not have countless facilities in society to help people from the start. Espcially when they leave the army. Then society is failing these people and setting them up to be drawn to things that they believe help dampen the pain they feel. It means society has failed them

Its easy to say they need to recognise the problems them have, when it was society, that failed them adjust back into society in the first place. Or provide the help required when they have suffered

There is a terrible stigma around homelessness and as seen by the above this is evidently proven by your replies. So clearly society and medical help is required to help these people before them descend into the places they are now in

The help is there, but unless they are deemed a danger to themselves it's hard to commit them.  

It's always been a fine line when it comes to having the government force people to get help when they dont want it.  No doubt in the past we locked up a lot of folks whether they wanted to be or not.  

Even on very cold nights people will avoid the shelters because the shelters have rules.

I disagree that the help is there. Espically when people do not reognise they maybe suffering from trauma. There should a be a slow transition period from the armed forces back into civillian life for example. As many when they leave simple cannot adjust to civillian life.

Hence the system needs to change and also society in how they view the homeless. For example where many will read some isolated media story where someone is scamming begging. Then a poor stigma then becomes attached to all homeless.

Nobody should be left out in the cold at night. We certainly do not allow people to starve to death. Even prisoners on hunger strike. So why should we allow people to freeze to death out in the cold?

The VA has plenty of programs for soldiers.  

What do you do to people that say "fuck off, leave me alone"?

Maddog wrote:The VA has plenty of programs for soldiers.  

What do you do to people that say "fuck off, leave me alone"?

And how many of the progroms have clearly failed to stem the problem?

Hence why are the majority of homeless veterans today?

As to what you do when they say "fuck off". Get people who are professionals to talk and reason with them. That society employs psychologists to be out of their offices, and helping the homeless on the streets. Its why some need help to come to them. Not expect the homeless to come to them for help

Simple talking the defeatest option, simple because someone is so low, they want to be left alone, is failing them.

You may want to give up on them, some of us dont..

Thor wrote:

Maddog wrote:The VA has plenty of programs for soldiers.  

What do you do to people that say "fuck off, leave me alone"?

And how many of the progroms have clearly failed to stem the problem?

Hence why are the majority of homeless veterans today?

As to what you do when they say "fuck off". Get people who are professionals to talk and reason with them. That society employs psychologists to be out of their offices, and helping the homeless on the streets. Its why some need help to come to them. Not expect the homeless to come to them for help

Simple talking the defeatest option, simple because someone is so low, they want to be left alone, is failing them.

You may want to give up on them, some of us dont..

The majority of the homeless are not veterans. About 1/4 of the homeless are.

No one has given up.  But unless you hold them against their will, they are free to decline help.  People will continue to try, and some will get help.  

People not getting the help they need isn't limited to rhe homeless either.  

But unless you are going to hold people against their will, improvement will be in part, up to them being a willing participant.

Maddog wrote:

Thor wrote:

And how many of the progroms have clearly failed to stem the problem?

Hence why are the majority of homeless veterans today?

As to what you do when they say "fuck off". Get people who are professionals to talk and reason with them. That society employs psychologists to be out of their offices, and helping the homeless on the streets. Its why some need help to come to them. Not expect the homeless to come to them for help

Simple talking the defeatest option, simple because someone is so low, they want to be left alone, is failing them.

You may want to give up on them, some of us dont..

The majority of the homeless are not veterans. About 1/4 of the homeless are.

No one has given up.  But unless you hold them against their will, they are free to decline help.  People will continue to try, and some will get help.  

People not getting the help they need isn't limited to rhe homeless either.  

But unless you are going to hold people against their will, improvement will be in part, up to them being a willing participant.

That makes them a majority compared to others, from the positions they held in society

You do realise that?

As what other groups are represented more than Vets in the homeless?

You are still not grasping the point here

So who said anything about holding people agaisnt their will?

In what part did I say about having psychologists be taken out of the office to talk and reason people to seek help. Did you take from that, homeless people should be forced?

Seriously?

I would love for you to rationalise, how from the views I made, that I at any point suggest people should be taken by force?

Again, society is failing the homeless and again a huge chunk of them are Veterans. Where clearly the system is failing to help them adjust back into society

Do you know what I find so poor about your views here maddog. They are based negativelly and also based around excuses.

You dont offer up solutions. Youre view is that this is how it is and then offer up no way to actual combat the actual issue.

I mean when I say we should get psychologists out of the office and onto the street helping these people. Your view is to wrongly interpret this as forcing people. I mean WTF. To then you also downplay the fact many are vets, the biggest group within the homeless. Which does not mean we should not help the rest. It means the Governement has to ensure a slow process for people to adjust to civilian life. As one of many measure to help prevent people becoming homeless. Its just one of many measures to help prevent people falling into homelessness.

Your next excuse, is that they need to help themselves, but people can only do that when they recognise they have a problem. Which many cannot and hence why society, should help them. Hence getting professsionals out onto the streets.

You then offer more excuses, that they are not the only one with problems. Yet I never claimed they are. I though look for solutions for this particular problem and so far your view to hope they recognise they have a problem and need help. Is not working, is it. You cannot simple rely on people to recognise they do need help. You have professionals reach out to them on the streets and look to help them recognise that they have problems and that these professionals are willing to help them.

So maybe in your next reply, you will actually offer up something positive and a way to help combat this actual issue.

I wish you luck on that

Thor wrote:Do you know what I find so poor about your views here maddog. They are based negativelly and also based around excuses.

You dont offer up solutions. Youre view is that this is how it is and then offer up no way to actual combat the actual issue.

I mean when I say we should get psychologists out of the office and onto the street helping these people. Your view is to wrongly interpret this as forcing people. I mean WTF. To then you also downplay the fact many are vets, the biggest group within the homeless. Which does not mean we should not help the rest. It means the Governement has to ensure a slow process for people to adjust to civilian life. As one of many measure to help prevent people becoming homeless. Its just one of many measures to help prevent people falling into homelessness.

Your next excuse, is that they need to help themselves, but people can only do that when they recognise they have a problem. Which many cannot and hence why society, should help them. Hence getting professsionals out onto the streets.

You then offer more excuses, that they are not the only one with problems. Yet I never claimed they are. I though look for solutions for this particular problem and so far your view to hope they recognise they have a problem and need help. Is not working, is it. You cannot simple rely on people to recognise they do need help. You have professionals reach out to them on the streets and look to help them recognise that they have problems and that these professionals are willing to help them.

So maybe in your next reply, you will actually offer up something positive and a way to help combat this actual issue.

I wish you luck on that

That is one hell of a good post. High marks for analysis and insight...it elevated the level. No disparagement to MD; he is making this an excellent debate too.

Didge, that is a lucid, well-crafted argument. Greenie fr. me.

well from previous experiences one of the issues is most of the shelters are strictly drug and alcohol free...

so as much as people say there is help it is 'help with conditions'. I think the solution is the reverse, they need shelter safety and hope, Before You can ask them to stop seeking the escape of drugs. 


in the USA vets are over represented because of mental issues caused from service (PTSD) and the fact that the US doesn't look after it's soldiers once they can't serve anymore.

Same in Britain Veya, they make a lot of fuss about how good they are in looking after Vets, but too many are slipping through the net !

A Chicago woman's act of kindness helped dozens of homeless people stay warm during this week's dangerous polar vortex.

Candice Payne charged 20 hotel rooms on her credit card, giving around 80 homeless people a warm bed to sleep on for a week.

CBS Chicago station WBBM spoke with her:



https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3201/Meet-The-Woman-Who-Rented-Hotel-Rooms-For-Chicago-039-s-Homeless

Thor wrote:

Maddog wrote:

The majority of the homeless are not veterans. About 1/4 of the homeless are.

No one has given up.  But unless you hold them against their will, they are free to decline help.  People will continue to try, and some will get help.  

People not getting the help they need isn't limited to rhe homeless either.  

But unless you are going to hold people against their will, improvement will be in part, up to them being a willing participant.

That makes them a majority compared to others, from the positions they held in society

You do realise that?

As what other groups are represented more than Vets in the homeless?

You are still not grasping the point here

So who said anything about holding people agaisnt their will?

In what part did I say about having psychologists be taken out of the office to talk and reason people to seek help. Did you take from that, homeless people should be forced?

Seriously?

I would love for you to rationalise, how from the views I made, that I at any point suggest people should be taken by force?

Again, society is failing the homeless and again a huge chunk of them are Veterans. Where clearly the system is failing to help them adjust back into society

How do you help people that refuse help?

veya_victaous wrote:well from previous experiences one of the issues is most of the shelters are strictly drug and alcohol free...

so as much as people say there is help it is 'help with conditions'. I think the solution is the reverse, they need shelter safety and hope, Before You can ask them to stop seeking the escape of drugs. 


in the USA vets are over represented because of mental issues caused from service (PTSD) and the fact that the US doesn't look after it's soldiers once they can't serve anymore.

Are you familiar with all of the programs that are available to vets?

Maddog wrote:

Thor wrote:


That makes them a majority compared to others, from the positions they held in society

You do realise that?

As what other groups are represented more than Vets in the homeless?

You are still not grasping the point here

So who said anything about holding people agaisnt their will?

In what part did I say about having psychologists be taken out of the office to talk and reason people to seek help. Did you take from that, homeless people should be forced?

Seriously?

I would love for you to rationalise, how from the views I made, that I at any point suggest people should be taken by force?

Again, society is failing the homeless and again a huge chunk of them are Veterans. Where clearly the system is failing to help them adjust back into society

How do you help people that refuse help?

Psychological help

Help that is not based on conditions or rules

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3201/Meet-The-Woman-Who-Rented-Hotel-Rooms-For-Chicago-039-s-Homeless

Let's put this succinctly. Society and individuals cant save everyone from themselves.  Society and individuals should continue to try but do so with the understanding that it won't always work.  The fact that some folks will never be saved doesn't mean that society has failed.  

The people that work to help others have to take this position or their failures will drive them crazy.  They have to understand that they are not "failing" because they cant save them all.

Thor wrote:

Maddog wrote:
How do you help people that refuse help?

Psychological help

Help that is not based on conditions or rules

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3201/Meet-The-Woman-Who-Rented-Hotel-Rooms-For-Chicago-039-s-Homeless

And when they recuse that help? 

Have you ever been around these people? 

You have a childlike approach to all if this.

Maddog wrote:Let's put this succinctly. Society and individuals cant save everyone from themselves.  Society and individuals should continue to try but do so with the understanding that it won't always work.  The fact that some folks will never be saved doesn't mean that society has failed.  

The people that work to help others have to take this position or their failures will drive them crazy.  They have to understand that they are not "failing" because they cant save them all.

So more negativity and nothing in regards to a solution for the prolems to happen and continue unabated

It means the view to hold a negative view to attempt to help people, is one born of defeatism, where collectively the US itself seeks and helps all its citizens. If it did not or the states did not, then nobody would have acces to even education or health.

What many people do is believe they can help and will help. Where if more people held this attitude and belief and stopped walking by these problems daily, actually offering to help. You may find that in fact you do solve the problem.

Hence its societies attitude, which you are proving is the problem here

Maddog wrote:

Thor wrote:

Psychological help

Help that is not based on conditions or rules

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3201/Meet-The-Woman-Who-Rented-Hotel-Rooms-For-Chicago-039-s-Homeless

And when they recuse that help? 

Have you ever been around these people? 

You have a childlike approach to all if this.

What is recuse?

How many have you approached?

How many refused this womans offer of help?

With your attitude, if this woman had the same, 80 people would have been left out in the cold

I have a positive attitude, you have quite the selfish one it seems, which is again a product of the society that you have been raised in

The problem  is your defeatest attitude, ignoring the many who will accept help. You go off some who do not want to and use this again as an excuse not to bother and try to help.

Hence society is the problem, and its you with the child mentality. Not wanting to share and help others. As parents, teachers, we teach kids to share and to help others. Why do som e of you adults lose this, whilst still teaching this to children?

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/former-white-house-chef-wins-lottery-feeds-homeless/

Thor wrote:

Maddog wrote:


And when they recuse that help? 

Have you ever been around these people? 

You have a childlike approach to all if this.

What is recuse?

How many have you approached?

How many refused this womans offer of help?

With your attitude, if this woman had the same, 80 people would have been left out in the cold

I have a positive attitude, you have quite the selfish one it seems, which is again a product of the society that you have been raised in

The problem  is your defeatest attitude, ignoring the many who will accept help. You go off some who do not want to and use this again as an excuse not to bother and try to help.

Hence society is the problem, and its you with the child mentality. Not wanting to share and help others. As parents, teachers, we teach kids to share and to help others. Why do som e of you adults lose this, whilst still teaching this to children?

*refuse*

What she is doing is keeping them alive, not curing them of what ails them.

I applaud her. That's basically what my community does with the homeless. Keep them warm and keep them fed, and try to help them, but understanding that some of them can't be helped. It doesn't mean you don't try though. When my paramedic friend picks up one and takes them to the psych ward, every effort is made to help them, but in the end, if they want to walk out of the door after 72 hours, there is nothing that can be done for most of them. They are free to do so.  

Also, in my neighborhood is a Children's hospital where medical professionals have dedicated their lives to saving sick children.

Some of those children die, in spite of all of their efforts.

Do they die because doctors have a defeatist attitude?

Thor wrote:

Maddog wrote:


And when they recuse that help? 

Have you ever been around these people? 

You have a childlike approach to all if this.

What is recuse?

How many have you approached?

How many refused this womans offer of help?

With your attitude, if this woman had the same, 80 people would have been left out in the cold

I have a positive attitude, you have quite the selfish one it seems, which is again a product of the society that you have been raised in

The problem  is your defeatest attitude, ignoring the many who will accept help. You go off some who do not want to and use this again as an excuse not to bother and try to help.

Hence society is the problem, and its you with the child mentality. Not wanting to share and help others. As parents, teachers, we teach kids to share and to help others. Why do som e of you adults lose this, whilst still teaching this to children?

And the bold print shows that you are not listening to a fucking word I wrote.

Maddog wrote:

Thor wrote:

What is recuse?

How many have you approached?

How many refused this womans offer of help?

With your attitude, if this woman had the same, 80 people would have been left out in the cold

I have a positive attitude, you have quite the selfish one it seems, which is again a product of the society that you have been raised in

The problem  is your defeatest attitude, ignoring the many who will accept help. You go off some who do not want to and use this again as an excuse not to bother and try to help.

Hence society is the problem, and its you with the child mentality. Not wanting to share and help others. As parents, teachers, we teach kids to share and to help others. Why do som e of you adults lose this, whilst still teaching this to children?

What she is doing is keeping them alive, not curing them of what ails them.

I applaud her. That's basically what my community does with the homeless. Keep them warm and keep them fed, and try to help them, but understanding that some of them can't be helped. It doesn't mean you don't try though. When my paramedic friend picks up one and takes them to the psych ward, every effort is made to help them, but in the end, if they want to walk out of the door after 72 hours, there is nothing that can be done for most of them. They are free to do so.  

Also, in my neighborhood is a Children's hospital where medical professionals have dedicated their lives to saving sick children.

Some of those children die, in spite of all of their efforts.

Do they die because doctors have a defeatist attitude?          

She is one of many people that is helping with the problem

The last point has to go down as one of your dumbest.

Do you think that because we at present cannot cure cancer we should stop searching for a cure and on many other illnesses?

Problems can be solved. Some take more time to solve. So to say that b ecause some children die, means you think I am claiming doctors are defeatest, is rank fuckwittery on your part.

Doctors will stive to all limits to save human lives. Which means also saving homeless people than end up in hospital.

So again  you look to excuses and not any solutions. 

Hence you are nothin like doctors. They dont have a defeatest attitude

You do

Hence you are offering up no viable solutions.

So for once, activate the brain you have and actually start offering up solutions and no excuses not to act, because every nation should do everything to help save lives

Which include the homeless

Maddog wrote:

Thor wrote:

What is recuse?

How many have you approached?

How many refused this womans offer of help?

With your attitude, if this woman had the same, 80 people would have been left out in the cold

I have a positive attitude, you have quite the selfish one it seems, which is again a product of the society that you have been raised in

The problem  is your defeatest attitude, ignoring the many who will accept help. You go off some who do not want to and use this again as an excuse not to bother and try to help.

Hence society is the problem, and its you with the child mentality. Not wanting to share and help others. As parents, teachers, we teach kids to share and to help others. Why do som e of you adults lose this, whilst still teaching this to children?

And the bold print shows that you are not listening to a fucking word I wrote.

Well when most of it has been based on excuses, I tend not to listen to people that offer up nothing positive, only negative

So your community is only partially helping a problem, its not looking to solve the problem

Start speaking sense, then  I might start listening to you. As i really have little time for people who quit at the first hurdle

Good luck with that