But Paler Lin had a hidden agenda. He wanted to see what the man, named Thomas, would do with the cash. Certainly he isn’t the only one to wonder if homeless people mostly spend their money on booze, cigarettes, drugs, etc.
Paler Lin’s camera guy follows Thomas as he leaves his begging spot and — sure enough — walks straight into a liquor store.
When he comes out holding a couple of large black bags, Thomas does seem to have lived up to the stereotype.
But as Paler Lin and his cohort follow the man into a park, they witness something astonishing. Take a look:
Of course, the video could be a set up — the whole plotline is almost too perfect. The way he is mostly concerned about feeding his fellow homeless? The way he doesn’t even know them?
Others would say it’s pretty low to follow the guy around. It was his money to do what he pleased with it. And what if he had bought liquor? Might this not stop others from giving? Would he have put that on YouTube as well?
But! Whether or not the video was 100 percent spontaneous, the homeless guy does appear to be very real, and Paler Lin has set up an online fund for him, which has already raised $21,000, more than double its goal.