Homeless man returns 3,300 USD in cash to owner

[Bateluer]

http://www.ktar.com/category/local-news-articles/20101117/Homeless-man-returns-$3,300-in-cash/

It appears that common courtesy and decency have a place in difficult times like these.

According to the Arizona Republic, a Tempe homeless man found a backpack at a light rail station. Containing $3,300 in cash, Dave Talley resisted the temptation to keep it for himself.

There are countless things a man like Talley could have done with the money. A recovering drug addict, Talley lives in a system of rotating shelters run by an advocacy group called the Tempe Community Action Agency. He's now trying to get back on his feet, juggling volunteer work at the agency with part-time work at a local small business.

That weekend, his bicycle - his only mode of transportation - needed to be fixed. He was spending most of his meager paycheck to have it fixed, and he started fantasizing about using the money toward bike repairs, pocketing most of the money and keeping his paycheck.

So, Talley's conscious convinced him to call TCAA employee Sam Summer, who told him to bring the backpack to the agency's office.

A search for its owner turned up ASU student Bryan Belanger.

"It's humbling and it puts things into perspective," Belanger said of Talley's decision. "From his point of view, he could've taken care of himself by paying for rent or something with that money."

Kudos to him, what who walks around with 3,300 dollars in cash in a back pack? Wonder if he was on his way to a drug deal. Or from one?

 

[Patranus]

I hope someone steps up and gives that guys a huge reward.

 

[tRaptor]

Thats a nice man, I'm sure that plenty of people with jobs wouldn't have done that same!

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Um suspicious. 3300 in a bag and the dude even forgot about it?

 

[Riceninja]

Kudos to him, what who walks around with 3,300 dollars in cash in a back pack? Wonder if he was on his way to a drug deal. Or from one?

a student, no less. in arizona state.

 

[rockyct]

a student, no less. in arizona state.

Yeah...and obviously the guy dropped it in an area where homeless men are around.

 

[SKORPI0]

Um suspicious. 3300 in a bag and the dude even forgot about it?

Probably a drop in exchange for drugs/weapons and the homeless guy interrupted the pickup. Anyway kudos for him in not keeping the backpack with a laptop and $3,300 in cash. :awe: ASU, my niece is taking her masters there.

http://www.kpho.com/news/25831908/detail.html

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State University student Bryan Belanger lost his backpack at a light rail station near campus a few weeks ago. Dave Tally found it. When the Tempe man looked inside, he discovered a laptop computer and an envelope with about $3,300 in cash.Rather than keep it, the homeless man, who works part time, showed the computer to his boss who found a flash drive in it containing the owner's resume. They phoned Belanger and returned the backpack with all of the cash.Wednesday afternoon, Belanger met the man who found his money. He said he's still "completely overwhelmed." Tally admitted, "I could have done a lot of things with the money, but none of them would've been right." "I was happy I was able to find it for him and turn it into him," he added. "It's humbling and it puts things into perspective," Belanger said of Talley's decision.The 21-year old ASU student said he gave Tally a reward but did not want to reveal exactly how much. He said he was carrying a large amount of cash because he was planning to buy a car the afternoon he lost his backpack.

 

[Bateluer]

Yeah...and obviously the guy dropped it in an area where homeless men are around.

Homeless people will buy a single light rail ticket and spend the whole day on the light rail. AC.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Probably a drop in exchange for drugs/weapons and the homeless guy interrupted the pickup. Anyway kudos for him in not keeping the backpack with a laptop and $3,300 in cash. :awe: ASU, my niece is taking her masters there.

I would of kept it

 

[DangerAardvark]

So, Talley's conscious convinced him to call TCAA employee Sam Summer

Wow. Good thing that guy wasn't unconscious.

 

[Lifted]

How could anyone be surprised by this? If he had a brain he wouldn't be a living in shelters riding a bicycle to work.

 

[dguy6789]

How could anyone be surprised by this? If he had a brain he wouldn't be a living in shelters riding a bicycle to work.

I bet you think you're better than a lot of people don't you?

 

[Lifted]

I bet you think you're better than a lot of people don't you?

With millions of thieves, murderers, and rapists in the world, I don't just think I am, I know it. ()

 

[rcpratt]

Normally I would return someone's things/money, but $3300 in a backpack...nothing good is going to come of that money.

 

[Whisper]

With millions of thieves, murderers, and rapists in the world, I don't just think I am, I know it. ()

Yet when the man in the OP resists being a thief and instead returns the money, you say he doesn't have a brain...?

 

[alkemyst]

Kudos to him, what who walks around with 3,300 dollars in cash in a back pack? Wonder if he was on his way to a drug deal. Or from one?

Here in South Florida spend time at a WAMU/Chase branch...a lot of people walk up and count out thousands in cash.

When I went to a metal recyclers they had some of the more impressive cashier protection, they were paying out thousands in cash to dudes pulling up in flatbeds full of waterheaters, cat. convertors, piping, shutters, etc.

They say the average guatamalean down here has his entire savings on him if he is out. They don't believe in banks and don't feel safe leaving money at home which is usually shared with several other families.

 

[alkemyst]

How could anyone be surprised by this? If he had a brain he wouldn't be a living in shelters riding a bicycle to work.

You may want to take a gander at cnn.com a bit.

He have homeless Ph.D's in America now.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

I would of kept it

Would have dumbass

 

[Train]

How could anyone be surprised by this? If he had a brain he wouldn't be a living in shelters riding a bicycle to work.

That's dumb. Some of the smartest people in the world have ruined their lives with drugs and ended up far worse than the guy in the article.

 

[DrunkenSano]

Props to the homeless guy for returning it. I'm not sure if I would've been morally strong enough to return the money if placed in the same situation.

 

[hanoverphist]

Would have, dumbass.

ftfy

 

[SlitheryDee]

That's incredible. I know I wouldn't have done what he did were I in his situation.

 

[oddyager]

How could anyone be surprised by this? If he had a brain he wouldn't be a living in shelters riding a bicycle to work.

Do you know this person? Must be easy to make blind assumptions about people when your nose is that far up in the air.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Out of curiosity, how does the media get a hold of a story like this? Seems like the kind of thing that would involve a quick exchange between the two men, how would they even find out?

 

[invidia]

When you bust your ass to get back up to the top, you'll appreciate it a whole lot more than having it handed to you. Even though it wasn't physically handed to him.