Identified! MI - Detroit, body found frozen in elevator shaft, Jan'09 - Johnnie Redding

hoppyfrog

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http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090129/METRO08/901290400

29 Jan 09

This city has not always been a gentle place, but a series of events over the past few, frigid days causes one to wonder how cold the collective heart has grown.

It starts with a phone call made by a man who said his friend found a dead body in the elevator shaft of an abandoned building on the city's west side.

"He's encased in ice, except his legs, which are sticking out like Popsicle sticks," the caller phoned to tell this reporter.

"Why didn't your friend call the police?"

"He was trespassing and didn't want to get in trouble," the caller replied. As it happens, the caller's friend is an urban explorer who gets thrills rummaging through and photographing the ruins of Detroit. It turns out that this explorer last week was playing hockey with a group of other explorers on the frozen waters that had collected in the basement of the building. None of the men called the police, the explorer said. They, in fact, continued their hockey game.

Before calling the police, this reporter went to check on the tip, skeptical of a hoax. Sure enough, in the well of the cargo elevator, two feet jutted out above the ice. Closer inspection revealed that the rest of the body was encased in 2-3 feet of ice, the body prostrate, suspended into the ice like a porpoising walrus.

much, much more (and pics!) at link
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I've seen the homeless shelter here in my town and have to agree with the homeless guy. I'd rather live 20 feet from a frozen corpse than with the dangerous crack heads at the homeless shelter.

We sure have become desensitized nowdays, or is it a heightened sense of self preservation? Would I report it, if I knew I'd go to jail for being there to begin with? Would I report it, if I were homeless and that were my only place to live - risking being evicted?

Ice skating around him is a bit callous, I must say.
 
Yeah I've seen some of the websites from these abandoned places spelunkers so I kinda understand why he didn't turn it in. Anyway they explore abandoned buildings, mental hospitals, underground tunnels. I think it is called "Urban Exploration". This site gives an idea of what they do. http://www.forbidden-places.net/explo1.php

I do feel sorry for the homeless guy though, if nobody would have been there he might've been unfound for years if ever.
 
I live in the Metro Detroit area. The homeless have their reasons for not reporting it. While I don't agree with those reasons I can understand them.

My complaint is with the 911 operators and the delay in response from LE and/or the fire department.

Sure the man was already dead but, which has been their reasoning for not coming out sooner, but what about an investigation? This was somebodies relative, a human being, shouldn't they have responded when they received the FIRST call? OH, wait the first 911 operator didn't know where the body was located. The caller was reporter, he knows the area I'm quite sure he told them the name of the building as well as the location. This is not some obscure back ally building it is a huge building that has been there for years, next to the old train depot that was once being considered for renovations to become the police headquarters.

Three phone calls later and 24 hours later they finally go out on the call. There is no excuse for not investigating this sooner.
 
I've seen the homeless shelter here in my town and have to agree with the homeless guy. I'd rather live 20 feet from a frozen corpse than with the dangerous crack heads at the homeless shelter.

We sure have become desensitized nowdays, or is it a heightened sense of self preservation? Would I report it, if I knew I'd go to jail for being there to begin with? Would I report it, if I were homeless and that were my only place to live - risking being evicted?

Ice skating around him is a bit callous, I must say.


I think it's both. Desensitization as well as a heightened sense of self preservation. 1 in 50 are homeless, that's a lot of people. They do what they have to do. And as the guy said, you need a quarter and even then it took the reporter (!!) three times to get anyone to even take a look. The men around the area might have known they'd not get a response--experience and all of that.
 
This story made me feel sick to my stomach......I made the mistake of looking at the picture, and it just made me ill.....so sad that someone may have been murdered or just some homeless guy was forgotten about long enough to freeze in the ice, and then on top of that, to have people playing ice hockey around him! omg, I cant even comprehend this story......I think this one creeps me out more than the lady that was living with all her dead siblings!
 
Yeah I've seen some of the websites from these abandoned places spelunkers so I kinda understand why he didn't turn it in. Anyway they explore abandoned buildings, mental hospitals, underground tunnels. I think it is called "Urban Exploration". This site gives an idea of what they do. http://www.forbidden-places.net/explo1.php

I do feel sorry for the homeless guy though, if nobody would have been there he might've been unfound for years if ever.

They do some excellent photography in preserving a lot of abandoned places through photography.

If the urban explorer or his "friend" didn't call it in, Lord knows when and who would have called it in..
 
I think it was disrespectful to continue with the hockey game. Someone could have called it in anonymously. It was also disrespectful to print a picture of the poor guy.
 
Lizzybeth did you read the article? I only ask because you suggested that someone should have called it in anonymously. The reporter did call it in, THREE times.
Everything I have read states that the homeless guys had their reasons for not calling it in, self-preservation basically.
This unknown person has been disrespected in many ways, and maybe the photo is disrespectful, but I think that photo was taken to make a point and to bring much needed attention to the issues at hand.
 
MissieMt, I did read the article. I guess my statement was aimed at the hockey players who didn't want to report it because they weren't supposed to be there. Their hockey game was more important. I can understand why some of the homeless might not report it.
 
I'm sorry I misread your statement lizzybeth. I agree that the hockey playing was downright heartless.
 
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090129/METRO08/901290400

picture at link, snippet below
DETROIT -- This city has not always been a gentle place, but a series of events over the past few, frigid days causes one to wonder how cold the collective heart has grown.

It starts with a phone call made by a man who said his friend found a dead body in the elevator shaft of an abandoned building on the city's west side.

"He's encased in ice, except his legs, which are sticking out like Popsicle sticks," the caller phoned to tell this reporter.

:eek:
 

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A testiment to the indifference of the human heart to the misfortune of their fellow human beings - they played while he lay there for a month - the cops could have cared less. Thankfully, there are people like Charlie LeDuff of the The Detroit News who take the time to care.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090128/METRO08/901280491/1439/METRO08

I believe what we are seeing here are the first stages of the collapse of civilization as we know it.
 
"He chose the life for whatever reason," Redding said. "But he wasn't homeless. Please don't call him homeless. He always had a place to go. He was loved."

I'm so grateful Johnnie's brother said this. So many times when you look at people living on the street you forget that there probably is someone out there that loves them and worries about their safety.

RIP Johnnie.
 
I just don't understand...

How could someone not report seeing this man.

Rest in peace Johnnie.
 

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