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Someone called the police on a 'homeless man with a baby.' Turns out he's just a very tired dad.

The father of four is using it as a teachable moment.

Photo credit: Canva

Police called after dad is mistaken for a homeless man.

When you're in the throes of parenting a newborn, there's not much room for glamour. You spend your days exhausted and looking like a haphazardly thrown together preschool art project because your nights are filled with feedings and diaper changes. Being able to take a shower feels like a spa day, especially if you have other small children who need your attention. A California dad of four knows this dance of exhaustion all too well, but he never expected that looking like a tired parent would result in having the police called on him.

That's right, someone called the police on him for looking as if he rolled out of bed and grabbed the closet clothes he could find. Chapman Hamborg was taking his newborn for a walk when one of his neighbors called the police on him reporting that he was a homeless man that had stolen a baby. The dad recorded the unbelievable interaction with the police who thought they had a kidnapping situation on their hands only to find out it was all a misunderstanding.

Hamborg uploaded the video to his social media platform where it has been viewed over 50 million times. In the video, you see the exhausted dad trying to laugh off the situation as he explains to his wife, "Someone called the cops on me thinking that I was homeless with a baby, so the cop needs to see my ID." His wife, who can be heard in the background, is in disbelief.

The caption of the video explains what happened in greater detail, reading, "I take our newborn daughter for walks around our neighborhood while wearing her in the baby carrier multiple times a day. I am surprised all of my neighbors haven’t seen me and recognize me by now. Well this lady thought I was homeless and had a (stollen?!) baby and she was concerned enough to call the police, and get in her car and follow me home. Apparently I need to work on my appearance—I guess being an artist or a tired dad isn’t a valid excuse."

Since it was clearly a mistake, the police seem to apologize and leave Hamborg to continue caring for his newborn. People who viewed his video could relate to his exhausted look while others were confused on how the woman followed him to his home but still thought he was homeless.

"Honestly we all look homeless with a newborn, it’s called exhaustion." one person writes.

"She clearly doesn’t understand homelessness if she followed you home," another says.

"Since when is being homeless with a baby a crime? Homeless people have children," someone else points out.

homelessness; homeless; dad; homeless dad; neighbor calls police; parenting; new parentsHome Equality GIF by INTO ACTIONGiphy

Instead of getting upset or letting the incident go as an innocent mistake, the artist is using it as a teachable moment for others. The art studio owner already had a picture he painted of him wearing one of his other children when they were an infant. That sparked the idea to use the painting titled Unseen Path to help the homeless.

Hamborg contacted the United Way of Orange County and is working with them to sell prints of his painting with 20 percent of the proceeds going to helping the homeless. They both hope to address the misconception of who experiences homelessness. The United Way pointed out to NBCLA that 371 families contacted them due to either already experiencing homelessness or being imminently at risk of being homeless. The dad wants to teach his children how to be compassionate towards homeless people and one day hopes to meet the neighbor who called the police to thank her for being vigilant.

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Judge determined to help homeless defendant reach family after finding out he's a lawyer

"I was an attorney for 15 years."

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Judge realizes homeless defendant is a lawyer, works to reunite him with family

There are often sayings about how close average people in America are to becoming homeless. Many Americans are a brief layoff away from being homeless as savings accounts are depleted with inflation. So it's not always surprising when someone ends up without a home and with people living further away from their parents or extended family, help isn't aways just down the road.

One man found himself standing in front of a judge with a court appointed attorney to plead his case. The defendant was arrested after allegedly throwing something through a store window in retaliation for a verbal altercation he had with the owner. Mr. Lane is currently homeless living in Houston, Texas, appearing in court with an acquaintance who was arrested alongside Lane.

It didn't take long to discover that Lane didn't fit the stereotypical image of a homeless person that many people might imagine upon hearing the word. Before Judge David Fleischer addresses the man, he is intently studying the paperwork in front of his lawyer. Upon hearing what the two defendants are charged with, Fleisher asks, "what are you doing with yourself these days Mr. Lane?"

All Rise Nbc GIF by Law & OrderGiphy

The man's response stuns the judge and likely everyone else in the courtroom, "presently? I'm not doing anything, I'm unemployed. I was an attorney for 15 years in Chicago, Illinois and I moved here in July, late June."

Lane admits that he is unaware if his license has officially expired in Illinois, but before moving to Texas he was a practicing attorney. The judge is visibly shocked by this revelation, wondering aloud how a lawyer from Chicago becomes homeless in Houston. In reality, homelessness can happen to just about anyone in America without adequate savings and family support.

Home Equality GIF by INTO ACTIONGiphy

Homelessness has reached a record high, increasing 18% from 2023-2024 with 34% of the homeless population being families with children. But of all the over 700k homeless individuals, 69% of them are men. People who couch surf, reside in homeless shelters or sleep in their cars are all considered to be homeless, and moving to a new state makes some people more vulnerable to the risk of homelessness.

Relocating is expensive which can deplete savings. Oftentimes people relocate for employment or better opportunities, but jobs can fall through and opportunities may be harder to come by than originally thought. This reality can cause many people to rely on whatever they have left in savings to make ends meet. In Lane's case, he claims to have relocated at the behest of his extended family members but once arriving to Houston he became overwhelmed with the process of getting his Texas bar license.

Angry Dick Wolf GIF by Wolf EntertainmentGiphy

"I love being a lawyer," Lane exclaims before answering the judges next question. "In order to practice here, which is my my new home, it would've been a process of I think taking a bar...three days you guys have. Yeah, and uh...I had some other things going on in my life that producing..." he says before being cut off.

As Lane continues talking Judge Fleischer finds out the man comes from a family of lawyers. His parents and younger sister are lawyers in San Fransisco and it sounds as if his older brother is also in the legal field but he has not informed them of his predicament. It's then that the judge becomes determined to get the man in contact with his family members so he can get help to get back on his feet.


"Here's the problem Mr. Lane, it's that we gave you a free bond, you picked up a new case and the last thing I want is to just let you go and you're going to be roaming the streets of Houston. It's just not a good place to roam and if you've got nowhere to go, you've got nothing to do, it could be a recipe for trouble and that's why I want to let you out but not just to the street. If you have a place to go to, if you have family, if someone's willing to take you in, then we can work something but for you to just be let out on the street," Judge Fleischer shrugs.

Instead of just handing down a sentence, Fleischer goes back and forth between Lane and his lawyer to find a way to attach release to contacting family support. Lane, who is clearly well versed in courtroom proceedings is not opposed to having the lawyer contact his family.

In the end, it was decided by all three men that Lane's lawyer would reach out to family members as a condition to be released. Hopefully contacting family helps the man start moving back towards a more positive direction. We never find out why he didn't return home after realizing he was not going to be successful in Texas but thanks to Judge Fleischer, Lane has a second chance.

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Joy

A homeless man asked a college student for some tea, and a deluge of kindness followed

The unlikely pair spent the day getting to know each other, and now thousands of strangers are invested in Unc's well-being.

Sanai Graden/GoFundMe

Neither Sanai Graden nor her "Unc" knew what their meeting in a parking lot would lead to.

Every once in a while, a story of two strangers turns into a shared connection that touches millions. This is one of them. Sanai Graden is a 21-year-old college student living in Washington, D.C., who likes to vlog on TikTok while she does everyday things. As she was heading to the grocery store on a random day at the end of January 2024, she turned on her camera, and soon after, a man approached and asked her if she could help him get some hot tea.

Not money. Not even food. Just some simple, hot tea. Graden told the man she was going to Trader Joe's and he could go along with her and they could stop at Starbucks. As they walked and chatted, Graden learned the man was homeless, had no family and was suffering from prostate cancer. He has just gotten insurance, but it wouldn't kick in for 45 days and he needed a prescription filled.

Over the next four to five hours, Graden got him some tea, helped him get his prescription filled so he could get some relief from his pain and put him up in a hotel room for the night. By the end of the day, she was calling him "Unc," and he was calling her his "angel."

She left him with some cash and her phone number and then posted this video:

@hustlanani

Please help me help him !

At the end, she said she wanted to start a GoFundMe for Unc (whose real name is Alonzo), and she did just that.

"I'm just a college student, there's only so much I can do," she shared in another TIkTok. "I did the best I could. But that man, he was literally suffering, and it broke my heart…He was so kind…I just wanted to help him."

Her initial video started going viral—it currently has over 20 million views—and people started donated to the GoFundMe. When it reached $12,000 in a matter of hours, she called her parents to tell them about it. They told her she was exactly the right person to be helping this man because she will make sure the money is used to get him what he needs.

@hustlanani

Replying to @The JasmynYvette Thank you so much eve

Little did she know that that $12,000 would soon rise to $20,000, and then to $50,000, then $100,000 and more. As of the writing of this article, two days after the GoFundMe went up, it has jumped the $300,000 mark.

At this point, so many people are invested in Unc's well-being. Upwards of 20,000 people have donated, and the number just keeps rising. As one commenter put it, "He's everyone's Unc now."

Graden went to tell him the good news the next morning when the GoFundMe was around $150,000, but when she arrived at the hotel, he had already checked out. She searched everywhere she thought he might be, even renting a car to cover more ground more quickly, but she wasn't able to find him.

Finally, she shared a brief voice message he left for her that started, "Hey, Niece! It's your uncle," and ended with "I love you!" but he neglected to tell her where he was. After she looked around some more, he called again and and told her he was at church. She told him to wait right there.

She found him in front of a church and invited him to go get something to eat. She said she wanted to talk to him in private, but he was waiting with his aunt and couldn't leave just yet. Finally, she was able to sit with him in her car and tell him about what thousands of people were doing to help him live comfortably and more easily manage his cancer.

She had to convince him the money was his, not theirs together. He also said he hadn't finished writing her a letter he'd started.

@hustlanani

I know you’ve all been waiting on his reaction. I just made it home. Please enjoy it. Thank you everyone for coming together. This would not have been possible without the endless support. This is just the beginning of something great. I’m enternally grateful. God did that !!!

The first thing Graden did was take Alonzo to Target to get him his own phone and some new clothes of his choosing. He even had a little laugh with Graden when she asked him if he wanted to get some floss, forgetting that he doesn't have any teeth.

This story is still developing and there are obviously a lot of complex details to work out as they get Alonzo settled with however much money the GoFundMe ultimately raises. No one wants Alonzo to lose his health benefits, and there are various financial as well as mental and emotional elements to consider as they move forward. But the power of the kindness of strangers to change someone's circumstances, starting with just one caring soul, is certainly worth celebrating.

Follow @hustlanani on TikTok for updates on Unc.


This article originally appeared last year.

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What's accepted now but will be embarrassing in the future? Our readers shared 21 things.

Today's trend is tomorrow's cringe.

via Atypeek Dgn/Pexels, Kevin Bidwell/Pexels, Teknorat/Flickr

What's accepted now but will be embarrassing in the future?

We can all be sure that as society evolves, many things that seem normal today will be cringeworthy to people in the future, whether it’s our fashion, politics, civility, or how we treat the environment.

If we look back just 30 years ago, same-sex marriage was illegal, people routinely smoked in bars and restaurants and it was fashionable to wear platform sneakers.

So, when we look back on the world of 2024, there are bound to be many things that we’ll be embarrassed about in 30 years, especially when we are forced to live with the repercussions of the decisions we make today. On a lighter note, we’ll all also have clouds full of photos of ourselves wearing hairstyles and clothes that look utterly ridiculous in hindsight.

We asked the Upworthy community to share their thoughts by asking a big question on Facebook: "What's something that's accepted now that we'll be embarrassed about in the future?" Our readers responded with funny takes on current fashion and concerns about technology use and how we treat our fellow human beings.

Here are 21 things we accept today that we’ll probably be embarrassed about in the future.

More than a few current fashion trends will look silly in the coming years.


"Yoga pants. I love them to death, but I can easily see them as the parachute pants of tomorrow." — Deborah

"Barn doors in your house." — Joyce

"Tattoos all over the body." — Vicki

"People wearing socks and sandals." — Jeremy

"Wearing pajamas in public." — Ivy

"Huge, over-sized false eyelashes." — Patricia

Hopefully, people in the future will be more considerate when using technology than we are today.



"Walking around with your eyes locked on your phone. Or eating at a table with 4 people looking at their phone. One day, we will either fall off a cliff or realize life is what is happening off the screen." — Elise.

"Texting in the presence of another person." — Kate

We can also hope that in the near future, we will be able to solve many of today’s pressing public policy issues so that the next generation will live happier and healthier lives.



"Lack of healthcare for everyone." — Sharon

"Making the planet unlivable for human beings." — Karen

"Spending hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer's money to build a sports arena for a billionaire. Then charging the taxpayers outrageous amounts to attend events there." — Stacy

"How the US is systematically clawing back women's rights to decide what they do with their bodies. It's beyond shameful." — Jason.

"Allowing guns everywhere." — Amy

"That we drive fossil fuel-powered vehicles." — Heidi

Some people are concerned about the way students and their parents behave in modern-day America.



"Parents trying to run schools: yelling at teachers for their child’s poor performance, yelling at principals when their child gets in trouble, book banning based on an individual’s religious ideologies, etc." — Beth.

"Entitled children talking back to their parents and teachers." — Connie

"Cry rooms at universities where students can go and work out their anxiety and cry and be upset if their professor uses words that are too difficult for them. Universities are institutes of higher learning, not institutes of babysitting. That will be an embarrassment in the future, as it is an embarrassment to me and many others now." — Della

In 30 years, we may be embarrassed to look back on the level of general civility in 2024.



"Panic buying of toilet paper during the pandemic." — Tony

"Ageism. It’s everywhere, all the time, and no one seems to mind. No one is defined by the amount of time they’ve spent on the planet but it’s used as an identity and as a weapon (ask any teenager, 40-year-old woman, or retiree…). I can only hope that one day it will be a source of embarrassment that we were all so dismissive and judgmental." — Rosy.

"Human beings living on the street." — Andrea

"Torturous killing of animals for food." — Mae

While this list may seem like a litany of complaints people have about living in the modern world, it should give people hope. If we’ve overcome past embarrassments, today’s can be fixed as well.


This article originally appeared last year.

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