Metro Observer
February 13, 2015

DETROIT — Hundreds of people have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to help a Detroit man who says he typically walks 21 miles to get to and from work.

The Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/1yujefU ) reports that James Robertson rides buses part of the way to and from his factory job in suburban Rochester Hills, but because they don't cover the whole route, he ends up walking about 8 miles before his shift starts at 2 p.m. and 13 more when it's over at 10. Lately, he's been getting occasional rides from a banker who passed him walking every day and finally asked what he was doing.

After the newspaper wrote about the 56-year-old's situation over the weekend, multiple people started crowdfunding efforts to help him buy a car and pay for insurance. Some have offered to drive him for free and others have offered to buy or give him cars.

Robertson began making the daily trek to the factory where he molds parts after his car stopped working ten years ago and bus service was cut back. He's had perfect attendance for more than 12 years.

"I set our attendance standard by this man," said Todd Wilson, plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering. "I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I'll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can't get here - bull!"

Evan Leedy, a 19-year-old student at Wayne State University, read the story and started a GoFundMe site with the goal of raising $5,000. As of Monday evening, he had raised more than $90,000.

Robertson said he was flattered by the attention and amazed strangers would step in to help.

Asked about a federal program newly available through Detroit's bus system that might pick him up at home and drop him off at his job, Robertson said, "I'd rather they spent that money on a 24-hour bus system, not on some little bus for me. This city needs buses going 24/7. You can tell the City Council and mayor I said that."

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Or they could have bought him a god damn $200 bicycle.

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-- source

Considerably harder to muster self-congratulations over a used bike.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

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I like the story. Here is a guy who really wants to work & is willing to walk 21 miles each day to & from work. I'm making a donation to this guy today. Good things should come to people like this. Stories like this restore my faith in humanity.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

And you don't collect a percentage of what is crowd funded either.

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crowd-funded potato salad:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/32 ... tato-salad

Yup, one of the good ones.

Story reminds me of this kid. Wonder how this all shook out in the end:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1273751

up to $230K now:

http://www.gofundme.com/l7girc

And you are one of the douchebags.

Congrats.

You can get him a car and pay for his insurance. That's nice. But he's gonna have to pay for the gas. He travels quite the distance to get to his job. So he's gonna spend $200-300 a month in gas.

I think it's safe to assume the guy could get a car if he wanted one. Sounds like he doesn't because of gas and maintenance expenses.

Man goes to work, good for him.

How bad the tax gonna be?

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Elections have consequences.

there is so much money out there if youre willing to pull wool over people eyes.... 10 years without a car? and he never missed a day of work? doesnt that say something really shitty about the employer (who just happens to praise the guy of course)

i would have started a petition instead of a crowd fund. GET THIS MAN A RAISE you corporate dbags

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

Definitely.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

I'll need him to take a drug test before I donate.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Yawn

You look purty with your mouth open like that.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Is there a reason you decided to prune my post in this bigfan, or was this just collateral damage fron me calling your out your whole foods ex gf story as bullshit?

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I'm sure James Robertson's colleagues are a big fan of James Robertson.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Todd Wilson sounds like a total asshole.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

woosh

$200,000 the crowd fund site takes around 1%.
So he gets around 180,000
figure 20,000 for a car. He is going to wind up either dead by party or gang,its Detroit people.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

#Truth

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This story made the WGN news tonight. This guy has been doing this for 30 years. 30 YEARS!

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

About fucking time Ford stepped up and did something.Ffs, it was a ready made story for those douches. Hope he gets every penny of the money too.


DETROIT — After years of huffin' and puffin', logging 21 miles by foot to get to and from work, James Robertson can breathe a sigh of relief.

He's getting a car: a shiny red, 2015 Ford Taurus. And it's loaded.

New wheels aside, he's also getting a new nickname.

Robertson is ABC's "Person of the Week." The 56-year-old factory worker will be featured Friday on World News Tonight, along with a college student who has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars on his behalf, and the man who discovered his story.

"I think it's a great story. And I think it's kind of cool that someone else is telling it for me," said Pollock, an investment manager of UBS in Troy who spent months telling friends and colleagues about Robertson, but no one would believe him.

Now, Robertson's story is known worldwide.

"I've never picked up a hitchhiker in my life," Pollock said. "I don't really think I did anything all that amazing. I was curious."

And his curiosity paid off.

After Robertson's story about his 21-mile daily walk to and from work appeared in the Free Press on Sunday, a tsunami of support poured in.

Leedy started a GoFundMe drive for Robertson that has raised $300,000-plus from more than 11,400 donors in four days.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

This story has had a huge amount of play, particularly in the conservative media. White, middle-aged office drones who just want government out of their lives seem to identify this fellow's particular brand of heroism with their own. Interesting,

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Soccer 1,2,3
Spanish Honor Society 1,2,3,4
Forensics 1,2,3,4

"Smiles with Nostrils"

"...no Hmong, go find some blacks"

I work and need a car too. Donations. Great story. He is one of millions that walk/hike to work. Beat feet.

his story is actually tragic. you work at a place for 30 years, with PERFECT attendance, and youre still at 10.50 an hour? either he is disabled mentally and the company is taking advantage of him or he is disabled mentally and the company is taking advantage of him. its the prime example of why we do need strong unions in this country. this is what you call a free market failure. this is what happens when the minimum wage stays stagnant.

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.