Austin’s Panhandlers - A Profile in Courage
By Editor | September 5, 2007
Austin, TX — If you live or work near downtown Austin, you’ve certainly seen them before. Almost everywhere you go, panhandlers adorn the offramps and intersections of Austin’s highways and byways.
They have become such a common site, in fact, that many people don’t stop to consider the dangers these men and women face on a daily basis. As such, certain acts of courage and uncommon valor go unnoticed by the public at large — courageous acts that could offer us inspiration and hope, if only we knew about them.
This is a story of one such act of courage.
This is the story of Michael Pruitt, a panhandler who commonly works the I-35 offramp intersections in and around Austin. On September 3, 2007 — as many Austinites celebrated Labor Day out on the lake or in their backyards — Michael Pruitt was busy working his intersection, dutifully marching along the idle cars with an “Anything Helps” cardboard sign in his hands.
At around noon, one of Pruitt’s colleagues, Jimmy Longshoe, joined Pruitt at the intersection. The two men often worked together during the hot Austin summers, taking turns holding the sign while the other rested in some nearby shade.
But this past Monday would prove to be unlike any other day the men had shared in the past. It all began as Pruitt was handing the sign off to Longshoe.
“I had just finished a 30-minute shift,” Pruitt explained. “And Jimmy was coming on so I could rest. I handed him the sign and said ‘good luck brother,’ then I started to walk toward the rest area.”
And that’s when the unthinkable happened.
A careless motorist, busy gabbing on a cell phone and turning a radio dial, had rolled his window down and flicked a lit cigarette butt over his shoulder — in the exact direction of Jimmy Longshoe.
“I saw it happen,” said Pruitt. “It was like slow motion or something. Before I could even shout a warning, this guy flicks his butt over his shoulder and it heads straight for Jimmy.”
What Pruitt did next is the stuff of vagrant legend and lore. With no concern for his own safety, Pruitt took a couple of lunging steps forward and then dove through the air to block the cigarette butt from hitting his friend.
“I didn’t even think about it,” said Pruitt. “Sometimes you just have to act, and this was one of those times. Hell, if I’d thought twice about it, I might not have done it,” he added with a chuckle.
As quickly as it had begun, the danger had passed. Pruitt lay on the gravelly roadside with an aching hip and a distinct cigarette burn on his neck — mere inches below his face. Michael Pruitt, common panhandler, had thrown himself in front of an airborne cigarette butt to protect his dear friend.
Longshoe was moved to tears as he expressed his thanks to an Austin Probe reporter:
“He’s a hero,” said Longshoe. “This could have ended so much worse than it did. Much, much worse. I still remember the Roscoe Peters incident of 1978, when a man’s entire head went up in flames. A cigarette butt, a greasy pompadour hairdo, and a heap of bad luck put old Roscoe in the hospital for two months. I got Michael Pruitt to thank for that not happening to me.”
Sound Off, Austin
Do you have a story of uncommon valor and selfless courage involving one of Austin’s panhandlers? The Austin Probe wants to hear from you, as do our readers! Share your story via the “Comments” box below.
Topics: Austin News |