Cloquet teen lost his way home

Jamie R.
Cloquet, MN     02/09/2010 1:37 PM

It's sad to see homeless people. However, anyone can better themselves if they really want too. You can only help someone if they want to be helped. It sounds to me that this young boy doesn't really want to be helped. He wants to live free and have no rules and have no responsibilities. He doesn't want to work and grow up like the rest of us have to do to get the things we want in life. Anyone can get a job. It may not be top pay or your dream job, but if you want things in life then you need to work for it. Some harder then others. Good luck to this young man and his family, I hope all can work out.

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Joshua H.
Rochester, MN     02/09/2010 3:56 AM

Poor article, what was the purpose?? This kid seems like a monster, It does not make me feel sorry for him or homeless in general. If I were his parents it would be awful but, I would not feel safe knowing he is even alive. My opinion bad article, bad kid, bad situation. Hopefully he does get mugged, or arrested that might be news worthy

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j l.
Cloquet, MN     02/08/2010 2:12 PM

I think his parnets gave up on him and he's given up on himself, i'll also blame the medical insurance companies for this one. Mental illness is hard to deal with but it's hard for eveyone the victim, and the perpatrator. I understand where he's coming from but this could've been stopped on so many levels a while ago. Nobody needs to be saved they just need to find something worth living for.

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R S.
Cloquet, MN     02/08/2010 11:41 AM

You know, this kid willingly admitted he didn't want to clean up and stop doing drugs or destructive things, so it's his own fault he's homeless. As for thinking anyone who is a member, a productive member, of society as "insane"...well I guess those of us who are "insane" prefer to eat food that wasn't pulled out of a dumpster. He sleeps in a tunnel because he's too lazy to quit doing drugs and get a job, and he's calling US lazy? Yeah, this article didn't make me feel one iota of pity for him or anyone else out there who's willingly living on the streets instead of growing up and becoming a contributing member of the real world.

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Lynnie R.
Sheboygan, WI     02/07/2010 1:34 PM

There has to be compromise from both sides before changes can have any effect. As a homeless teen growing up in Duluth and Cloquet, there were many who offered help, but few who could accept my inability to conform to social structures and my fear of confinement. Zachary is beginning to understand the prison of hopelessness, a far worse situation than being without a home. If offered education within an area he values, not only will he excel as a member of the community, but internally as an individual. I am now 52, in graduate school as a poetess and professor, and I embrace the ideals that an outward appearance of wealth or success often block the real needs of human compassion and mercy. I've always had an open door policy in my home and have helped raise 6 boys besides my own 4 children, giving them all the freedom of expression within the limits of loving structure. Sure they tried me...one blew up a toilet with an m80. But they learned self respect through choice and consequence, and embraced the values of their own moral codes. Zachery will come out when he is ready and when someone takes an interest not to "save" him, but to encourage the gift that he is. Lynette Bat-Abba (McClintic)

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