Hearted Youtube comments on Erik K Swanson (@ErikKSwanson) channel.

  1. As an individual and former homeless guy I can totally identify with Walters story. Thanks for caring and sharing. God bless!
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  2. Man this was so dope to see. I wonder how many other Walters are out there. Rest In Peace Walter. He forever lives through this video now
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  3. This is like a video stuck in time. I was blown away when I read that this was 15 years ago. I was just starting Kindergarten. It’s almost sad to think about how long ago this was. How good Carlos probably felt about living there. I hope he’s doing well.
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  4. I guess the proverb is true: home is where you hang your hat. It’s really difficult to leave a comment on a video like this… Because it’s very sad that people lived and are still living like this today But the fact that Carlos seemed to be doing pretty good… Really amazes me beyond belief. It’s been 15 years I wonder if Carlos is still out there somewhere… It would be very interesting if he were to be found alive healthy and happy. And, Sunday being a kind of day of rest for him, cool. 🙏🙂 Erik, excellent video. You have the perfect voice for these vids…nice, and your kindness shines through. 👍👏👏👏❤
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  5. Thank you. I lived on a boat when I was a child in the LA harbor. South wind marina. I have lived on a boat in the Bay area too in the 90,s too. I'm a sailor and I have been harassed many times for being a live aboard. Most live aboard,s are more better environmental and frugal and hardworking people than the most landlubbers. Please,wake up. Thank you for your consideration and sail on. May you have a peaceful and blessed day. Aloha
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  6. He was my brother and my father figure. Family was most important to him. Unfortunately circumstances changed the boy into the man you see. He served in the end of the Vietnamese war which changed the boy to the man but also gave him the skills to survive the way you see in this video. There is NY Times article of him cooking a full thanksgiving meal for him another of our brother and his friends. I’m thankful for all the beautiful comments people realizing what I’ve always known what an amazing person he was. He was a constant in my life she nice the day I was born until the day the detectives came to my job to tell me he was gone. He is missed so much everyday. Thank you Erik for respecting my brother not only not disclosing his home but him as a human being.
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  7. I know James personally and I know his story. James does not do drugs nor lie. There is no reason for it. He has been apart of our group since 2019. He is a real truthful guy. He is also a sensitive. He actual runs our IR Camera because he sees and feels the forest creatures. Awesome video!!!!!!
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  8. I was homeless for about 4 months, at first I staying a couple different abandoned houses then I got into a shelter and got a job. None of my co-workers had any idea what was going on with me. So if you don't think it could happen to you ,your wrong it can happen to anyone
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  9. I remember seeing the original video a few years ago and it came up again on my home page today, which led me here to this update. I'm so glad he's still doing well for himself given the circumstances, I hope he can find a more permanent place to be, but at the same time he seems at peace with where he is and appears to enjoy it. He's so nice and well spoken, thank you for all you have done to help him
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  10. In a million years I would not have expected this guy to say he went out to the Roseland Ballroom to see Motorhead. I wish Lemmy could have seen this. Walter would be on the guest list for life in NYC.
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  11. Isn’t it lovely to see someone so satisfied with life rather than basing happiness on what fills their life? Incredibly inspirational and refreshing. His has a great perspective on “freedom” as well. It’s wonderful knowing there are people like this out there. Best wishes, Carlos!!
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  12. I lived aboard and single handed a 42 foot sailboat for several years. Now 58 years old when I look back, those were the best years of my life. In my travels, fellow sailors were some of the best people I ever met, many whom I remain in contact with to this day. My heart goes out to these folks in Richardson Bay. Great video thank you so much for sharing.
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  13. Hello, I'm 41. I'm from Germany. I was homeless myself for a few months. I've also seen the other documentary (part 1). I'm shocked that Walter is dead. He certainly had his flaws but he was a good person. God has now given him peace in a more beautiful place. Greetings from Germany.
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  14. rest in peace Walter. I hope that humanity one day will understand that you dont need to have luxurious things to be happy but to just be able to live with the basic home comforts.
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  15. Great coverage of a topic I had no idea existed. Thanks for sharing and all the hard work to put this together
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  16. I really liked the genuine exchange between the filmmaker and this homeless man- so beautifully captured and full of respect til the end and beyond.
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  17. My friend and I were camping in western Schoharie county around 1995 or so. We heard very similar things one day. Later that night in pitch blackness in thick woods something walked around our camp about 60 yds away pounding on trees with a club. It did this for an hour with our fire burning. A thunder storm moved in and we spent the rest of the night with guns loaded unable to sleep in the pouring rain and lightning. It was terrifying. we were 5 miles from a main road or house.
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  18. Carlos is inspiring! He pushes forward in hard times. If he can persevere in the face of such hardship, than maybe I can too!
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  19. As someone who's been watching a marina, I've learned that a lot of boats at several local marinas dump toilets at night as the tide is changing. Sometimes out water there is clear, other times covered is crap, usually when the large yachts are around. It's disgusting behavior.
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  20. Excellent work, Erik. Great job putting this piece together.
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  21.  @ErikKSwanson  Just wanted to say props for not releasing the footage until later, so as not to jeopardize Carlod and the others. I think that was very kind of you! :)
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  22. It's nice that Walter's memory will live on via this documentary.
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  23. Algorithm brought me to your channel and I couldn't be more thrilled!! I've had spats of homelessness, myself, and these mini docs are super touching. Ppl fail to realize that homeless ppl are ACTUAL ppl. Sons, daughters, etc, sometimes with sons and daughters with them! Thank you for documenting these folks!
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  24. 70 years ago I visited my grandmother at West 86th St at the river and heard those trains roaring by under the huge air vents. I wondered at the time if anybody hung out down there. Fascinating story very kindly presented.
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  25. It was my life long wish to live on a houseboat, proud of the ones who are living that dream. Fight the system.
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  26. Wow great story, I wish the best for Joe and hope he gets to stay as long as possible.
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  27. The 2 videos of Carlos have been at the back of my mind for so long. The way some folks can make a humble abode out of very little material can make one realize how much they take life for granted just having a roof over their head, major blessings to you for being able to reconnect with a humble man like Carlos.
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  28. This impacted me in a way that's hard to describe. A mixture of joy and then sadness once I learned he had passed away. So many people take so much for granted, it makes me think our culture is broken in a way. It's not until you lose everything that you really learn to appreciate anything.
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  29. I really like how you've waited such a long time to release these videos out of respect & protection for the people in them.
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  30. This battle is what instilled a childhood fascination in me when I once visited Lake George when I was young. It was at the time they were filming Last of the Mohicans. The rebuilt fort was turned into a museum and right next door that summer they were doing a archeological dig and I actually witnessed skeletal remains in situ as they were digging. Its a memory ill never forget and it lead me on a road to become a history graduate and later teaching
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  31. praying for your health and safety Joe!
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  32. Damn the ending was sad to hear I was rooting for Carlos he was more safer than most. Cause in a few years this world is gonna go bat shit crazy and being safe out the way is the best thing u can plan on doing as of today. I hope he found another place underground somewhere and great job to the camera man for this story.
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  33. I really loved how you treated him with such kindness! I wish everyone had a heart like yours. We are all just a few steps away from the same fate. I think we should be humble. I'm glad you are bring attention to the issue of homelessness. It's so upsetting to see people take that small thing for granted.
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  34. Carlos’s story was so meaningful. What a dear and kind man. Thank you for helping to share his story!
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  35. Absolutely high quality content and respectful of Carlos as well. Thank you for sharing with us
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  36. This dude is a breath of fresh air.
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  37. This man has barely anything and is the happiest guy in the world. Maybe people can learn from him.
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  38. I could have watched this for hours, also you’re so beautiful always keeping your word and going back and also being so respectful of his space, we need more beautiful humans like yourself and Carlos in this world!
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  39. This makes me think of my dad he was a Vietnam veteran and one of the reasons I went into the army. I remember when my mom left him back in the late eighties early nineties somewhere around there. At one point you lived in a tent down at the state park on Puget Sound and then he got a storage unit up by the Sea-Tac Airport he would sneak in at night he built a loft with a bed of above and a little area down below with a desk or he could hang out and plays guitar and he lived kind of like this. No matter how much people would talk crap about my dad I always loved him more than anything in the world and he was a hero to me. I always thought I would rather live happy like him instead of have a bunch of money and be miserable he would be the happiest and have the most friends was nothing wow people with money and cars or miserable and people hated them
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  40. You have a lot to be proud of, Erik. You gave Carlos the respect every man deserves, you treated him with interest, and some kindness, and as luck would have it, Carlos is himself a kind person. I hope all good things come to him thru all this, and that his life is made better thru your kindness all these years later. Carlos is a Proud man, and a capable one, you have helped him maintain that, thank you.
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  41. This is what happens when you let state or local jurisdictions have too much power. They should not have any authority on federal land end of story. It should be free and open to everyone. Whatever arrangement they’ve made with these RGBA folks should be removed and they should have no jurisdiction whatsoever in the bay. Tell the rich people with the yachts to go somewhere else or just coexist with the people that live there. That bay belongs to everyone not just the rich people.
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  42. I am so impressed with your documentary. It is detailed, emotional and artistically expressed. Thank you so much for doing this.
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  43. Erik this minidoc was incredible. You should seriously consider setting up a patreon to fund your work, I'm sure a great many people would be more than happy to sign up for more great stories like this.
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  44. As a person with Cancer, I can spot another. He definitely had Cancer. Rest easy Walter, I’ll see you soon.
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  45. What a story. Nothing but respect for Walter. He asked for nothing and made his way. He's proof that a home is what you make it. Walter would have loved how you portrayed him! You are a caring man.
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  46. We've had 3 face to face encounters in Connecticut where I grew up. Two of them were in our kitchen window scaring the daylights out of my sister. My Father 82nd Airborne Paratrooper set a trap for it if it returned, which it did. When it came back, again my sister screamed, my Dad ran outside and sprayed it with the hose which he kept turned on right near the kitchen door. He was about 10 feet away and it lunged at him then went back into the protected Watershed property of about 2,000 acres. I remember him yelling at it while he sprayed it with a "hey, hey!" Trying to scare it away. When he came back inside, he said whatever that was it was big and definitely not pranksters. The third encounter was one coming into our campfire light. Our friend started screaming and shaking so bad that we had to escort him home. He kept saying he saw a monster. My Dad ended up buying a rifle and a box of ammo and kept it by the kitchen door for that Summer. Interesting, this wasn't in some far flung mountainous region or deep wilderness area but in Connecticut, a State with a fairly well developed manufacturing and industrial base but is still considered 60%woodlands even in 2024.
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  47. When he is telling his story at 3:25 he says "then he was alone," and laughs. Then becomes sad. That struck a cord in me and made me quite sad. I haven't watched the rest of the video yet but I hope for the best for this man.
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  48. I usually don't donate. Ever. But the first video of Carlos moved me so much, I'm glad if my litte donation let's him have a better life. He's an amazing person, and I wish him all the best in the world <3
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  49. This is reminiscent of when I put another shed in my backyard. I followed the guidelines on the borough website, but I was visited by codes enforcement and told that I was somehow harming the watershed. I asked about other sheds in the neighborhood and was told that they received a variance. I asked how to receive a variance and was told that my application and $500 would secure a variance. I asked the codes enforcement how $500 makes the watershed better, and he had no answer. It's all about the money and has nothing to do with the environment. Just ask the folks in L.A. they know of the hypocrisy. Thanks for sharing!
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  50. Salt of the earth people.. This story was perfect ,straight into the storyline ,clear descriptions and not long and drawn out. I have listened to thousands of interviews and I enjoyed this one very much . Thanks to Erik..
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