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Lawsuit Alerts Family to Homeless Family Member
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 28, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 28, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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After an Upper East Side antiques dealer decided to sue four homeless people camping outside his store for $1 million, a Pennsylvania family realized that one of the people was a long lost brother. Last week, the Post reported that the family of Roger Greenlee wanted to visit him, and yesterday, the Post was on hand to witness a reunion of brothers who haven't seen each other in 30 years.
Apparently an argument with his father over a loan made Roger Greenlee leave for NYC, where he lives on the Madison Avenue, goes to Central Park to feed the birds, and reads newspapers behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Post describes brother Roy's meeting with Roger:
Roy spotted Roger first. Since they last saw each other, Roger's hair had grayed and his beard had become unruly - but, Roy said, his eyes were just the same.
Roy watched him feed the birds as Sandy and sons, Shane, 14, and Chad, 11, peered through the windows of the Met, catching their first glimpse of the uncle they had never met.
It was then that Roy approached Roger, eagerly wanting to understand why his older brother had disappeared without a trace.
"Do you know who I am?" Roy asked Roger. "I'm Roy Greenlee."
Roger replied gruffly: "You look like him. What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see you," Roy said.
"Well, 30 years has changed nothing. Don't you know why I left?" Roger shouted.
"That's why I'm here. I wanted to ask you why you left."
"God and I aren't dead, and you can tell Daniel that. Don't follow me or I'll have you arrested for harassment," Roger shouted.
Roy walked away feeling rejected as Roger continued to shout, "I don't know any Roy Greenlee!"
Later, after Roy said, "I'm just glad to see you. Do you have anything you want to say?" Roger did tell Roy, "Just keep reading the word. That's why I'm here - to preach the word. You had your say, now go."
And the Post seems to have gotten this first row view of the reunion because they paid for the Greenlees trip to Pennsylvania.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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