Has anyone else noticed that the homeless (or “homeless,” I can never tell) gutter punks, who at one time hung out solely on St. Marks Place, have not only multiplied in numbers, but spread their domain? Obviously the two events are related – St. Marks Place simply can’t hold them all anymore, and the sidewalks are always crowded as it is. I just came home to see two sitting outside my building on Second Avenue, and the other day I saw some as far away as the Walgreens in Astor Place. Many of them seem to have been able to afford huge camping backpacks at some point, but are now completely covered in dirt. Literally. So, my question is two-fold: Where are they coming from, and has anyone else noticed this gutter punk diaspora?

Or maybe they’re all just freegans?