Ay Yo! Ay Yo!
No other phrase has been shouted at me more on the streets of Harlem than the phrase above. Universally it means come over here and give me money. So if you cant ignore it, be ready for a confrontation. This is exactly what happened over the weekend in Morningside Park. Basically some homeless guy emerged from the woods screaming this at me and after I tried to walk away, he began to follow me. Finally I wheeled around and told him to get the fuck away from me. Which he did but then proceeded to return to the woods and cook up some heroin. I called the police and they arrived to find him shooting that shit directly into his neck. The horrified cops took no chances and laid him out on the ground before very carefully searching him for additional needles. They then took him to the waiting EMTs. Very professional and quick response by the NYPD. If you see something, say something and if you hear AY YO! coming from some secluded path, get ready.
