Help is on the way for a mentally ill homeless man who was lured to a Detroit McDonald's drive-thru with the promise of a sandwich before a worker threw a cup of cold water over him.
Willie Payne, who frequently panhandles outside the fast-food restaurant on the city's northwest side, garnered international attention after a video of the incident went viral.
After hearing Payne's story, Brian Dailey, a lawyer based in Royal Oak, Michigan, decided to help arrange mental-health treatment and find a better living situation for the 63-year-old.
Dailey told the Detroit Free Press that his law firm is working to have Payne, who battles an unspecified mental illness, assessed by doctors so he can get proper treatment.
With the help of longtime friend Craig Hobson, Payne spoke about the incident, expressing frustration.
'It upset me,' he said of the encounter, which occurred earlier this month. 'I felt bad, but what are you going to do?'
When he was asked what he would say to the employee who threw water at him, he said: 'You did wrong, and you reap what you sow.'
The employee, who can be seen clearly in the video of the unsettling incident but has not been named, has since been fired.
Dailey and his staff at the Dailey Law Firm have organized a GoFundMe page for Payne and set up a website, www.keepwilliewarm.com, where updates about Payne will be posted.
Little is known about Payne's past, Dailey told the Free Press.
The 63-year-old was born in Detroit and has a living sister, but her whereabouts are unknown.
Payne has rented out space in a basement of a house in the neighborhood near the McDonald's for several years, but he disappears from the home for months at a time. He has no conservator or guardian.
Dailey said he is researching the possibility that Payne may have served time in prison for manslaughter.
But the lawyer said Payne's history is far less important than the treatment he faced at the McDonald's earlier this month.
'What we need to know about Willie is that he needs help, and what we need to know about Willie is that he's not getting that,' Dailey told the Free Press. 'He suffered a very degrading act.'
Dailey said he hopes that Payne's case will raise awareness of the bigger issue of how people with mental illness end up on the street or in prisons with improper care.
He hopes he can help provide Payne with better medical care, clothing, more stable housing and other assistance.
Payne's story has hit Dailey close to home, because his family, too, has seen the effects of mental illness - his brother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and committed suicide.
Dailey said that is not pleased with how the Detroit McDonald's franchise owner and the larger corporation reacted to the video featuring Payne and the employee.
He plans to ask the franchisee, Wise Finley, and McDonald's to do more financially to raise awareness of the issue of Payne and others like him, who often don't have anyone to speak for them.
Finley released a statement about the firing of the employee, but has not had any further comments.
'Willie is entitled to dignity,' Dailey told the Free Press. 'He's one of God's children, just like you and I.'
Sheilah Clay, president and CEO of the Neighborhood Services Organization in Detroit, said help is available for homeless people, but getting people to accept help isn't always easy.
'There are mental health services out there, a full continuum, but when you're struggling with mental illness, addiction and homelessness, those are the people you will see out on the street,' Clay said.
'This is not the easiest population to serve, especially if the issue is around chronic homelessness. They have to want to do it, and sometimes the mental illness and addiction interfere with rational thinking,' she said.
She added that people like Payne are sometimes taken advantage of by friends and family members.
After hearing about Dailey's effort, Clay said: 'I'm glad to hear that he wants to step forward and help in some way. It's a huge problem not only in Detroit, but across the country.'
A group of Detroit pastors led by Bishop Darryl Harris of Total Life Christian Ministries have also said they will help Payne.
They met on Saturday to discuss raising money and household goods through their churches and plan to coordinate with the Dailey Law Firm.
'Please help me help Willie Payne. Willie said to me that if there is anything left after we get him situated and warm he wants to use your donations to help others in the same way,' Dailey wrote on the GoFundMe page.
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