A Huntington Beach father whose neighbor called police after mistaking him as a homeless man is using his art to change the conversation around homelessness and parenthood.
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\nChapman Hamborg drew attention last month after posting a video clip on social media, showing his interaction with police following a walk with his new infant daughter, Florence.<\/p>\n
The artist with a man bun and baggy clothes was on his second walk of the morning with Florence in the baby wrap carrier when someone followed him and called police.
\n\u201cWere you going for a walk? Is this baby or something? Your neighbors saw you and thought you were homeless,\u201d Hamborg recalled the officers\u2019 questions after they knocked on his door. \u201cNope, not homeless. Just a tired dad.\u201d
\nHamborg, the dad of four, was surprised his neighbors didn’t recognize him as he goes on a walk with the baby multiple times a day.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently, I need to work on my appearance,\u201d Hamborg said, adding the lady who called the police thought he had stolen a baby. \u201cI guess being an artist or a tired dad isn\u2019t a valid excuse.\u201d
\nAs the social media video was viewed nearly 50 million times, other users chimed in, questioning the neighbor’s decision to report a man to police for appearing to be unhoused.
\n\u201cSo many people in the comments were saying, \u2018What the heck? What if you were homeless? Is it illegal to walk and have a baby and be homeless?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of getting upset, Hamborg decided to use the experience as a teachable moment to educate people about homelessness with his art. He reached out to the United Way of Orange County to sell limited edition prints of his painting \u201cUnseen Path,\u201d in which the artist himself is carrying two of his children, with 20% of the proceeds going toward helping the unhoused.
\n\u201cBeing able to provide accurate info about what homelessness is \u2013 in April alone, 371 families reached out for assistance, saying \u2018I\u2019m at risk right now with my children,\u201d\u201d said Becks Heyhoe-Khalil from Orange County United Way to End Homelessness.<\/p>\n
While teaching his own children about homelessness and encouraging them to show compassion, Hamborg said he would like to meet the neighbor who called the police.
\n\u201cI would love to get to know her, not to shame her or anything, but to thank her for being vigilant and keeping an eye out,\u201d Hamborg said.
\nSome of 80 limited edition prints of the painting have been sold. It also can be purchased here.<\/p>\n
The incident involving Chapman Hamborg highlights the importance of understanding and empathy in our communities. By using his experience to raise awareness about homelessness, Hamborg is setting an example for others to follow. His story serves as a reminder that everyone deserves respect and kindness, regardless of their appearance or circumstances.<\/p>\n
Q: What happened to Chapman Hamborg?
\nA: Chapman Hamborg, a father of four, was mistaken for a homeless person by his neighbor while walking with his infant daughter, leading to a police visit.
\nQ: How did Hamborg respond to the incident?
\nA: Instead of getting upset, Hamborg used the experience to educate people about homelessness through his art, selling limited edition prints to raise funds for the unhoused.
\nQ: What is the message Hamborg wants to convey?
\nA: Hamborg aims to promote understanding, empathy, and compassion towards individuals who are homeless, and to encourage others to do the same.
\nQ: How can I purchase Hamborg’s painting?
\nA: The limited edition prints of Hamborg’s painting \u201cUnseen Path\u201d can be purchased through a link provided in the article, with 20% of the proceeds going towards helping the unhoused.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to a Misunderstanding A Huntington Beach father whose neighbor called police after mistaking him as a homeless man is using his art to change the conversation around homelessness and parenthood. Chapman Hamborg drew attention last month after posting a video clip on social media, showing his interaction with police following a walk with his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15939","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/media.nbclosangeles.com\/2025\/06\/dad.png?fit=1920,1080&quality=85&strip=all&w=1920&resize=1920,1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15939"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15939"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15941,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15939\/revisions\/15941"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}