Beggars are getting bold!

[weeniecat2442]

I live in a city where there a lot of homeless. It's a small city and I work right downtown across from the bus plaza where they usually hang out.
I often see the same people in the same areas asking for help and if I am able to help I do. When I can't help out, I always acknowledge them, say hi and how are you. I always get a nice response back. I notice a lot of the "business workers" here do that and often see them and cops buying known homeless folks lunch and chatting with them.
I can't see any reason why helping out when ya can is bad. I certainly would like it if someone helped me one day when I needed it.

 

[Squirlz]

This was a local story recently:

 

[Magpie]

This was a local story recently:

View attachment 247544

This was in Detroit and the man and his son were arrested for disorderly conduct and vagrancy on Wednesday.

Which really makes me wonder how sincere the job offer was, when it was presented to him. Honestly, would you want to hire off the street a homeless, late-middle-aged, possibly mentally unwell, drunkard to work in your car dealership? It makes me wonder just how incredibly easy it is to get a job there, and what kind of low standards they have for their hiring! Yes, hiring former felons and otherwise disadvantaged folk can be a terrific idea, but there are charities in place already set up to match needy people with employers. A good match ensures success for everyone.

If he and his son were being a nuisance, couldn't the dealership have just reported him to the police without the whole signs-and-balloons routine? Maybe they tried, the cops brushed them off, and this was the dealership's way of getting some public attention.

I sincerely doubt "I make more than any of you" was anything more than bluster in response to an obviously insincere offer.

 

[Grmnshplvr]

I know this is a zombie thread, but an interesting one so I'm responding anyways.

I was approached by a woman in downtown buffalo years ago with a story about how her and her kids (pointing at two small children on the sidewalk) needed a hotel room for the night because they were evicted. I gave her $3 (all I had) and she promptly walked away....they weren't her kids while I felt a little foolish, I realized I gave her the benefit of the doubt and helped her as much as I could, that was my karma...what she did with it is hers.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I just got back from a trip to Italy with my daughters. It was interesting--we'd been warned about beggars and scammers, and DD14, in particular, was on high alert (DD22 lives in Boston--she's pretty street-savvy). WE were in the Vatican and were approached by an old woman dressed in rags, asking for change (I think--I don't speak Italian. But, she had a cup and was talking). We were sitting with a few other people from our tour group, and one of them said the woman was a pickpocket--well, DD14 was absolutely fascinated, she was hoping to see an actual pickpocket do their thing. Naturally, I wasn't going to volunteer myself to be a victim, so we never got to see if the woman was a pickpocket, scammer, or genuine beggar. Although I do wonder if she could have actually wandered into the Vatican and been allowed to be there--it's a walled city, very few people actually live there.

We also saw a beggar at St. Mark's Square in Venice--again, he just spoke a lot in Italian. For all I know he had a legit story to tell, but I didn't understand it. Also, both these people wore only socks/cloth on their feet, no shoes or sandals of any kind.

 

[Sabeking]

One summer I visited Chicago and there was a 20 something year old guy sitting on the ground reading his IPad and sipping a Starbucks latte. He had a sign that said ....need money for college and a bowl to collect his donations. *******.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

My ex used to work for the Welfare Department, so I have little patience for bums. I either ignore them, or if they get in my face I'll ask them if they've told their Worker that they are getting money and not reporting it.

There is a safety net in this country. By giving money to bums, you are paying for that safety net Twice.

 

[Sabeking]

I live in Durham NC. In our county, you have to have a permit to panhandle, and there are rules for where you are allowed to do so. They pay something like $5, fill out a form, and get a reflective vest and they are allowed 'to work'.

Now I know what's going on at the intersection of Southpoint mall. I always wondered about the vests.

 

[luvsJack]

My ex used to work for the Welfare Department, so I have little patience for bums. I either ignore them, or if they get in my face I'll ask them if they've told their Worker that they are getting money and not reporting it.

There is a safety net in this country. By giving money to bums, you are paying for that safety net Twice.

Exactly how is someone with no address or mail box and no bank account supposed to receive any type of benefits? I think you are confusing the poor and needy with the truly homeless.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Exactly how is someone with no address or mail box and no bank account supposed to receive any type of benefits? I think you are confusing the poor and needy with the truly homeless.

Well, the panhandlers here who "live" in the mission all have food stamp cards so somehow they manage it.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I need to stay out of this thread. The compassion and understanding in here is underwhelming.

I am truly glad so many of you never had to live without a roof over your head and without knowing where your next meal is coming from. Maybe next time you see a "bum" you can at least consider the hardships they face on a daily basis instead of immediately judging and showering them with contempt.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I need to stay out of this thread. The compassion and understanding in here is underwhelming.

I am truly glad so many of you never had to live without a roof over your head and without knowing where your next meal is coming from. Maybe next time you see a "bum" you can at least consider the hardships they face on a daily basis instead of immediately judging and showering them with contempt.

You're restoring a smidgeon of my faith in humanity. But I'm sure the Dis will nip that in the bud rather quickly.

 

[dish rag]

Other than NYC the worst place I have seen is Tampa. Orlando is also very bad and I'm sure that would surprise many tourists. I have never seen a pan handler in Ontario but our places there are in Mennonite areas and those folks aren't afraid of work.

 

[ImDMous]

This was in Detroit and the man and his son were arrested for disorderly conduct and vagrancy on Wednesday.

Which really makes me wonder how sincere the job offer was, when it was presented to him. Honestly, would you want to hire off the street a homeless, late-middle-aged, possibly mentally unwell, drunkard to work in your car dealership? It makes me wonder just how incredibly easy it is to get a job there, and what kind of low standards they have for their hiring! Yes, hiring former felons and otherwise disadvantaged folk can be a terrific idea, but there are charities in place already set up to match needy people with employers. A good match ensures success for everyone.

If he and his son were being a nuisance, couldn't the dealership have just reported him to the police without the whole signs-and-balloons routine? Maybe they tried, the cops brushed them off, and this was the dealership's way of getting some public attention.

I sincerely doubt "I make more than any of you" was anything more than bluster in response to an obviously insincere offer.

Every car dealership I know of has someone who washes all the cars every morning. it doesn't take a background check and a college degree to run a hose, my cousin did it as a summer job in high school. Why is it so hard to believe that the legit business is lying and the con man is telling the truth? We have no idea the situation unless we were one of the ones working there but it just seems odd to question that.

Our local Target and some grocery stores have similar signs about the petition workers who set up card tables right outside the store. They say "these people are not authorized by us and do not hold our opinions. If you stop signing their petitions, they will eventually leave." They can't legally get rid of them (public forum) but the signature gatherers will yell at you and get in your face as you are trying to get to the store.

 

[Magpie]

Every car dealership I know of has someone who washes all the cars every morning. it doesn't take a background check and a college degree to run a hose, my cousin did it as a summer job in high school. Why is it so hard to believe that the legit business is lying and the con man is telling the truth? We have no idea the situation unless we were one of the ones working there but it just seems odd to question that.

Our local Target and some grocery stores have similar signs about the petition workers who set up card tables right outside the store. They say "these people are not authorized by us and do not hold our opinions. If you stop signing their petitions, they will eventually leave." They can't legally get rid of them (public forum) but the signature gatherers will yell at you and get in your face as you are trying to get to the store.

Did your cousin get paid ten dollars an hour to wash cars? And, further... did he get to work a full eight hours washing cars, five days a week, as a full time employee of the car wash? Did he have a place to live, a place to send mail, and a bank account for them to deposit his wage into? Was he paying taxes? Was he on any kind of social assistance, and did they claw back his benefits to match his earnings? Did he have the necessary executive functioning skills and was he sober enough to show up for work reliably every morning?

 

[tarheelmjfan]

There are people here on every exit & at many stores asking for money. We try to give something to them, when we have cash. I'm sure we've been scammed before. As a matter of fact, we figured out we'd been scammed by one guy, before we left the parking lot. We have the philosophy, if we're scammed, at least we tried to help.

As a side note, I have an unusual panhandling story to share. DH & I spent our anniversary in a nearby town a couple of years ago. When we were walking from the hotel to a restaurant for dinner, we passed three guys sitting on a bench. One of them asked DH for 37 cents. DH & I joked with him for asking for such a specific amount. Since DH tries to avoid opening his wallet in these situations, he reached into his pocket to give the guy what he had. He had exactly 37 cents. As we left, the guy told us to appreciate our marriage & stay together. That took us by surprise, because we hadn't mentioned marriage, anniversary or anything similar to him. It was totally bizarre & felt like we were meant to run into this guy. I think about that encounter often.

 

[dish rag]

Did your cousin get paid ten dollars an hour to wash cars? And, further... did he get to work a full eight hours washing cars, five days a week, as a full time employee of the car wash? Did he have a place to live, a place to send mail, and a bank account for them to deposit his wage into? Was he paying taxes? Was he on any kind of social assistance, and did they claw back his benefits to match his earnings? Did he have the necessary executive functioning skills and was he sober enough to show up for work reliably every morning?

The sober part is on the person who chooses to not be sober. That's easy, just don't drink.

 

[Magpie]

The sober part is on the person who chooses to not be sober. That's easy, just don't drink.

 

[Hikergirl]

I once saw a woman with a sign asking for money because she ran out of gas. Imagine my surprise when I saw her again in the same exact spot folding that sign and putting in her pants under a shirt.
I wonder what the odds are that the same person ran out of gas in the exact same spot and just happened to have a sign folded up on her person?
Yes, I'm jaded and I will not give to panhandlers.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Every car dealership I know of has someone who washes all the cars every morning. it doesn't take a background check and a college degree to run a hose, my cousin did it as a summer job in high school. Why is it so hard to believe that the legit business is lying and the con man is telling the truth? We have no idea the situation unless we were one of the ones working there but it just seems odd to question that.
.

A $10 a day job washing cars in the morning is not fit for anyone but a kid living at home.