What to do if you see beggars with little children

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. I absolutely hate this.

There is a woman who stands at a corner of our local shopping center in Alexandria. She is young and very pretty. She is very sweet when you talk to her. She always has a child in a double stroller with her. She waves as she holds a big sign. It is horrible. A few of us have contacted social services on her behalf, as well as the police department. She apparently isn't breaking any laws and she absolutely does not want to have anything to do with the people from social services. The owner of the shopping center can't really do anything, either.

It is really upsetting to see her use her children the way she is. As repulsive as I find her actions, there is nothing I or others can do unless something changes. If I ever see a bruise or if a child looks scared, though, watch out girl because I will do whatever it takes to get that child (and siblings) out of her control.

She probably makes $50/hour and doesn’t have to worry about childcare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the morally superior PPs who think they are kind-hearted to giving to these people: YOU are the reason why those kids are out there as props. You are participating in the exploitation of children. You're just too dumb or naive to see that.

Oh please you want me to show you kids used as “props”? Let me take you to a Bethesda dance class some time. What about child modeling? Literally using kids as props but that is what wealthy UMC people do so you don’t have anything to say about that.

What other kids are used as props, and where? I bet you have only ever used this concern as a justification to hate on panhandlers and never have written a single word about any other context.

Wait, the Bethesda dance classes are collecting money from strangers in parking lots? This is news to me.

Boy scouts and girl scouts do lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had to bring up this thread because I was shocked at something I saw tonight.

I was walking into the grocery store and saw a woman panhandling (she had one of the usual signs and kids with her). Later, as I'm walking through the grocery store, I see one of the kids running around being supervised by a random shopper, who was telling her to pick some things out - I believe the shopper had offered to buy the child some food and the mother had let the child go into the store with her. This was very kind of the random shopper, who obviously had pure intentions, but I was appalled the mother would let her child go into a semi-large grocery store to pick out treats with a stranger, while she stayed out in the parking lot! Maybe I watch too much true crime but this seemed like extremely poor judgement to me on the mother's fault.

How are you so sure that they did not know each other? Most of the hate against panhandlers is based on assumptions, and this seems like no exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the morally superior PPs who think they are kind-hearted to giving to these people: YOU are the reason why those kids are out there as props. You are participating in the exploitation of children. You're just too dumb or naive to see that.

Oh please you want me to show you kids used as “props”? Let me take you to a Bethesda dance class some time. What about child modeling? Literally using kids as props but that is what wealthy UMC people do so you don’t have anything to say about that.

What other kids are used as props, and where? I bet you have only ever used this concern as a justification to hate on panhandlers and never have written a single word about any other context.

Wait, the Bethesda dance classes are collecting money from strangers in parking lots? This is news to me.

Which Bethesda dance class is doing this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the morally superior PPs who think they are kind-hearted to giving to these people: YOU are the reason why those kids are out there as props. You are participating in the exploitation of children. You're just too dumb or naive to see that.

Oh please you want me to show you kids used as “props”? Let me take you to a Bethesda dance class some time. What about child modeling? Literally using kids as props but that is what wealthy UMC people do so you don’t have anything to say about that.

What other kids are used as props, and where? I bet you have only ever used this concern as a justification to hate on panhandlers and never have written a single word about any other context.

Wait, the Bethesda dance classes are collecting money from strangers in parking lots? This is news to me.

What? You need a new dance school. This is waaaaay out of line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the morally superior PPs who think they are kind-hearted to giving to these people: YOU are the reason why those kids are out there as props. You are participating in the exploitation of children. You're just too dumb or naive to see that.

Oh please you want me to show you kids used as “props”? Let me take you to a Bethesda dance class some time. What about child modeling? Literally using kids as props but that is what wealthy UMC people do so you don’t have anything to say about that.

What other kids are used as props, and where? I bet you have only ever used this concern as a justification to hate on panhandlers and never have written a single word about any other context.

Wait, the Bethesda dance classes are collecting money from strangers in parking lots? This is news to me.

Which Bethesda dance class is doing this?

[Anonymous]

Scammers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the morally superior PPs who think they are kind-hearted to giving to these people: YOU are the reason why those kids are out there as props. You are participating in the exploitation of children. You're just too dumb or naive to see that.

Oh please you want me to show you kids used as “props”? Let me take you to a Bethesda dance class some time. What about child modeling? Literally using kids as props but that is what wealthy UMC people do so you don’t have anything to say about that.

What other kids are used as props, and where? I bet you have only ever used this concern as a justification to hate on panhandlers and never have written a single word about any other context.

Wait, the Bethesda dance classes are collecting money from strangers in parking lots? This is news to me.

Which Bethesda dance class is doing this?

+1. I would really like to know so I can avoid that business.

[Anonymous]

Same thing I do when I see beggars without kids, keep on driving.

[Anonymous]

I ignore them, just like I do the ones without little children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I give them cash. No questions asked. I can spare a few bucks.

This is the right answer.

Somebody asking for money is pretty much by definition worse off than me. Why wouldn't I help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I give them cash. No questions asked. I can spare a few bucks.

This is the right answer.

Somebody asking for money is pretty much by definition worse off than me. Why wouldn't I help?

Good point. If someone had the choice of making a six figure salary working from home vs. begging on the street, I'm sure they would choose the former.

[Anonymous]

Giving food/ water is OK.

NEVER OK to give cash! Just. Don’t. Do it.

[Anonymous]

Police and Child Protective Services cannot/will not intervene because panhandling is legal and assumption or reality of parent being legal guardian. What needs to happen to protect the children is minor changes to existing law to account for child welfare. Subjecting children to these conditions especially in dangerous weather is outrageous. Why we cannot as a society protect children endangered right in front of us is beyond me. Minor change of law.

[Anonymous]

This thread is from May