The street beggars are out of control

[Anonymous]

Two days ago, I watched two panhandlers have an altercation in front of Aldi in Takoma Park. One was an older olive-skinned woman with an accent who alternated being aggressive and what seemed like fake crying. The other was an older AA man in dirty and tattered clothing who seemed to be mentally ill as he kept growling and making nonsense noises. The gist I got was that she felt he was scaring away people who might otherwise listen to her spiel and give her some cash. She asked passersby to call the police. I watched the TKPD drive by, but they didn’t seem to do anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s even a beggar outside of the cvs in derwood Maryland .

Oh no! Not in Derwood!!!

We have an autistic neighborhood who would respond this way.

[Anonymous]

Yea, this thread is the most pearl clutching I've seen on DCUM in a while, and that's saying a lot.

[Anonymous]

Double the police force and crack down on all this aggressive panhandling and vagrancy. Also, no more pooping on the sidewalk or shooting drugs at the bus stop. In DC the lunatics are literally running the asylum!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not just in streets. In grocery stores, on every corner, walking into streets, banging on windows while waiting on left hand turns. You can’t go from here to there anymore without being harrassed. I’ve been in this area about 35 years and have never seen it this bad.

Maybe we need better social safety nets.

[Anonymous]

If people stopped giving money directly to beggars and gave to charity instead, the problem would be solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If people stopped giving money directly to beggars and gave to charity instead, the problem would be solved.

Sorta. Definitely don't give directly. Many of the beggars are pros. Someone truly in need is pretty obvious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yea, this thread is the most pearl clutching I've seen on DCUM in a while, and that's saying a lot.

Maybe it's because the problem is getting worse. There is definitely a change - I recently saw a women urinating in the middle of the day in the middle of a busy street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yea, this thread is the most pearl clutching I've seen on DCUM in a while, and that's saying a lot.

Maybe it's because the problem is getting worse. There is definitely a change - I recently saw a women urinating in the middle of the day in the middle of a busy street.

Pearl clutching means expressing fear for oneself because of "street beggars," and not having concern or empathy for the beggars themselves. That's what I'm seeing here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are you doing to try to solve the problem other than complaining and clutching pearls?

Do you donate to homeless charities or churches? Are you politically involved in trying to find policy solutions? Can you give us some examples of your active engagement?

I do donate to homeless charities because I think that is better than donating to the homeless themselves.
When I see women begging with kids I really hate that. I have the name of a few homeless shelters that take women and children and I've started asking those people if they want me to call one of those shelters for them. Though, once, one responded to me: I don't need a shelter, I pay my rent. OH, excuse me - here I thought you were begging on the street.

In NYC they used to advertise on the subways to call 311 to "give the homeless change they can really use."

[Anonymous]

There are some staple people I see often that never seem to beg, just stay put looking miserable. My heart goes out to them. I don't think anyone is wrong here in their reactions to being harassed or in feeling helpless or in wanting to help. It isn't just drugs, it's corruption and greed and pandering and not wanting to do too much for the poor or focusing on bad solutions. Politicians want to be tough on their scapegoats and nobody wants to find a solution that makes life easier for others despite having enough money to do so.

[Anonymous]

I am also curious about where people go. Camping in public parks and neighborhoods seemed to boom in popularity a few years ago and now I don't see it as much.

[Anonymous]

Americans can take pictures of beggars in their own backyards and in their own mirrors. No need to go to a third world country and fling coins at beggars because the litter, filth, decay and beggars are readily available here.

[Anonymous]

Beggar population is not very diverse. There seems to be an achievement gap here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not just in streets. In grocery stores, on every corner, walking into streets, banging on windows while waiting on left hand turns. You can’t go from here to there anymore without being harrassed. I’ve been in this area about 35 years and have never seen it this bad.

Agreed. You know why they are all here? It that is pays off, I see no less than 4 people a day giving them money. They would not be here if they weren't making money. We need to start blaming the fools giving them money.