Increased begging

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Fairfax County. In the last few weeks there’s been a dramatic increase in beggars at intersections. They have a sign explaining their situation blah blah. Women, men, all races. Many places are looking for workers. I don’t understand. There are lots of jobs available. If I wasn’t always in a rush or if it was safe (I’d hold up traffic by just stopping) I’d ask them for their story, just “what happened?” Discuss.

"Many places" aren't looking for people without a home address or current valid documentation for employment with missing teeth, mental health issues and irregular access to showers and clean clothes. Take off your privileged glasses.

OP. These people are dressed appropriately, appear clean, not disheveled at all. Of course the crazy ones with no teeth and look like haven’t had a bath in a year are not going to get a job, but these people look pretty regular to me.

Right because they’re not homeless or even particularly “down on their luck.” They’re organized panhandlers. I’ve heard some are transported in from West Virginia. The fact that you barely even see them when it’s cold and rainy out in the winter should be a giveaway that they aren’t homeless. It’s the same people who drive around parking lots offering to “fix” dents/scratches on your bumper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys have the fake violinists? A guy standing alone and playing lovely classical music. However, there's a little speaker hidden playing music, and he's not really playing at all.

Was this in Loudoun?

No... Kansas City. I saw an article about this happening in Texas too. Just wondering if this phenomenon has hit DC.

There's one in the Giant parking lot at Beacon Hill in Alexandria. He "plays" while a woman holds a cardboard sign with an appropriate tale of woe. It's rather loud due to the amplification.

I saw one at the Potomac Yards Target.

[Anonymous]

Only increased begging I’ve noticed is in the bedroom

[Anonymous]

They’re like squirrels, gathering their nuts for the winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys have the fake violinists? A guy standing alone and playing lovely classical music. However, there's a little speaker hidden playing music, and he's not really playing at all.

Was this in Loudoun?

No... Kansas City. I saw an article about this happening in Texas too. Just wondering if this phenomenon has hit DC.

There's one in the Giant parking lot at Beacon Hill in Alexandria. He "plays" while a woman holds a cardboard sign with an appropriate tale of woe. It's rather loud due to the amplification.

I saw one at the Potomac Yards Target.

Gypsies. The women run the baby formula scam in the parking lot too.

[Anonymous]

My husband keeps buying them groceries, but I’m injured and can’t drive. I need to recover so I can do the errands again, asap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the beggars I see — especially at times intersection medians, store parking slots, etc. — seem to be part of a larger network. I can no longer count on my fingers the times I see “mom” and kids, or “vet” picked up by some well-healed person in a Mercedes Benz or luxury sedan. It’s ugly.

I have seen an uptick in adult drug use at our local parks. Last week they burned a starter log in the local baseball dugout. There’s a group also camping out at the local McD’s which seems fine with it. What I don’t understand is the permissiveness given that these users and dealers are acting openly on property directly adjacent to schools.

THIS!

Can someone explain this? I'm more used to city homelessness -- 100% of the people in the various tent cities seem to have mental/drug issues; pretty sure they couldn't apply for affordable housing nor hold down the housing if they were to get it. But in the suburbs, it does more seem like these families/moms w/ kids. But then at the end of the day they're picked up by someone. Who is that someone? Do they live with that person or work for them? What is that person getting - a cut of what they collect? But that has to be nothing bc who even stops to give them anything? I understand trafficking where owners of massage parlors/nail salons etc. bring people over and then "own" them bc they get the labor of having the people work in their businesses as they "pay off" their visas/airfare (at least this was the big thing in NYC when I lived there.). But I'm not sure what the economic bargain is here to have a family begging outside of Chick Fil A in Fairfax?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have seen an uptick on my commute to my job in DC. It’s always the same people but most of the people who ask me for money seem to be relatively young men. Of all races. I don’t carry any cash ever so I don’t even have to think about giving money. But I also don’t like being approached constantly.

This used to work. Is I’ve had people say that I can get cash back on my credit card after buying something at a neArby store. I’m surprised they don’t have squares on their own phones these days!

Lol right because anyone is sooooo interested in helping them that they're going to walk to a store with them following, buy something, and give them the cash back!? Sounds super safe to pull out a wallet in front of them. Who do these people think they are??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the beggars I see — especially at times intersection medians, store parking slots, etc. — seem to be part of a larger network. I can no longer count on my fingers the times I see “mom” and kids, or “vet” picked up by some well-healed person in a Mercedes Benz or luxury sedan. It’s ugly.

I have seen an uptick in adult drug use at our local parks. Last week they burned a starter log in the local baseball dugout. There’s a group also camping out at the local McD’s which seems fine with it. What I don’t understand is the permissiveness given that these users and dealers are acting openly on property directly adjacent to schools.

THIS!

Some of these people are showing up in front of churches too. They are tricky though. A couple I happened to see at the off ramp in Falls Church also showed up in front of a church in Sterling. I guess they were counting on some anonymity to make it look like they were not part of the usuals seen in the Sterling/Herndon area. Not sure if they are hitting other places of worship (mosques, temples, etc).

Even long before the pandemic, there was a guy doing this in McLean. Then he'd get in his car and drive off once services were over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a business like any other, why would they work? They are mostly “Roma travelers” or whatever the PC name is now. They come with those seeking asylum (they blend in well).
There is a whole underground network with its own mostly cash economy and jobs like panhandling and petty crime.
Nothing is done about it because no serious laws are broken and the notion of quality of life for tax paying citizens is no longer a thing. Just like with mentally ill unhoused and petty criminals from pockets of generational poverty, there is no place to hide unless you are in the burbs with no public transportation and/or restricted access.

You say no serious laws are broken, but what about the ones who bring little children along? The part that drives me frothing is I go to the same places every week, but the babies only get trotted out when it’s 100 degrees plus, or below freezing. It’s abusive.

Where I live people tried calling the police on them for the babies. Police would talk to them, kids or babies seem fine and there is no basis for referral to CPS. Maybe if more people called, it would help.
These people try to stay off the grid as much as possible, and CPS likes harassing normal families with a stable address referred by over vigilant mandatory reporters, and won’t touch these people with a 10 ft pole because they won’t be able to close the case, the beggars will just move

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the beggars I see — especially at times intersection medians, store parking slots, etc. — seem to be part of a larger network. I can no longer count on my fingers the times I see “mom” and kids, or “vet” picked up by some well-healed person in a Mercedes Benz or luxury sedan. It’s ugly.

I have seen an uptick in adult drug use at our local parks. Last week they burned a starter log in the local baseball dugout. There’s a group also camping out at the local McD’s which seems fine with it. What I don’t understand is the permissiveness given that these users and dealers are acting openly on property directly adjacent to schools.

THIS!

Can someone explain this? I'm more used to city homelessness -- 100% of the people in the various tent cities seem to have mental/drug issues; pretty sure they couldn't apply for affordable housing nor hold down the housing if they were to get it. But in the suburbs, it does more seem like these families/moms w/ kids. But then at the end of the day they're picked up by someone. Who is that someone? Do they live with that person or work for them? What is that person getting - a cut of what they collect? But that has to be nothing bc who even stops to give them anything? I understand trafficking where owners of massage parlors/nail salons etc. bring people over and then "own" them bc they get the labor of having the people work in their businesses as they "pay off" their visas/airfare (at least this was the big thing in NYC when I lived there.). But I'm not sure what the economic bargain is here to have a family begging outside of Chick Fil A in Fairfax?

Gypsy families, the dad is dropping off the wife or wives and kids. They earn enough to live a good life, buy things for cash and use workarounds for credit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s almost impossible to hold down work if homeless. Beyond hygiene, there are issues with curfews for shelters so you can’t work a late shift ever. When I worked at FedEx, there was a guy who had his uniform stolen twice at the shelter. At that time, they gave us three shirts and two pairs of pants. You could buy more, but that was all you got unless you got pregnant or switched jobs.

I learned of curfews in shelters recently and was shocked. it makes sense but there should be exceptions for late shift workers.

[Anonymous]

You should all be ashamed of yourself! Obviously these people are poor and probably hungry and in need of food. Why wouldn’t you help? Something is very wrong that in our inequitable capitalistic society there are so many poor people who need help and so many cold snobby rich people who think they are better than anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should all be ashamed of yourself! Obviously these people are poor and probably hungry and in need of food. Why wouldn’t you help? Something is very wrong that in our inequitable capitalistic society there are so many poor people who need help and so many cold snobby rich people who think they are better than anyone else.

You are so naive.

Some, sure. Many, no. Especially Roma’s. They’re the ones doing the violin in the parking lots. They do the same scam on the metro in Paris, bring their portable amp and everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should all be ashamed of yourself! Obviously these people are poor and probably hungry and in need of food. Why wouldn’t you help? Something is very wrong that in our inequitable capitalistic society there are so many poor people who need help and so many cold snobby rich people who think they are better than anyone else.

In the city, sure. The guy covered up under blankets with a shopping cart on the street corner is probably homeless and has nothing. In the suburbs, the people looking for money are usually part of organized begging rings, and the people playing fake violins at Giant definitely are. Not every panhandler is homeless and you’re very naïve to assume that’s the case.