Montgomery County - What Happened?

[Anonymous]

I went to Giant grocery store tonight to do our weekly shopping. When I came outside a vagrant laying on the sidewalk with a sign saying you got any spare change. I said you picked the wrong location to ask for money. Everybody coming out this door has spent all their money. You need to hang out at a bank. I notice next door is a liquor store so maybe that's why he's here. He look like he been drinking all day and resting up against the glass wall. I didn't give him anything. But going back to what everyone is saying, drunks, drug addicts, and worthless bums are all over the place in Montgomery County. The county has turned into a dump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Giant grocery store tonight to do our weekly shopping. When I came outside a vagrant laying on the sidewalk with a sign saying you got any spare change. I said you picked the wrong location to ask for money. Everybody coming out this door has spent all their money. You need to hang out at a bank. I notice next door is a liquor store so maybe that's why he's here. He look like he been drinking all day and resting up against the glass wall. I didn't give him anything. But going back to what everyone is saying, drunks, drug addicts, and worthless bums are all over the place in Montgomery County. The county has turned into a dump.

Remember, folks, don’t feed the wildlife

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Giant grocery store tonight to do our weekly shopping. When I came outside a vagrant laying on the sidewalk with a sign saying you got any spare change. I said you picked the wrong location to ask for money. Everybody coming out this door has spent all their money. You need to hang out at a bank. I notice next door is a liquor store so maybe that's why he's here. He look like he been drinking all day and resting up against the glass wall. I didn't give him anything. But going back to what everyone is saying, drunks, drug addicts, and worthless bums are all over the place in Montgomery County. The county has turned into a dump.

Sorry that you had to breathe the same air as a person who is so much lesser than you. Your delicate sensibilities should not be subjected to such a grotesque montage. As a Montgomery County Landowner please accept my deepest apologies.

[Anonymous]

These anecdotes about panhandlers and aggressive homeless people is borne out in the data. Montgomery County saw a 32% increase in homeless people in the county from 2024-2025. Fairfax had a 3% increase, PG County had a decrease, and Arlington only had a 12% increase. For some reason Montgomery County had twice as many homeless people as PG County even though it’s only 10% bigger by population and PG County has a cheaper cost of living. Montgomery County needs to stop spending so much on homeless services and let other counties in the region like Loudoun and PG County accept some of the responsibility.

All stats pulled from this MoCo HHS doc.

https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=169&clip_id=18110&meta_id=198787

[Anonymous]

Seems like every shopping center, strip center, gas station and even an ATM machine there is a beggar asking for money. You tell the police and they can't do anything. You tell the police they are at the ATM machine watching you, coming up to you, telling you a story why they need money. Isn't there a law to protect us from that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like every shopping center, strip center, gas station and even an ATM machine there is a beggar asking for money. You tell the police and they can't do anything. You tell the police they are at the ATM machine watching you, coming up to you, telling you a story why they need money. Isn't there a law to protect us from that.

That's 1A protected speech. I am sorry you hate freedom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Giant grocery store tonight to do our weekly shopping. When I came outside a vagrant laying on the sidewalk with a sign saying you got any spare change. I said you picked the wrong location to ask for money. Everybody coming out this door has spent all their money. You need to hang out at a bank. I notice next door is a liquor store so maybe that's why he's here. He look like he been drinking all day and resting up against the glass wall. I didn't give him anything. But going back to what everyone is saying, drunks, drug addicts, and worthless bums are all over the place in Montgomery County. The county has turned into a dump.

I too see a lot of mentally challenged people hanging out at a Aspen Hill coffee shop I go to in the morning. A fat lady dancing out front asking for money she's high on something. You go inside and at the door another person looks like their on drugs sticks his hand out asked for spare change. I get my coffee and sit down check my emails and another person approaches me for money. I thought this was a relatively middle class neighborhood. So I avoided this place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to Giant grocery store tonight to do our weekly shopping. When I came outside a vagrant laying on the sidewalk with a sign saying you got any spare change. I said you picked the wrong location to ask for money. Everybody coming out this door has spent all their money. You need to hang out at a bank. I notice next door is a liquor store so maybe that's why he's here. He look like he been drinking all day and resting up against the glass wall. I didn't give him anything. But going back to what everyone is saying, drunks, drug addicts, and worthless bums are all over the place in Montgomery County. The county has turned into a dump.

I too see a lot of mentally challenged people hanging out at a Aspen Hill coffee shop I go to in the morning. A fat lady dancing out front asking for money she's high on something. You go inside and at the door another person looks like their on drugs sticks his hand out asked for spare change. I get my coffee and sit down check my emails and another person approaches me for money. I thought this was a relatively middle class neighborhood. So I avoided this place.

That's not crime though. None of that is illegal. It's a quality of life issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to Giant grocery store tonight to do our weekly shopping. When I came outside a vagrant laying on the sidewalk with a sign saying you got any spare change. I said you picked the wrong location to ask for money. Everybody coming out this door has spent all their money. You need to hang out at a bank. I notice next door is a liquor store so maybe that's why he's here. He look like he been drinking all day and resting up against the glass wall. I didn't give him anything. But going back to what everyone is saying, drunks, drug addicts, and worthless bums are all over the place in Montgomery County. The county has turned into a dump.

I too see a lot of mentally challenged people hanging out at an Aspen Hill coffee shop I go to in the morning. A fat lady dancing out front asking for money she's high on something. You go inside and at the door another person looks like their on drugs sticks his hand out asked for spare change. I get my coffee and sit down check my emails and another person approaches me for money. I thought this was a relatively middle class neighborhood. So I avoided this place.

What does the neighborhood class level have to do with it? Manhattan has plenty of the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These anecdotes about panhandlers and aggressive homeless people is borne out in the data. Montgomery County saw a 32% increase in homeless people in the county from 2024-2025. Fairfax had a 3% increase, PG County had a decrease, and Arlington only had a 12% increase. For some reason Montgomery County had twice as many homeless people as PG County even though it’s only 10% bigger by population and PG County has a cheaper cost of living. Montgomery County needs to stop spending so much on homeless services and let other counties in the region like Loudoun and PG County accept some of the responsibility.

All stats pulled from this MoCo HHS doc.

https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=169&clip_id=18110&meta_id=198787

I think there's more panhandlers in Montgomery County because residents cater to them handing out money to them. The other areas like Prince Georges and Fairfax those people got smart and won't give out money. Where ever I go in Montgomery County I see people giving out money to panhandlers. I notice they prey on senior white people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to Giant grocery store tonight to do our weekly shopping. When I came outside a vagrant laying on the sidewalk with a sign saying you got any spare change. I said you picked the wrong location to ask for money. Everybody coming out this door has spent all their money. You need to hang out at a bank. I notice next door is a liquor store so maybe that's why he's here. He look like he been drinking all day and resting up against the glass wall. I didn't give him anything. But going back to what everyone is saying, drunks, drug addicts, and worthless bums are all over the place in Montgomery County. The county has turned into a dump.

I too see a lot of mentally challenged people hanging out at an Aspen Hill coffee shop I go to in the morning. A fat lady dancing out front asking for money she's high on something. You go inside and at the door another person looks like their on drugs sticks his hand out asked for spare change. I get my coffee and sit down check my emails and another person approaches me for money. I thought this was a relatively middle class neighborhood. So I avoided this place.

What does the neighborhood class level have to do with it? Manhattan has plenty of the same.

I haven't seen them in Potomac or McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like every shopping center, strip center, gas station and even an ATM machine there is a beggar asking for money. You tell the police and they can't do anything. You tell the police they are at the ATM machine watching you, coming up to you, telling you a story why they need money. Isn't there a law to protect us from that.

That's 1A protected speech. I am sorry you hate freedom.

Not on private property, like the grocery store or its lot. Can be asked to leave due to trespassing. Also, cannot be aggressive or causing safety issues. All illegal.

[Anonymous]

I notice people are trashing the street with their trash in their cars. I've seen people throw beer cans and bottles out the window. Fast food boxes and bags. Almost every medium strip has trash laying in it. I 've seen tires laying on medium strips too. Where do these people come from that they do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like every shopping center, strip center, gas station and even an ATM machine there is a beggar asking for money. You tell the police and they can't do anything. You tell the police they are at the ATM machine watching you, coming up to you, telling you a story why they need money. Isn't there a law to protect us from that.

That's 1A protected speech. I am sorry you hate freedom.

Not on private property, like the grocery store or its lot. Can be asked to leave due to trespassing. Also, cannot be aggressive or causing safety issues. All illegal.

It's not illegal if the proper owner allows it.