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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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).

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.