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.

Give me a break. There are tons of resources for homeless. They can get food stamps. They can get medicaid. There are all sorts of programs to help them with housing. The problem is also due homeless themselves. They don't want to obey any rules. They want to be able to use drugs whenever and wherever they'd like, therefore they avoid many shelters because they don't want to live under anyone else's rules. Many actually do collect welfare, but still go out on the streets to panhandle for cash because they can earn easy tax free money for doing nothing. Many want to live care free lives with no rules....well, that kind of transient, bohemian lifestyle comes at a price. I already pay taxes to hand out welfare benefits. They don't deserve more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buy a banana, a bottle of water, and a candy bar in the grocery store and hand them the bag as I exit. It cost me less than $3 most of the time.

Oohhh. Be careful with that. I’ve seen those thrown back at the giver along with a heavy dose of curses. I stopped doing that after seeing this happen to someone else.

I’ve done it hundreds of times over the past ten years. The worst that has ever happened was the person still asked me for cash, which I declined. Sometimes people decline. But mostly, they thank me.

I had one lovely fella decline and suggest that instead we get a motel room so I could "service him" lol. Because I'm smart enough to understand that one incident is just that, I haven't let it stop me from helping others, or take my humanity away.

Wait what?!? Get back here and give us details

This is what happens in blue states/cities.

Blue states/cities tolerate open drug use, make it impossible for police to do anything against vagrants (because of 'rights'), hand out all sorts of freebies to people who live transitory lives, and constantly bend over backwards to appease the lowest bars for almost every issue.

What did you expect? Of course they'll all flock to the areas where politicians force feed tolerance down your throat because they are so progressive. SF was once a beautiful city, now it IS literally a disgusting, filth filled sh!thole that reeks of feces and urine everywhere. They're bringing that garbage here too. Progressivism is a mental disease. Homeless have all the rights in the world while productive members of society are forced to dodge discarded needles, fecal bombs, and hepatitis everywhere because of open drug use and defecation in the streets. It's absurd. Progressives constantly turn nice areas in to hellholes.

While I get that there are homeless with mental illness, there are also many homeless who are mentally ill BECAUSE they made poor choices to abuse drugs and alcohol. I also get sick and tired of the bohemian types who are young, abled bodied people who are perfectly capable of holding a job, yet all they want to do is get high everyday and sit in the park doing nothing. I can't stand the gutter punk types who think they're winning because they're sticking it to the man, then go around begging on the streets for money. No, get a job you lazy bums.

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!

They also accept Cashapp and Venmo

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Anonymous wrote:Considering there was a whole Sherlock Holmes story centering on a journalist who gets sucked into panhandling after discovering how lucrative it is, I think it’s safe to say this is not a new problem.

+1 their “job” is panhandling and they make enough from it to keep doing it. I mean, if you want to give them money, that’s your business. We’re just trying to tell people that they sure as hell aren’t homeless or destitute.

Every single one of them is a scammer? Do you paint everything with such a broad brush?

When did I say panhandling = scamming? They are professional panhandlers. That’s how they make money. It’s only a “scam” if you assume you’re giving money to the literal homeless and destitute and wouldn’t give them money otherwise.

You said they aren’t homeless, so it sounds like you know every single one of their situations, and you probably have never talked to any of them. Just like our stories aren’t all the same and neither and same thing

Ok, sounds like you have found a good gig asking for money from sheltered suburbanites in this area. I wish you well!

Nope, I was just given a good heart and I’m quite aware that just like we have different stories in our life, they do as well. They aren’t all scammers or drug addicts. I don’t give money, although I used too but just decided to ask what they would like to eat. I’m in a position where I won’t miss the extra few bucks to give a sandwich if they’d like one. If they don’t, then that’s ok too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering there was a whole Sherlock Holmes story centering on a journalist who gets sucked into panhandling after discovering how lucrative it is, I think it’s safe to say this is not a new problem.

+1 their “job” is panhandling and they make enough from it to keep doing it. I mean, if you want to give them money, that’s your business. We’re just trying to tell people that they sure as hell aren’t homeless or destitute.

Every single one of them is a scammer? Do you paint everything with such a broad brush?

When did I say panhandling = scamming? They are professional panhandlers. That’s how they make money. It’s only a “scam” if you assume you’re giving money to the literal homeless and destitute and wouldn’t give them money otherwise.

You said they aren’t homeless, so it sounds like you know every single one of their situations, and you probably have never talked to any of them. Just like our stories aren’t all the same and neither and same thing

Ok, sounds like you have found a good gig asking for money from sheltered suburbanites in this area. I wish you well!

Anonymous wrote:I always offer to buy them food but don't give money. Most of the time when I say something like "I'll bring you some food and drinks. What do you want that's around here?" they say they don't want anything.

I think those people who refuse food and drinks are scammers. There's one homeless guy in my town and he has a shopping cart full of food that people brought him (costco sized boxes of the mini chip bags, loaves of bread & jars of bp, cases of bottled water, etc.). Plus several daily hot meals people drop off.

Perfect. I don’t give money either but lots have accepted food. If they don’t want it, it’s their choice but I give them the choice instead of just assuming they are a scammer

Anonymous wrote:I always offer to buy them food but don't give money. Most of the time when I say something like "I'll bring you some food and drinks. What do you want that's around here?" they say they don't want anything.

I think those people who refuse food and drinks are scammers. There's one homeless guy in my town and he has a shopping cart full of food that people brought him (costco sized boxes of the mini chip bags, loaves of bread & jars of bp, cases of bottled water, etc.). Plus several daily hot meals people drop off.

Or looking for cash to buy drugs.

I always offer to buy them food but don't give money. Most of the time when I say something like "I'll bring you some food and drinks. What do you want that's around here?" they say they don't want anything.

I think those people who refuse food and drinks are scammers. There's one homeless guy in my town and he has a shopping cart full of food that people brought him (costco sized boxes of the mini chip bags, loaves of bread & jars of bp, cases of bottled water, etc.). Plus several daily hot meals people drop off.

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.

Yes! There was one at the Harris Teeter in Leesburg not too long ago. He wasn't even subtle with his speaker, though. No one was giving any money either because he was in such an odd location IN the parking lot of the store.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering there was a whole Sherlock Holmes story centering on a journalist who gets sucked into panhandling after discovering how lucrative it is, I think it’s safe to say this is not a new problem.

+1 their “job” is panhandling and they make enough from it to keep doing it. I mean, if you want to give them money, that’s your business. We’re just trying to tell people that they sure as hell aren’t homeless or destitute.

Every single one of them is a scammer? Do you paint everything with such a broad brush?

When did I say panhandling = scamming? They are professional panhandlers. That’s how they make money. It’s only a “scam” if you assume you’re giving money to the literal homeless and destitute and wouldn’t give them money otherwise.

You said they aren’t homeless, so it sounds like you know every single one of their situations, and you probably have never talked to any of them. Just like our stories aren’t all the same and neither and same thing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering there was a whole Sherlock Holmes story centering on a journalist who gets sucked into panhandling after discovering how lucrative it is, I think it’s safe to say this is not a new problem.

+1 their “job” is panhandling and they make enough from it to keep doing it. I mean, if you want to give them money, that’s your business. We’re just trying to tell people that they sure as hell aren’t homeless or destitute.

Every single one of them is a scammer? Do you paint everything with such a broad brush?

When did I say panhandling = scamming? They are professional panhandlers. That’s how they make money. It’s only a “scam” if you assume you’re giving money to the literal homeless and destitute and wouldn’t give them money otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buy a banana, a bottle of water, and a candy bar in the grocery store and hand them the bag as I exit. It cost me less than $3 most of the time.

Oohhh. Be careful with that. I’ve seen those thrown back at the giver along with a heavy dose of curses. I stopped doing that after seeing this happen to someone else.

I’ve done it hundreds of times over the past ten years. The worst that has ever happened was the person still asked me for cash, which I declined. Sometimes people decline. But mostly, they thank me.

I had one lovely fella decline and suggest that instead we get a motel room so I could "service him" lol. Because I'm smart enough to understand that one incident is just that, I haven't let it stop me from helping others, or take my humanity away.

You rock.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buy a banana, a bottle of water, and a candy bar in the grocery store and hand them the bag as I exit. It cost me less than $3 most of the time.

Oohhh. Be careful with that. I’ve seen those thrown back at the giver along with a heavy dose of curses. I stopped doing that after seeing this happen to someone else.

I’ve done it hundreds of times over the past ten years. The worst that has ever happened was the person still asked me for cash, which I declined. Sometimes people decline. But mostly, they thank me.

You did the right thing and these people responding here lack hearts. Keep doing it.

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.

What a sad anecdote. Gosh.