Posted on 08/24/2008 5:57:52 PM PDT by Lorianne
A new generation of shakedown artists hampers America’s urban revival.___ Barbara Bradley, an editor with the Memphis Commercial Appeal, moved into the River City’s reviving downtown about a year and a half ago, loving its “energy and enthusiasm.” But a horde of invading panhandlers has cooled her enjoyment of city life. Earlier this year, she recalled in a recent column, as she showed some visitors around the neighborhood, “a big panhandler blocked the entrance to our parking area and demanded his toll.” Now a nervous Bradley avoids certain downtown areas, locks her car when fueling up at local gas stations, and parks strategically, so that she can see beggars coming before getting out of her car. “When I hear someone call out ‘ma’am, ma’am’ anywhere in downtown or midtown, I run.”
Just say “no”.
Here in Seattle it's almost intolerable. These slackers are helping to make cities across the country unlivable.
Some won’t take no for an answer. They can get quite aggressive.
Most shakedown artists will try to hold you up if they think they have a chance.
Within the last couple of years (after some Katrina refugees hit our area, I suspect), I had this fat black woman plop herself down in front of my door and beg me for money with a long-winded sob story—on not one but two different occasions. I didn’t give her anything... on top of everything else, money’s been tight for us too. She got embarrassed the second time. I guess she had forgotten that she’d already attempted to hit me up once before.
Rudy Giuliani for Mayor of Memphis!
Here in Tampa Bay they have tent cities set up. They set one up in a city park and all the lib whackos were up in arms when the police kicked them out.
The favorite for me is a young lady about 30. One day she’s pregnant, next her car broke down and she’s stuck far from home.
She could be working but she probably makes more begging. Its impressive to see these folks standing all day begging for money in the Florida summer.
DON'T FEED THE PIGEONS AND DON'T GIVE MONEY TO THE PANHANDLERS!!!
On the door to your house????? Yikes.
“Spare change? Can you spare some change?”
Sounds like an Obama-mercial.
I had a very similar incident happen to me...big panhandler, scruffy-looking, bad odor, the whole nine yards...came up right in front of me, blocked my path, and asked for money. I asked him flat-out, “What are you going to do if I don’t give you any money?”
He looked shocked and quickly walked away.
Of course, if you’re not prepared for things to get worse, it’s probably best not to say something like that. But I was pissed.
My sister-in-law saw one standing next to the guardrail at an off ramp in Northern Virginia. She felt so bad with what his cardboard sign said, she went to the store and bought a couple of bags of groceries for him. She went back and gave them to him. Later that night she went by the same location and he was gone...but the groceries had been tossed behind the guardrail. That cured her forever.
Does anyone disagree that the homeless roaming the streets is an example of liberal values in practice?
It was a liberal idea to make it much more difficult to commit someone for psychiatric care. Many homeless have mental problems.
It was a liberal idea to do away with laws such as vagrancy laws that used to be a way of dealing with loitering and people living on the streets.
The exsitence of so many homeless is due to liberal values being applied to the problems of people who can’t live in society properly.
A good conservative value would be to get these people off the streets and then get to the roots of their problems. If they can be helped to living on their own, fine. If not, maybe they are better off getting the mental help they need. But the liberals prefer to let this problem fester, by saying people have a constitutional right to sleep on the streets. They protest efforts to get homeless off the streets by charging we want to put them in jail. But the liberals have no solutions to the problems of the homeless. They just want them to stay downtown or in the slums, while the liberals enjoy their nice homes on the Upper West Side, or Berkeley, or La Jolla, or Bel Air, or all the other nice neighborhoods of our cities. They would protest if the homeless were in their neighborhood, but if they are not in their neighborhood, the liberals don’t care. How compassionate are liberals if they want to let someone sleep on the street?
Hey, I think I’d actually give money to this guy: he appears to be honest about his debauchery. Other than that, I despise these people. If they’re really hurting, they should take advantage of the Salvation Army and other charities (and yes, I have given, thank you very much).
Now THAT's "in yo face!"
The case for bringing back public flogging...
I see the same faces year in and out here, and there is no end to the suckers (and DemocRats) who stop and tie up traffic to hand these grifters money.
So it goes...
That’s the way I handle it.
It has spread to all areas of the country and the suburbs too. I see the same guys and occasional gals switching corners of especially busy intersections week after week. They’re pros. For those of you afraid of the aggressive ones, there is an aggressive solution and that is to display if approached. and I’m not talking middle finger.
One way to tell if they’re legit or not is to ask to bum a cig from a bum. If he pulls out a pack of cigs and offers one he’s not legit.
Then there’s the car wash placards and the little league dads and moms standing in the turn lanes out begging for money too. It’s getting very tiresome and dangerous for these kids and their parents.
Hey, now that’s a panhandler I’d actually give money too!
Thank you. Please tell any of your relatives (especially the older females) that, if visiting New York, DO NOT GIVE MONEY TO PANHANDLERS!
I hear the make about $70,000 annually. No taxes either.
My parents live in Boca Raton, Florida, a solidly liberal Democratic city in Palm Beach County. It has long been custom for the local police to pick up any wandering homeless (particularly on Route One) and drive them over the county line into Deerfield Beach.
I have to agree with you. I loved Seattle when I visited this summer, except for a couple of incidents where panhandlers blocked the exit of our hotel and a sidewalk, harassing people trying to ignore them...
I am also pissed by the fact that every ice cream parlor, coffee shop, and fast food outlet must have a tip jar.
A long time ago me and a buddy saw some bum directing traffic in the middle of an intersection in downtown Boston.
My friend gave me some crap about the poor bum and how hungry he must be so he bought a hotdog and walked over to the bum and gave it to him.
No thanks or anything he just put the hotdog in his pocket, mustard and ketchup and all and continued to direct traffic.
I just laughed.
I thought you men liked that sort of thing.
;-)
That's because we Southerners are a soft touch. We don't mind helping people when they're down. Most surveys say Mississippians are the most giving percapita in the country. Many of us down south fully believe what Jesus told us, "What you do to the least of these, you do to me."
So, when a panhandler asks me for money for food, I offer to buy them a free meal. You'd be surprised how many panhandlers, drunks, welfare cheats, etc. "have serious medical problems" and "have to have a special diet", ie, they can't eat the food I get for them at McDonalds. Of course, I'm a pretty big guy so few try to get aggressive with me. If anything, I get aggressive with them...."WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU WON'T TAKE MY OFFER OF A FREE MEAL!?!?!?!?" to their face.
Literally EVERY time I've had a tire blowout or a breakdown on a road in Mississippi, I've had a stranger/strangers stop to offer me help, both black and white. If it's women/elderly/someone who looks like they need the help, I do the same.
If the bums won’t take no for an answer, pull out your cannister of pepper spray and hose ‘em down.
Be sure there are no surveillance cameras around, and effectively dispose of your empty cannister.
Substitute Red Cross, United Way, the local Mission, various FOPs and Firefighter’s associations, even the Boy Scouts and the never-ending March of Dimes and then get back to me on who the professional panhandlers are...
The "Keep your Burka" sign gave me a real chuckle. Mrs L said almost that very thing once.
L
I usually give ‘em a couple of bucks. What’s a couple of bucks these days? Then, when I have their attention, I ask,”Have you ever been to Frisco?” Then I proceed to describe it like it was the Emerald City of OZ.
Not on the door--in front of it. She came up to our front door, either rang the doorbell or knocked, and then plopped down on her butt on the sidewalk in front of the door, where she began her sob-story spiel.
The worst panhandlers in this country reside in Washington DC and are never happy with the massive amounts of money we suckers are forced to give them. They are a constant source of threats and intimidation and are are in our lives and faces 24/7.
I give them money if
1) They’re polite.
2) I’m in a good mood.
I would have directed her to the residence of the nearest guilty white liberal.
I only give spare change if it is a verified street performer or street musician.
There are some really good musicians playing in the subways of NYC. Made sitting there waiting for the worst subway, the F line, more tolerable.
That's a good response! I'll have to remember it.
I'm not a liberal, but I am white, and most of my guilt is toward all the homeless domestic critters out there, which I wish I could rescue but can't. My landlady recently told me I had to quit feeding some stray cats who had been abandoned.
Now I feel bad when I look out the window and see three young hungry cats wondering where's the food. I had originally thought to either tame or trap them, and pawn them off on a rescue which would find them homes.
Some b@st@rd neighbor dumped them, and some other b@st@ard neighbor probably injured them by chucking rocks at them... one of them had an injured leg, and one of them had a laceration on his cheek.
So, yes--some things do make me feel guilty, but not generally panhandlers.
Morning there, Clemenza - I don't know if they bother to go to Deerfield anymore, I think they drive them out West to 441 and leave them there. Can't get rid of these guys! I'll usually donate to the guy selling the Sun Sentinel in front of the other guys. At least he's trying...
I don't know many Southerners that are stupid enough to go to New York. :-)
The culture is different here. Neighbors help neighbors with everything. Beinging from a small communitity (pop. 500 or so) where doors are not locked and everybody knows everybody and their business is a blessing and a curse. Even people in the larger towns are more open and trusting than most places up North. We have no business going to places like New York on vacation. I have no desire or intention of doing so either.
The ones especially in Washngton, D.C. who really get me angry are the ones doing the "I'm a homeless Vet" routine.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I had not one but TWO come to my house Tuesday. One at 1 AM!
My wife and I have given a lot over the years to the groups you list. We’ve come to believe that the day they get our check they prepare a mailing and send us something else. It has altered our giving patterns and seek out those that have better manners.
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