Yes, the guys at freeway offramps. It was common in Seattle but I only recently saw it here in Louisville. I get pretty agressive about them. I’ve honked at cars giving them money and tried to bypass the cars.
Based on my - and my wife’s - experience trying to help panhandlers, I’ve developed a simple rule: Never, EVER give money to a stranger. If I don’t know their story, they get nothing.
I won’t go into the stuff regarding the freeway offramp people in Seattle, but it’s a scam.
When I lived in Chicago, I was constantly hit up by the same guy for cash, “for food,” of course. One day, I went into a McDonald’s and bought him a trio.
I never give money to panhandlers. If they are truly hungry, can’t they work out some deal with a local restaurant? Sweep up the sidewalk, for example, in exchange for leftover food? (=
Oh, but don’t try that in Seattle; then, you would be a racist!:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3569199/posts