Posted on 08/07/2019 7:06:42 AM PDT by Red Badger
ABILENE, Texas (KTXS) — An Abilene man -- who appears to be homeless and handicap -- is making a good living by panhandling on weekends, according to the police chief.
Chief Stan Standridge said the man panhandles every Saturday and Sunday at the intersection of Hwy 83/84 and FM 707.
He sits in a wheelchair and the police department has gotten calls from people concerned about the man thinking he's homeless.
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Standridge said the department's homeless outreach team has been in contact with the man.
They learned he is not homeless. Standridge said the man lives in a home in south Abilene.
He is also not wheelchair-bound, according to Standridge.
Someone drops him off every weekend to seek charity. Standridge said the man earns about $1,000 a weekend.
KTXS found him at the intersection on Wednesday. Multiple people told KTXS he's there every day.
RJ told KTXS that he is homeless, handicap and is lucky to make $6 on a weekend.
But that conflicts with what Standridge said RJ told his officers.
"He has told our officers how much he’s making. We know where he resides. I have personally seen him dropped him off on weekends," Standridge said.
Ultimately, Standridge said his Facebook post is not about RJ.
If we each give $5 out the window, “what have we done to address homelessness? Nothing,” Standridge said.
Standridge believes the best way to address homelessness is to move away from charity toward philanthropy.
"Imagine if those dollars were given to non-profits to help get our homeless neighbors off the streets," said Standridge.
The police chief encourages people to give to non-profit groups like Hope Haven and Love And Care Ministries that help people who are down on their luck.
Nice cash business. Stuff it in the mattress and declare nothing. There are a couple like this clown around here.
Just visited Nashville. On the main club street there are 10-20 panhandlers at any one time - awful.
Wasn’t there a Sherlock Holmes story about a panhandler who was actually well-to-do? The Man with the Twisted Lip?
We have them too..........
Yep!.........
I live in Athens, GA.
There is a bench in front of the building and someone sleeping there.
Good for him. At least he is working for his pay.
I was once on the subway in NYC next to some panhandlers going home for the day. They were rolling up quarters into coin rolls so they could deposit them in the bank. They had about 30 or 40 rolls of quarters.
Who’s RJ?
How do they know he makes $1000/weekend.
“He has told our officers how much he’s making. ,...........
I had friends once at Eckerd (Drug) College (prescriptions for your mind) way back in the mid-70s who, as some sort of sociology/social justice study went to Tampa airport around the Thanksgiving holiday and begged for money for a flight home. Dressed well, articulate, sob stories like they’d lost their ticket, ticket was stolen with wallet, mum’s credit cards, etc, THEY made money hand over fist. Very often other well-dressed travelers would just hand them a few hundred dollars. Of course, the NON-white, and/or slovenly/poorly dressed students got bupkus, pocket change at best.
Draw your own conclusions.
What was interesting as heck was a few of them found this worked so well, they worked the scam through the rest of the year - Christmas, Spring break, summer break, making hundreds of dollars in a few short hours.
Don’t know if they kept it up for the rest of their time there, as I ran out of money for tuition and went into the Army for the next couple of decades.
$1000 x 52 weekends = $52,000 Tax Free!.......that’s more than I make!........
My friend picked up a panhandler a few months back and took him to breakfast with his (my friend’s) buddies. Panhandler said he just stays out until he collects $100 each day, then changes into his regular clothes and goes home. That comes out to $26,000/year if he panhandles 5 days a week. Since then, I find it hard to contribute, but still give to some.
The ones here park their butts at Wal-Mart parking lot drive in spots.....
We have them all over my city.
Wont hate them a bit.
If a fool has more money than sense, then why not part them from it?
A guy approached me the other day at a Walmart parking lot. He said he just out of jail and if he had $20 he could buy some work boots and start a job tomorrow.
I gave him $5 only because I like beer too.
Me too!.......
99% of panhandlers are addicts.
Here in LA almost every off ramp on freeway and mall parking lots has on,the saps give out as much as $700.00 a day.
And most have a dog with them pity prop I guess.
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