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hmmm. Being from the Black Dutch (actually Black German, since the anglos in this country thought "deutsche" meant "dutch") nomads, I am leery of the negative stereotyping of the travellers. Some are tumbleweeds, some put down roots. Like in any ethnic group, some are opportunistic viruses, some are healing herbs.

There was a group of self proclaimed gypsies in my area. It was a large group with mostly the same last name. They travelled back and fourth between the Chicago 'burbs and Terre Haute Indiana.

After a few years they became notorious in the area for the sealcoating scam. This is where they would knock on your door and tell you they had sealcoating materials left over from a job down the street and they could give a great discount on your driveway. They would actually thin the sealcoating mixture to where it wouldn't last but a few days. The local police chased them from the area a couple years ago.

They all spoke a language they called "Rumley". I couldn't describe what language it was derived from.

I wasn't "stereotyping". I myself am 5/8th Irish, and I bear no hostility whatsoever to my ethnic kin (or anyone else's) who were driven to nomadism by the misfortunes of centuries past. BTW, one of my nephews is an adopted orphan Russian Roma boy -- and a really great kid.