Zone1 Beggars at the Intersection: How do you feel about them? What do you do?

[pknopp]

Some are definitely scammers out there, but taking in the totality of what's been going on across America, it's more of a fall out situation born of government incompetency and corruption that is causing the situation to grow exponentially huge. People are seeing this stuff on the rise, and your normal looking scammers are becoming younger and younger in which indicates a riff in the system. Now being bold enough to find out where the riff is coming from is up to the citizen's becoming more active in holding government and it's policies accountable.

I doubt you could ever get enough people to agree on what the problem is.

 

[MarathonMike]

I on occasion take packages of socks down to the homeless camps. Now my experience in no way represents the entire country but not a one appear to be Hispanic.

Now the influx can cause other issues but as we have noted here 100's of times, no one wants to address those issues.

Have you considered the possibility that the reason you didn't see Hispanics in the homeless camps is due to the surge of immigrants forcing American citizens out of the shelters? I see the same thing, the majority of homeless appear to be either Vets or non-Hispanic people.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

No, she needs it because she is pregnant.




Yes, people rely on health care to survive. Is this some revelation?

Pheh.... you are either one of two things...
1) Really are this simple minded, unable to grasp concepts beyond the top surface of an argument.
2) You constantly need to feed your beliefs that require you to suspend reality, and ignore it.

I think you are #2

 

[Foxfyre]

In the past two years, I have noticed an epidemic of people begging at major intersections in my city. At a big four-way stop, you'll see them at all four medians. They're working in tandem. All have cardboard signs. All begging for help.

What do you do about it?

My first impulse is anger. I'm angry that they're implicitly lying about how they'll use the money, probably going for drugs or booze. The other thing is my charity solicits in front of certain stores. We have to go through a lot of red tape to get permission and permits to solicit. From the business; from the state; from the strip mall owner. And it absolutely frosts me to see these beggars at those same strip mall exits panhandling for themselves...not for charity....to buy drugs and booze. They didn't ask permission from anyone. It angers me even more when dunderheads give them money.

Now as a Christian, I wrestle with this. I feel bad that I get angry. I've talked to two priests about this. Both said I shouldn't get angry. One said that rather than give them money, I should engage with them and offer to accompany them to a restaurant and have a meal with them. The other priest said I should be pleasant and treat them like a human being, though I don't have to give them anything. He said "How rotten must their lives be that they would stand out there, regardless of what they do with the money?" He had a point. People addicted to drug or alcohol are not happy or well people. Anger isn't the proper response.

One time I did as the first priest instructed. The very next day after I talked to him, I was sitting in the parking lot at Lowe's looking at my phone. A woman tapped on my window and asked for money for something to eat. I thought it was divine providence. So I offered to go into the Kroger's and get her some fruit and bread and such. But that wasn't what she had in mind. She wanted to eat at the Sonic across the way. So I said fine and let her order. She got a meal deal with fries and a drink. I bristled at what I considered a junk meal, but went with it. I paid $8.64. Trying to make conversation, I asked her name. She refused to tell me. We talked a little bit about her circumstance. Everyone in her life was a f*cking asshole by her account. At the end, she asked for money. I declined. She thanked me for the meal and went on her way .

Pope Francis when asked the question, said he would not only talk to a beggar kindly, he would give them money. He said "So what if the person wants to buy a glass of wine. Who among us doesn't have a guilty pleasure?" I don't see it that way. I see it as enabling an addiction. I was talking to a woman who works in the ABC stores. She said she'll see these guys who were out panhandling come in with stacks of bills to buy liquor. Homeless professionals advise people to NOT give beggars money, that you can give them vouchers for the local shelter. It is a fact that most homeless are not beggars, and most beggars are not homeless.

So how did I feel after my encounter with the woman at Lowe's? Ambivalent. I felt sort of good, but also sort of like a sucker. Probably more the latter. I definitely didn't like getting her a junk meal, but I guess that wasn't the point. I liked that she seemed appreciative, and may it did help her a little. But I decided I probably would do it again if given the same circumstance, at least not in the same way.

I have softened recently, when I considered the plight of a neighbor girl my daughter's age who fell into drugs. Nice family, good neighborhood. But she just went bad. Now they don't know where she lives. She has a child her parents have adopted and take care of. What if it was this neighbor girl whom I've know since she was six who I saw pandhandling on the street corner? I wouldn't be angry then. I would feel compassion and sorrow. I'd ask her if she needed anything or to be driven somewhere. But I wouldn't give her any money.

Any thoughts about this topic?

Many years ago I worked for a religious organization. I wasn't a receptionist but my desk was positioned so that I was the first person people saw when they came into the building. We were also the closest religious group to two interstate highways that intersected in our city and a lot of indigent transient people came in wanting a hand out.

Their stories were always much the same. They were enroute to a new job and had been robbed along the way so they had no ID and no money for food or gas to get to a new job somewhere else. No they couldn't give me a name of anyone who could vouch for them. No they couldn't tell me who to call at the 'new job.' And no they couldn't go to the nearby community assistance center that all the local charities contributed to to help such people because a police background check was required.

Our Christian consciences made us reluctant to turn away a hungry or truly needy person regardless of their circumstances so we figured out a voucher program in cooperation with a gas station a half block away and also with a small informal restaurant also a half block away. I would give the transient a voucher for 5 gallons gasoline, plenty to get them to the next city down the road at least and a voucher for any meal they ordered at the restaurant. We would pay the cost of either to the businesses should the vouchers be cashed.

I kept track over the next year. I gave out over 130 vouchers for gas and meals. One--that is ONE--voucher was cashed for the gas. Not a single voucher was cashed for the meals. Suspecting the proprietors were just accepting them and not turning them in for reimbursement to us, I asked both. I believe them when they said they honestly had not received any other than that one.

I try not to judge. Try not to draw incorrect inclusions. But that is the way it was.

 

[pknopp]

Have you considered the possibility that the reason you didn't see Hispanics in the homeless camps is due to the surge of immigrants forcing American citizens out of the shelters? I see the same thing, the majority of homeless appear to be either Vets or non-Hispanic people.

Most of the people I see have no desire to live in a shelter.

 

[pknopp]

Pheh.... you are either one of two things...
1) Really are this simple minded, unable to grasp concepts beyond the top surface of an argument.
2) You constantly need to feed your beliefs that require you to suspend reality, and ignore it.

I think you are #2

Reality is pregnant women need health care.

 

[beagle9]

Have you considered the possibility that the reason you didn't see Hispanics in the homeless camps is due to the surge of immigrants forcing American citizens out of the shelters? I see the same thing, the majority of homeless appear to be either Vets or non-Hispanic people.

Interesting thought... Could be some of that. Maybe we need true journalism to investigate by going up to these sidewalk beggar's, and attempting to get the true story on what's happening.

 

[beagle9]

Most of the people I see have no desire to live in a shelter.

Shouldn't be a choice, otherwise if they are violating vagrancy laws, and trashing up the area's with urination, crap, and litter, then they should be forced to live in the encampments while undergoing evaluation, rehabilitation, and then helped to get work, schooling, training, and ultimately an apartment to live in.

 

[pknopp]

Shouldn't be a choice, otherwise if they are violating vagrancy laws, and trashing up the area's with urination, crap, and litter, then they should be forced to live in the encampments while undergoing evaluation, rehabilitation, and then helped to get work, schooling, training, and ultimately an apartment to live in.

Yeah well........ no one is interested.

 

[beagle9]

Reality is pregnant women need health care.

I assume you are referring to abortion/planned Parenthood as a jab in the conversation, but you need to go to that topic instead of attempting to deflect here with it.

 

[beagle9]

Yeah well........ no one is interested.

Yeah well the law should make them interested.

 

[pknopp]

I assume you are referring to abortion/planned Parenthood as a jab in the conversation, but you need to go to that topic instead of attempting to deflect here with it.

I have no idea what you are saying so I can not address your assumptions.

 

[pknopp]

Yeah well the law should make them interested.

How would that work? And by no one, I mean everyone.

 

[Mashmont]

Many years ago I worked for a religious organization. I wasn't a receptionist but my desk was positioned so that I was the first person people saw when they came into the building. We were also the closest religious group to two interstate highways that intersected in our city and a lot of indigent transient people came in wanting a hand out.

Their stories were always much the same. They were enroute to a new job and had been robbed along the way so they had no ID and no money for food or gas to get to a new job somewhere else. No they couldn't give me a name of anyone who could vouch for them. No they couldn't tell me who to call at the 'new job.' And no they couldn't go to the nearby community assistance center that all the local charities contributed to to help such people because a police background check was required.

Our Christian consciences made us reluctant to turn away a hungry or truly needy person regardless of their circumstances so we figured out a voucher program in cooperation with a gas station a half block away and also with a small informal restaurant also a half block away. I would give the transient a voucher for 5 gallons gasoline, plenty to get them to the next city down the road at least and a voucher for any meal they ordered at the restaurant. We would pay the cost of either to the businesses should the vouchers be cashed.

I kept track over the next year. I gave out over 130 vouchers for gas and meals. One--that is ONE--voucher was cashed for the gas. Not a single voucher was cashed for the meals. Suspecting the proprietors were just accepting them and not turning them in for reimbursement to us, I asked both. I believe them when they said they honestly had not received any other than that one.

I try not to judge. Try not to draw incorrect inclusions. But that is the way it was.

Outstanding post. You might have thought they'd try to sell the vouchers.

 

[Mashmont]

I get it. $$$$ is more important than these lives you pretend to want to protect.

Very generous of you to give everyone else's money away on stuff that doesn't work.

 

[pknopp]

Very generous of you to give everyone else's money away on stuff that doesn't work.

Health care does not work for pregnant women?

 

[Mashmont]

My thoughts is that if you really want to do the right thing, then you join with as many citizen's as you can, and y'all get after the root of the problem. You know what that is right ?? Elect a government that works instead of one that is responsible for this fall out in society. As we elect the wrong government from local to national, we are enabling our societies to crumble, and these things to become more and more the norm.

Stop electing Democrat's is the first positive step, and then hold republican's accountable if they are to lead in any kind of capacity the American nation.

Right now we are seeing the fall out from bad voting choice's, and the allowing of government to go unchecked after being elected.

The sad thing is the people didn't vote for these idiots. The presidential election and Georgia senate elections were stolen.

 

[Mashmont]

Health care does not work for pregnant women?

Health care to you means abortion. Leftwingers have perverted yet another term.

"Reproductive care" = killing little babies in the womb
"Transgender care" = mutilating a child's body because of a child's fleeting whim
"Investment" = massive wasteful public spending

 

[pknopp]

Health care to you means abortion.

Bite me. I'm pro-life but thanks for proving my point for me.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

Beggars are why I left in Los Angeles.

I stopped to get gas at the gas station on LA Cienega and Cadillac. As soon as I got out of the car I was surrounded by beggars. Completely surrounded. I went totally berserk. I was spitting, kicking, punching, screaming. The very ferocity of the attack startled the bums and they withdrew. I was able to get gas, pay and leave.

My son said that incident was enough. I moved to Orange County where the police still enforce the law.