Beggers at gas stations

[Ramjet12]

I too don't give anything to panhandlers. The same guy has stood at the 185th and Hwy 26 off ramp for years. He used to hold a sign that said injured vet or something like that. He'd hunch over on his cane and pretend to be a cripple. One day I saw him walking out of the 7-11 that's right there. Absolutely nothing wrong with him. The cops finally picked him up for harassing motorist and drugs. Haven't seen him since. That was about 2 years ago.

 

[marty8587]

There is a guy usually by Costco in NE PDX who is missing 1/2 of a leg always by the entrance/exit of the parking lot. He almost got to me, but I remembered my last social security statement where I figured out I was worth more dissabled now than if I work until age 65! If this guy needs to panhandle he must have a substance abuse problem.Sorry if I seem insensitive but I won't pay for someone elses dope habit.

 

[Grunwald]

Some years ago my uncle offered a job to clean up a back yard to one of those "will work for food" people. The guy cursed out my uncle and said he wasn't interested in working, only money.

 

[marty8587]

My sign "Will Eat For Food"!!

 

[parallax]

we got a guy here in eugene, that sits at the driveway entrance of a west side grocery store and puts one of his arms out of his coat and behind his back,leaving his empty coat sleeve dangling.( so it looks like he has one arm). and has the usual sign, war vet, disabled ,,etc.etc. gotta laugh at his brazeness. also get hit up occassionally at the local home depot, by people carrying gas cans, asking for money to fill there can so they can get home... one time i told'em, "lets go fill up your can".. their response was"uhh, uhhh, well i really just need some money"(wrong answer, my hippy friend)..I never give any of them, anything.

 

[slugman]

Same guy at the 38th street Safeway. Fred Meyer on 19th and Am/PM Union and Center I always tell them no and dont start thier S%^# ! Funny thing is, Im 6'4 250 lbs , and some say look antisocial. I give them the no look and the dunb$&^es still come and ask. They just dont care. I even told the guy at Safeway not to ask the older "scared"lady next to us, and he just mutters something and went and asked her anyway. No, she didnt give him anything.Problem is, I think this is going to get worse. The people in the kiosh arent/can't going to do anything. As long as people give them money, they wont go away. Slugman

 

[clambo]

I volunteer time and money to help support a shelter in Gresham. Not your typical emergency flophouse but one with rules, classes, and a goal of getting it's clients employable and housed. Most of them do pretty good, the ones who won't comply go by the wayside quickly. As for handing out cash on the street, forget it. There is always money to be made if you're willing to work. Furthermore if you're a disabled vet the V.A. will help you and you'd likely be getting a disability check from them if you are that messed up. Helping someone in need is a noble thing. Supporting a scumbag....not helpful. I wish there were an easier way to tell the difference sometimes.

 

[FortunateSon]

Years ago I was mostly destitute myself, but I did have a home and access to a vehicle and was actively looking for work. There was a guy that was at the entrance to a Mall in Salem. It was December and cold outside and this poor guy looked miserable as he stood outside begging for food or money every time I drove by. I didn't have any money for him, but I did have some warm clothes I could spare, so I took some to him. I pulled over and of course he wasted no time coming over to my car. When I handed him a sweater, jacket, and gloves he gave me a look of such disappointment that I never have forgotten and have not given one thing to anyone on the street since.

I want to help those less fortunate so I donate food, and an occasional cash donation of whatever I can afford, to local charities. Never again to anyone working the streets.

 

[Just Me]

... it drives me nuts when the bleeding hearts stop traffic to hand them money.

we got a guy here in eugene... has the usual sign, war vet, disabled...

The two things that torque me the most about beggars:

First, the people who stop and give them money. They don't really care about the recipient, they just want to make themselves feel good. If they really cared they would park and go ask the person what it was they could do to help them. In reality, they just hand them some petty cash and drive away telling themselves how benevolent they are. To me they are worse than the beggars because they enable begging out of their own selfishness.

Second, the beggars who claim to be disabled veterans. My dad is a disabled veteran who worked until he was 60. Two of my co-workers are partially disabled vets. Don't stand on a corner for 5-8 hours per day and tell me you are disabled, let alone a vet. I bet if I asked them for a DD214 they wouldn't even know what it was.:angry:

(If you can't tell, this is a hot-button topic of mine :complain

 

[Redcap]

Years back, when I was framing tracts in Campus Glen in Lacey, I gave an older offramp beggar a job as a laborer.

 

[clearconscience]

They are everywhere in portland. I work PT for AAA and was driving in portland this last summer and saw a homeless couple about 25ish. They had a large pitbull and a pitbull puppy maybe a couple months old. They were all sitting in the small median between traffic and the puppy must have gotten in the road and was run over. I was able to see this homeless trash carrying her dead puppy (so everyone could see of course) across the road. Dealing with with woman who hit it and the police. All the while her bf just sat at the median panhandling.I was so pissed. Who gives these people animals!!!

After working in downtown years ago riding the max at night i will never give homeless trash a cent.

I was watching a documentary on the rajneeshie? Cult in oregon. They had went to major cities across the county busing homeless people to oregon to uP their numbers so they could vote themselves into office. Like 3000 people. When they were done they just dropped them off in portland

 

[Gwitness]

A younger guy approached my car at an intersection last week......my son who was sitting on the pass side of the car rolled down his window..........and gave the guy his recruiters card.

 

[Hrethgir]

If I didn't think for one second that any money I give to a beggar/panhandler WOULDN'T be used for drugs, booze, or smokes, then I'd be first in line to spare a buck.

Only time I've ever given a buck to one of those guys at a corner was because his sign said "Why lie, need money for beer." I thought, finally, an honest panhandler, I'll give him a buck!

 

[jordanvraptor]

I hate the guys who claim to be Vietnam vets who are probably only about 40 years old... Being a disabled vet myself and knowing how many programs there are to take care of vets, I tend not to believe any of them. On a few occasions if panhandled I would look at them quizzically and give them my best imitation Lao/Vietnamese gibberish. Haven't had any respond back yet. I have engaged in some discussions with homeless beggars who I have had to trespass off the property where I work. Their sense of entitlement makes even liberal democratic types at my work become instantly conservative. I think I have told a couple that if they think the government should take care of them then I have already given them charity since I pay taxes... They don't like that idea.

 

[Stomper]

The two things that torque me the most about beggars:

First, the people who stop and give them money. They don't really care about the recipient, they just want to make themselves feel good. If they really cared they would park and go ask the person what it was they could do to help them. In reality, they just hand them some petty cash and drive away telling themselves how benevolent they are. To me they are worse than the beggars because they enable begging out of their own selfishness.

Second, the beggars who claim to be disabled veterans. My dad is a disabled veteran who worked until he was 60. Two of my co-workers are partially disabled vets who. Don't stand on a corner for 5-8 hours per day and tell me you are disabled, let alone a vet. I bet if I asked them for a DD214 they wouldn't even know what it was.:angry:

(If you can't tell, this is a hot-button topic of mine :complain

^^^THIS, 100%^^^


Years ago I actually had an older black guy knock on my door (SE 85th just South of Holgate in PDX) saying he was collecting cans to raise money for a family whose house burned down. He was wearing wire-rimmed glasses, but there were no lenses in them, and one side was slightly bent... I gave him some empty pop cans, anyway.

Since then I refuse to give any street-walker anything, except an offer to remove their liver for them if they're aggressive. Fortunately, I don't get approached very often... I don't know why.

 

[Kelzebubba]

I was in downtown Fort Worth this morning, leaving the central library on 3rd street. When walking outside of the parking garage I had some dude who was clean shaven, nice clothes, shoes that had leather soles, ask me for a buck. I told him that I don't carry cash, which I don't after an incident. I found it absurd.

 

[Callidus98]

You know they are going to start pulling out their smart phones with the little 'pay anywhere' device and tell you they "also take creditcard."

 

[One-Eyed Ross]

one thing to remember about the VA. If you can't have your DD214, or have a VA number, you won't get seen there, period.
Further, the VA isn't set up to just take homeless vets off the street. Although it would be great, your congress critters don't fund the VA go do that. There are programs they can apply for, but it might take a while before they get into one, depending on availability and all.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I find them helpful. They do a great job of marking where the street corners are. If it wasn't for them I would miss half of my turns.

 

[Bushman]

Same guy at the 38th street Safeway. Fred Meyer on 19th and Am/PM Union and Center I always tell them no and dont start thier S%^# ! Funny thing is, Im 6'4 250 lbs , and some say look antisocial. I give them the no look and the dunb$&^es still come and ask. They just dont care. I even told the guy at Safeway not to ask the older "scared"lady next to us, and he just mutters something and went and asked her anyway. No, she didnt give him anything.Problem is, I think this is going to get worse. The people in the kiosh arent/can't going to do anything. As long as people give them money, they wont go away. Slugman

That Safeway is not in the best part of town, though the Fred Meyer is (if it's in/near University Place depending on which one you are talking about, super center or just the grocery one). UP has kind of gone down hill last 5 years. There have been police shootings and a bar fight/murder at that bar by TCC.