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Jul - General Chat - Stories about beggars and panhandlers New poll - New thread - New reply
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sofi

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Posted on 06-23-11 12:43:40 AM Link | Quote
Ever since I moved into the city I've been coming across more beggars on the streets than I could ever imagine! And they all seem to like me a lot for some reason, like they tell me I'm beautiful and sweet and it's okay if I don't have any money since I have a nice smile or something. Go figure.

Anyway the other day this guy was like, "Hey, you have a cigarette?" And I was like, "Aw, I'm sorry I don't smoke!" He's all, "Oh, that's okay, you're beautiful. Can you spare a quarter?" I was going to walk off but I stopped and gave him one anyway.

And then he says, "My name's Bruce. Let me know if you have any trouble."

I know what you're thinking and I think it's awesome too. I mean, shit, now I have a friend on the street named Bruce ready to stab someone I don't like with a switchblade for me at the drop of a hat as thanks for a quarter! I think this is really, really cool but if Chuck Palahniuk's novel Lullaby has proven anything, the temptation can be overwhelming. If I start using my rolls of quarters for panhandlers instead of laundry can I fund my very own sub-poverty army? Can I become the queen of bottom-class Boston hailing from the cultural void of suburban middle-class ennui? Will forming a non-worker's revolt be possible given my petite bourgeoise upbringing?

Do you have any stories about people begging for money on the streets? Has your generosity ever earned you friends on the streets? Share your stories!

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Posted on 06-23-11 12:46:22 AM Link | Quote




We have a lot of beggars in the city here... giving them cash is NOT a good idea though. The reason for this is quite simple, they are emploied by some jerk ass to stand there and beg, and he takes pretty much all the cash they get. Don't ask me how this works, I'm as clueless myself why they do this, I guess it has something to do with not understanding the language?



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sofi

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Posted on 06-23-11 12:51:16 AM Link | Quote
Yeah, my parents and grandparents and great grandparents used to lecture me about all that jazz when I was little, warning me not to make contact with creepy street folk because they'll cripple me and force me to beg for them or something.

It's some sort of organized crime thing in many places. I'm not sure how common it is here.

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Posted on 06-23-11 02:41:45 AM Link | Quote
Seattle has a lot of beggars too, especially downtown. I just ignore them. Often the "beggars" in Seattle get their food from shelters and such and only beg for money for smokes/drugs. So it's better to donate to a homeless shelter because then the money will go toward feeding and sheltering the homeless rather than some drug habit.

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Lyskar
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Posted on 06-23-11 04:34:30 AM Link | Quote
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Metal_Man88's Post
Some beggars are actually like you or I, and have homes, and just beg to supplement their income.

When I heard some of them make thousands of dollars a day, I pretty much decided against giving anyone money like that--better to donate to homeless shelters.

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Posted on 06-23-11 08:32:15 AM Link | Quote



I just tip the street bands if I like what their playing. Other than that, like Metal_Man88, I'll just donate to charity or homeless shelters.

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Posted on 06-23-11 11:04:49 AM Link | Quote




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We have a semi-famous bum deemed "Help is on the way" after his most famous rhyme. One time I remember he complimented me on my clothes and told me he could never pull off wearing black.

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Posted on 06-23-11 02:33:23 PM Link | Quote

Originally posted by Terra
Seattle has a lot of beggars too, especially downtown. I just ignore them. Often the "beggars" in Seattle get their food from shelters and such and only beg for money for smokes/drugs. So it's better to donate to a homeless shelter because then the money will go toward feeding and sheltering the homeless rather than some drug habit.

This applies perfectly to my town as well.

We do have a lot of people who are legitimately down on their luck, or even mentally ill, but we also have a lot of druggies who are just doing it to support a habit or what have you. So my family and I tend to donate to shelters and such rather than outright giving them money.

That said, street performers? I am all for giving money to them. They're actually working for their pay, and some of them are DAMN good. I love them.

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Posted on 06-23-11 03:26:53 PM Link | Quote
I'm with vinny and metal_man. Most bums in Portland have homes and just do it for extra cash. But street performers actually attempt to earn it in some way by entertaining passerby.

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sofi

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Posted on 06-23-11 04:23:59 PM Link | Quote
Wonderful stories everyone. Keep them coming.

Once I had a ton of pennies that I didn't want so I went into the city and found the first beggar I could and gave him all of my pennies and she was incredibly grateful even though it probably only amounted to like 18 cents.

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Taryn

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Posted on 06-23-11 04:33:38 PM Link | Quote
I don't really consider street musicians and such to be beggars. They're using their talent to entertain people for money, not asking for money for no reason.

When I was in Canada recently, I put all my Canadian cents in a charity drop box on my way back to the US. Nice way to get rid of small change that wouldn't be accepted at American banks. I saved larger coins for future trips to Canada.

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Posted on 06-23-11 06:59:36 PM Link | Quote
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Metal_Man88's Post
There's a hobo we call "The Architect." The creepy thing is he's been around the house where I lived for the first 22 years of my life... the whole time. He first popped up a bunch a while ago, around when I was born. He wore this suit which had blood on it--apparently he'd gotten in a fight, but never changed his suit, because the suit had been put on him by some shelter or something.

Anyway, he was there to tell my Dad that he, apparently, was the architect of the house we were in, which was weird.

Then after that, 22 years went by, and our house is finally sold... my Dad encounters him again, and he doesn't seem much changed from before. Sure enough, he repeats what he said--and also says he made Caltech. Heh... weird. A bookend to life at my old house, I guess.

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Posted on 06-28-11 02:26:20 PM Link | Quote
In Bombay(went there two years back), begging is so hardcore they have something like a guild. Beggars in India can be a bit scary considering that they have walked all the way up to the door asking for food and/or money. More frightening when you see that the house has this hardcore industrial gate. All sorts of beings enter the Khan compound regularly. Cows, dogs, goats mostly.



It's inviting, yes. But it's also no easy task to reach here from the busy street.
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Posted on 06-28-11 03:18:40 PM Link | Quote
In my entire life in Durham, I have seen 1 beggar and that was only once. There are a lot of people that can be found selling Big Issues, which is a magazine to help homeless people help themselves and there are many street performers dotted around, which produces a really good mix of music if you're in earshot of two of them.

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Posted on 06-28-11 06:33:33 PM Link | Quote
See a beggar (like a boss)
Try to make no eye contact (like a boss)
Walk away (Like a boss)
Feel douchey (Like a boss)
Realize that I'm really not due to organizations that help the homeless (Like a boss)
Feel douchey for not giving to them instead (Like a boss)

Also, I heard of an interesting way to give to beggars without giving them actual money. Usually involves 'one free x at y' coupon for food establishments.

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Jul - General Chat - Stories about beggars and panhandlers New poll - New thread - New reply


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