Denver Livability Question

[co_native_sweetie]

I lived in Seattle during college and can honestly say they are no worse here than they are there. Yes, many of our urban, semi-urban, and even suburban intersections have panhandlers. They are NOT aggressive or in your face. If you don't want to contribute money, just keep your windows up and your eyes ahead.

I volunteer regularly, serving supper at the downtown Denver Rescue Mission (at their "soup kitchen"). Might I suggest, if you arrive in Denver, you sign up to serve once or twice too? Interacting with "bums" by serving them makes you realize they're just human like you, and a lot of them are VERY kind and friendly.

[Blackhawk4440]

Miss Terri:
Portland and Seattle's bum problems are fairly comparable except that Seattle has even more of them and they're 10x as aggressive. The experience KaaBoom describes in Chicago happens regularly here, except it sounds like the Chicago cops actually do more! LOL

[Blackhawk4440]

Co_Native_Sweetie:

I'm sure such programs are well-intentioned, but I've had enough interaction with them to last a lifetime!

[Count David]

Not worth crossing it off your relocation list for.

[JD401]

Originally Posted by billiken

I'd say that the homeless in Denver don't hustle you like they do in Chicago, but they seem like they're everyone in Denver. I'd see people begging for money off the highway exits in the suburbs which pretty much never happened anywhere else I lived.

Agreed. Have to watch out for the fake parking lot attendants though. Been tried on us a couple of times now.

[Chicago2Denver]

The bum problem here cannot even be compared to San Francisco - they are much more tame, and a lot of just transient people living what they epitomize as the hippie life of the new generation. That being said, it looks bad on Denver, and I don't understand why law enforcement doesn't do more to move them along. Commons Park is a great city park, but it is marred by all the people congregating on the hill, smoking in public, and leaving their trash and camping crap everywhere. Quite the eye sore.

[dnvrgal]

You will see a beggar on every corner, and sleeping in the parks. Some of them try to sell newspapers. But I've lived here all my life and have never once been hassled by one. With the new MJ laws that might change. Time will tell.

[JohnnyDenver]

Have never had a problem with the homeless in directly downtown Denver being aggressive nor the ones at I-25 and Hampden/I-25 and Colfax.

However, some of the ones around Colfax in the Capitol Hill area can be a slightly more pushy. From the defendants I've seen in Denver County Court who are homeless and in this area, they seem to be getting arrest for aggressive panhandling in looking for money to score some hooch.

[Count David]

I had some strung out chick walk up to my window at 6th and Broadway yesterday. She had a sign that mentioned she was a homeless Broncos fan.

She managed to get some dough out of the car in front of me, but he also had his window down and listened to whatever plea she had to make.

When she came up to my window (which granted, most homeless don't have the nerve to do), I kept looking straight ahead with my poker face, and she eventually went away.

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I had some strung out chick walk up to my window at 6th and Broadway yesterday. She had a sign that mentioned she was a homeless Broncos fan.

She managed to get some dough out of the car in front of me, but he also had his window down and listened to whatever plea she had to make.

When she came up to my window (which granted, most homeless don't have the nerve to do), I kept looking straight ahead with my poker face, and she eventually went away.

Have you tried "Sorry hun, prostitution isn't legal here so whatever you're offering me for my money, I'm not buying"

Use it the men also. Don't blame me if someone attacks you, but do record it and upload it to youtube. I feel like that would be a great troll video compilation. I'm not entirely sober, so I don't know what this would sound like if I was...