Panhandling getting out of hand (Denver, Aurora: to buy, income, living in)

[Willy702]

Today in Denver and Aurora:

Lady with two kids begging (literally begging, almost in tears) asking if I would buy her basket of food at a King Soopers. I was thinking that's different than the usual asking for a dollar, but little did I know what was coming.

At a gas station a lady drives up behind me and begs for money to buy a few gallons of gas. Once again people stepping up from asking for spare change. Plus she parks so close behind me it feels rather awkward waiting for the car in front to move.

Half an hour later outside Ace Hardware have a guy running up asking for money to buy motor oil. This was in a pretty upscale area, certainly wasn't expecting it and asking for motor oil?

Driving around town, maybe 30 miles worth, and every major corner is claimed by someone with a sign begging throughout the city of Denver. I guess this doesn't surprise anyone but after what had happened I noticed it more. And wow every single corner with a stoplight someone was out there.

Not wanting to comment on need and I personally have a policy to never give to pandhandlers of any kind, I'd rather make donations to food banks and other food causes. But it's getting pretty ridiculous that people have no shame in asking for lots in places this never happened before. Getting rather annoying and it's happening everywhere.

[alloo66]

Yes, it's pretty sad when the richest country in the world can't feed all of its citizens and people are desperate to eat. That is the state of the US today. Indigent people are invisible to most of us, they get ignored daily have no place to turn to. I used to just donate time and money to Food banks. We've become a society of haves and have nots while the world has changed and we haven't This is the new normal that's not going to change if we as a society don't do something about it. I am sorry that you feel uncomfortable living in your suburb being exposed to someone's reality. If I can I give out food a hamburger, hot dog, tacos or something maybe even a drink. You never know when you will be in need.

[MissTerri]

Originally Posted by Willy702

Today in Denver and Aurora:

Lady with two kids begging (literally begging, almost in tears) asking if I would buy her basket of food at a King Soopers. I was thinking that's different than the usual asking for a dollar, but little did I know what was coming.

At a gas station a lady drives up behind me and begs for money to buy a few gallons of gas. Once again people stepping up from asking for spare change. Plus she parks so close behind me it feels rather awkward waiting for the car in front to move.

Half an hour later outside Ace Hardware have a guy running up asking for money to buy motor oil. This was in a pretty upscale area, certainly wasn't expecting it and asking for motor oil?

Driving around town, maybe 30 miles worth, and every major corner is claimed by someone with a sign begging throughout the city of Denver. I guess this doesn't surprise anyone but after what had happened I noticed it more. And wow every single corner with a stoplight someone was out there.

Not wanting to comment on need and I personally have a policy to never give to pandhandlers of any kind, I'd rather make donations to food banks and other food causes. But it's getting pretty ridiculous that people have no shame in asking for lots in places this never happened before. Getting rather annoying and it's happening everywhere.

I generally don’t give money to panhandlers but likely would have bought the lady with kids some food if asked. I really dislike getting approached in parking lots with people asking for bus or gas money. One time someone knocked on the window of my car and asked for money when I was in a parking lot. I felt trapped and a little bit freaked out.

[TCHP]

We are at a time of income disparity not seen since the 1920s . Many, if not most, of the financial regulations that came from the Great Depression have been undone. Financiers continue to find ways to exploit loopholes, and we’ve allowed big business to get so large we can’t afford to let them fall. Add to this the rise of the 401k that’s turned us all into money managers demanding higher returns that have driven strong blue collar jobs overseas to do increase stock values and we have become a country of haves and have nots. Even if all these panhandlers pursuer higher education, would there be enough low level white collar jobs to absorb them?

[pikabike]

Wow, three times in one day?

The panhandling is getting aggressive in other places also, and not just big cities or metro areas.

A couple of weeks ago, someone knocked on the window of my husband’s car when he was parking in a supermarket lot of a very small city in southwest CO. The woman wanted money.

Then there were the two young bums sitting on a street corner, who yelled out something like, “Gimme some money!” as we walked by. I ignored them, and one of them began screaming abusive things. When a driver stopped to look for cross-traffic before proceeding, he gestured at her. She innocently rolled down her window, and then quickly rolled it up again.

About two yrs ago an aggressive “street person” approached me as my husband and I were in my truck at a Sonic. A young guy knocked on the window, so I had to lower it to talk to him. He asked how far it was to the supermarket, not coincidentally the same one as above although at that time we did not know it was such a beggar magnet. I said I didn’t know, maybe one mile away. So he had his answer, but then he asked how long would it take, etc. He obviously was hoping I would offer him a ride (no way even if my truck had had a rear seat which it did not). I cut him off by saying it was a flat, easy walk and rolling up the window. We saw him going to every car, one by one knocking on their windows.

That supermarket and a few other places have become favored shoplifting and begging sites in this town, as the LE blotters amply prove. Any place that is near a liquor store has to deal with both chronic sots and panhandlers.

This is where Just Say No applies.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by TCHP

We are at a time of income disparity not seen since the 1920s . Many, if not most, of the financial regulations that came from the Great Depression have been undone. Financiers continue to find ways to exploit loopholes, and we’ve allowed big business to get so large we can’t afford to let them fall. Add to this the rise of the 401k that’s turned us all into money managers demanding higher returns that have driven strong blue collar jobs overseas to do increase stock values and we have become a country of haves and have nots. Even if all these panhandlers pursuer higher education, would there be enough low level white collar jobs to absorb them?

Even if they had a good education, would they WANT TO EARN A LIVING? Sure, some do. But in recent years, panhandlers have gone well past skidrow old guys and picked up a shocking number of young, able-bodied drifters seeking constant freebies and stonedness.

[flamadiddle]

A lot of scammers out there. Most of these so called panhandlers are supporting a drug habit or just pocketing the cash. Even if they ask you to buy them something, they'll likely return it for cash or exchange it for booze. There are plenty of legitimate places they can go to get a meal, etc.

[WoundedSpirit]

I lived in Denver for 45 years until we moved away 4 years ago. In the last 5 or so years of living there, I noticed a marked increase in homelessness and panhandling. It got to the point we could no longer afford to live there, and if we had stayed there was a good probability that we could have ended up homeless. I am sure the legalization of marijuana helped to increase the population as well.

It seems to me that, in general, the US doesn't care much about its own people anymore. When jobs and housing are taken by refugees and illegals or jobs sent overseas, the average person who is struggling to survive in the first place gets left out in the cold, literally. This country needs to start making an effort to help its own citizens before taking care of the rest of the world's problems. However, as long as the politicians (and the folks that elect them) are clueless as to what it's like to live in the real world where fighting to simply survive is becoming the rule rather than the exception, nothing is going to change.

[Electrician4you]

Originally Posted by alloo66

Yes, it's pretty sad when the richest country in the world can't feed all of its citizens and people are desperate to eat. That is the state of the US today. Indigent people are invisible to most of us, they get ignored daily have no place to turn to. I used to just donate time and money to Food banks. We've become a society of haves and have nots while the world has changed and we haven't This is the new normal that's not going to change if we as a society don't do something about it. I am sorry that you feel uncomfortable living in your suburb being exposed to someone's reality. If I can I give out food a hamburger, hot dog, tacos or something maybe even a drink. You never know when you will be in need.

You have a car and time to drive or walk around begging for money.....you have time to have a job. Please dont start with there are no jobs. There are jobs. Just not the ones these people want to do. They just want hand outs. Can see the need to help a physically or mentally handicapped person. But able bodied people who are simply unwilling to work...nope sorry I wouldn’t lift a finger.

[vunderbar]

Yet another sign of the fact that America is sliding toward third world norms. We are becoming a nation great for the top 1-10% and where everyone else is going without basics taken for granted in other developed nations. We'll always be politically important -- lots of nukes, big armed forces -- but in other aspects, hello third world.