Street kids in Portland (transplants, neighborhood, legal)

[TechmanOR]

Originally Posted by iamscott

Most of the people on the street just want money, they really don't want help. Many times over the years I offered to buy a bum some lunch when they ask for change and they said no they just want money. I am not going to give change to feed in to the bums alcohol and drug problems. True homeless people try there best to get off the streets. Buy you giving money to bums, your just perpetuating the problems.

Yep, off the book unreported income and not paying taxes while consuming tax funded services. Not only do you waste your own money to give to them, you're also drawing expenses.

These days, I get panhandlers asking for money claiming they need money for bus. I have a Trimet ticket on hand.

They ask: Do you spare $1.75 for bus ticket?

My answer: Sure, I'll help you out, but you owe me 55 cents (ticket is $2.30)

or..
Which bus? Oh that one stopped running for the night half an hour ago, nice try.

If someone ask for SPECIFIC help, you could try to help that person, but if you chose to, don't give CASH. *NEVER* give transients cash, NEVER.

If you're approached by someone with a gas can, ignore them, or if its safe to do so, have him walk you to his car, call the police(non emergency), give them his plate and location, say you've received request for help from a stranded motorist. Create a cause for police to have contact with him.

You're endorsing tax evasion. If you have a pretty good idea he'll buy drugs with it, then you've made yourself an accessory.

[iamcims]

I don't live in Portland. But I've encountered panhandlers and in a city like Milwaukee, they seemed to be on every other corner or so. Some are impressive liars/actors. It's sometimes shocking at how good they are at telling you some story that it's almost believable until they ask for some money at the end. I was only there for a few days and it started getting annoying. I would just act like I didn't hear them after awhile. The problem is you know that a large portion of them are wanting money to support their habits ie drugs,alcohol,cigs, and as far as food goes, they get it without spending their cash. Then there's the people who are in real hard times wanting money for items they need to get by. However, Usually people that are in that situation, are because they gave up everything for their habits and that's all that really matters to them anymore. It's pretty obvious and we mostly all know this stuff.. It's a hard call to give or not give. Enabling gets abusers absolutely no where. I would say don't give. I could be wrong.. but the people in real need might be at shelters getting aid versus panhandling every day. Why enable them? It just isn't going to help them in anyway but to continue doing what they do. The only real problem is that if no one gave them any money to support their habits, crime would surely rise.. but on the other hand, some might get sober and do something productive.

[TechmanOR]

I ignore people who ask for cash up-front, but If I actually need help, I want people to help me and I don't want to be a jerk and ignore people asking for help, because crap happens.

These scumbags exploit the good faith effort by people and corrupt trust and the willingness to help others.

What they're doing *is* crime. If you misrepresent the purpose of asking for money, its actually considered theft by deception.

If the state puts even 1/10 the effort OLCC puts into catching people buying booze for strangers using minor decoys, I don't see why they can't catch a bunch of these scumbags.

If you're willing to give money you had to expend your time to earn, then I don't know why people can't expend their TIME instead if they're free. If no one gave them cash and when we build the reputation as such, Portland will no longer be a go-to place for panhandlers.

The liberal nimb numbs and those "homeless activists" are the ones resisting ordinances prohibiting what they're doing.

[HowGoesIt]

Street kids are a part of living in a city. I see them ALL the time where I'm at. If I see a guy or gal playing guitar somewhere downtown and I have some change in my pocket, I'll throw them a few quarters. I HATE having loose change in my wallet (I know I'm not alone on this!).

[Michael Tryn]

First, I DID get the info I wanted from the Vancouver forum regarding taxes out there. You kids don't know about these things. And after reading about the street kids, I am NOT picking on anyone. These are tough times. My wife who is Soviet, was shocked to see films about the Depression in the 1930's, and I RIGHT, "This country is very wrong to try to rule the world telling it what to do, when we don't take care of our own people. The Depression was covered up in history but was caused by the same greed we now have. I just read, 2 or 5% control 50 % of the wealth in this country. This is getting more like Mexico. Read online for yourself ! Have to go now. Good day out there.

[TechmanOR]

Originally Posted by HowGoesIt

Street kids are a part of living in a city. I see them ALL the time where I'm at. If I see a guy or gal playing guitar somewhere downtown and I have some change in my pocket, I'll throw them a few quarters. I HATE having loose change in my wallet (I know I'm not alone on this!).

You become poor by being wasteful. Leaving your bathroom lights on when you're not home, throwing coins away, etc.

[jr1038]

Portland's situation sounds a lot like Austin, where I live. Both are somewhat trendy, hip cities that are popular with young people, but have large homeless population. (I even note one of our "local celebrities" is a homeless person, Leslie Cochran.) I once lived near the UT campus and now I live in a gentrifying transition area east of downtown Austin, and I have observed what seem to be two groups of homeless: one group of truly struggling, hungry people who are disabled, down on their luck or (lately) just cannot find work, and a second group of predominately young transients who congregate in the student "ghetto" of town and in the CBD, who freely admit they chose this lifestyle.

The former group is always much more passive, never going beyond "spare some change/cigarette?" or, literally, "got something I can eat?" However, the latter group typically runs around in packs, toting along a starving dog or two apiece (a saddening display of animal cruelty), shouting obscenities at pedestrians and often begging aggressively. Just a couple of weeks ago one stabbed two pedestrians in downtown who refused to hand out any change. I've personally seen them shoot up in the busy sidewalk, get into brutal fights just outside storefronts, expose themselves to crowds of people, and tag absolutely every surface within reach, even trees (!). It's absolutely disgusting, and like most of you I wish our cities were more aggressive about dealing with this problem.

[TechmanOR]

Originally Posted by jr1038

"got something I can eat?" However, the latter group typically runs around in packs, toting along a starving dog or two apiece (a saddening display of animal cruelty), shouting obscenities at pedestrians and often begging aggressively. Just a couple of weeks ago one stabbed two pedestrians in downtown who refused to hand out any change. I've personally seen them shoot up in the busy sidewalk, get into brutal fights just outside storefronts, expose themselves to crowds of people, and tag absolutely every surface within reach, even trees (!). It's absolutely disgusting, and like most of you I wish our cities were more aggressive about dealing with this problem.

I'd be glad to see some tax money spent on cracking down on them, instead of giving tax break to organizations aka public nuisance that are providing disservices to other businesses or "services" to the "homeless".

1.) it's unlawful to own dogs in the city of Portland without a dog license. I'm sure it's the same in most cities.

Arrest them for animal cruelty, confiscate the dogs and cite them for having a dog without a license.

In liberal People's Republic of Multnomah County, the liberal homeless advocate yip yap would cry foul though.

[Frillypaws]

It is legal to live on the streets in Portland at any age. If you are young the police will return you home if they find you by chance, they do not actively look. It sucks, being a parent of an unmediated bipolar 14 year old, and we do not know where in Portland he is.

[ProtoStrata]

Originally Posted by Frillypaws

It is legal to live on the streets in Portland at any age. If you are young the police will return you home if they find you by chance, they do not actively look. It sucks, being a parent of an unmediated bipolar 14 year old, and we do not know where in Portland he is.

You know this thread hasn't been used in 7 years, right?

But on topic, I haven't noticed many teens living on the streets in Portland and I go to downtown a lot. Wherever I've seen homeless people (downtown, Old Town, the Springwater Corridor, the Lloyd District, Gresham) they generally look middle aged. There must be some in their teens or twenties, but it isn't readily apparent form my experiences.