Why are there so many panhandlers in San Antonio? (Leon Valley: house, wages)

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by sapphire

I can see being upset about all this if these guys are in your front yard. I just can't understand all this angst when honestly, how is your life affected? If and when I do see a panhandler, it's for approximately 36 seconds while I am waiting in traffic at an intersection. I am just not getting why everyone lets this ruin their day. If you don't want to give, drive off.

As to them "breaking the law" it's a misdemeanor, which is similar to you going 10 miles over the speed limit. LOL@ being an "accessory to the crime."

Well, speeding is enforced, so why not this misdemeanor?

And it goes beyond the 36 seconds (and where do you only wait 36 seconds for a green light in this town? I want to move there!), I realized this when we had visitors in town last week. They noticed them right away and commented about it. It was embarassing as they are from Germany and it reflects poorly on ourselves and our country.

If people are so adamant about helping someone and especially the needy (which as we've determined isn't always the folks you see panhandling!); then your efforts should go towards the constructive mechanisms that help them out...shelters, soup kitchens, etc. Giving them a hamburger or a couple of bucks is not "teaching them to fish." To really turn their lives around, they need a safe place to stay, some form of training or education, and a job that allows them to be a contributing member of society and not someone who takes from it.

However, I would suspect that a majority of these "panhandlers" wouldn't take us up on such an offer...

Cheers! M2

[traveler guy]

I think speeding is enforced because it can actually kill or do some damage to a human while panhandling isn't really much of a threat to human life.

[sapphire]

Speeding is enforced consistently in Leon Valley, Shavano Park, Windcrest, et al, because it's very lucrative for those small municipalities to do so. That's probably why you don't see panhandlers there either.

San Antonio police look the other way at speeders (no, of course not all the time) but often they do, and many traffic laws go unenforced here. I guess they have bigger fish to fry--I'm not going to make excuses for them--I really don't know the reasoning. I'm sure that when they have time, or when the homeless and panhandlers become an eyesore because the national TV cameras are here in town, you see an increase in the enforcement of panhandling laws.

I do my part to feed the hungry--not only monetarily but I give my time. They are human beings, and that's what I see. Like I said before, if my giving two bucks to a homeless girl is repulsive to you, look the other way. People who turn their backs on other people repulse me, and I have to deal with it.

[Tasksgirl]

Originally Posted by traveler guy

LA has dirtier streets the SA Woooooooooooow! That is a shocker. I lived in LA before and trust me LA has some clean streets and I wasn't living in the nice areas of LA(Pico Rivera) in south LA or SELA. Or at least that's what people told me when I first move there. I was all over LA and when I came back to my hometown of SA I seriously became depressed looking at how the city I love so much is so nasty compared to LA and most of Southern Cali. LA does have more homeless though but what do you expect from a city about 13 times bigger then SA.

lol I know what you mean .. I was just comparing the downtown areas though.. I live in a really nice part of L.A. (glendale) and I love it so I know what you mean.. I was just impressed with SA downtown..

[traveler guy]

Originally Posted by sapphire

Speeding is enforced consistently in Leon Valley, Shavano Park, Windcrest, et al, because it's very lucrative for those small municipalities to do so. That's probably why you don't see panhandlers there either.

San Antonio police look the other way at speeders (no, of course not all the time) but often they do, and many traffic laws go unenforced here. I guess they have bigger fish to fry--I'm not going to make excuses for them--I really don't know the reasoning. I'm sure that when they have time, or when the homeless and panhandlers become an eyesore because the national TV cameras are here in town, you see an increase in the enforcement of panhandling laws.

I do my part to feed the hungry--not only monetarily but I give my time. They are human beings, and that's what I see. Like I said before, if my giving two bucks to a homeless girl is repulsive to you, look the other way. People who turn their backs on other people repulse me, and I have to deal with it.

Amen to that. I can't see how people can do that to other people.

[texasdreamin]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

However, I would suspect that a majority of these "panhandlers" wouldn't take us up on such an offer...

You are so right about that. A couple of times I had a guy ask me for money; one was standing outside of a grocery store. I went into the store and bought him two bags of groceries...things he could eat if he did not have a home and thus no fridge. I came out of the store, told him I had bought those groceries for him. He looked into the bags and said, "I don't eat that kind of food." Off I went with his groceries. Another guy asked me for money and stated that he was hungry. He was REALLY BIG, mind you. I didn't think he was starving to death. I wouldn't give him any money. I walked him to a place and told him to order ANYTHING that he wanted...and I paid for it. Nope, you won't find me giving them any money. Not one cent...but I will feed them.

Oh, almost forgot this one. One evening I was walking in a parking lot at Office Depot. A guy came up to me with a new gas can in his hand and told me he had ran out of gas and if I could give him a couple dollars for gas. Said his GF was waiting for him back at the car. I didn't give him the money because I didn't believe him. Sure enough, a couple days later, during the day, I was walking down the sidewalk at a strip mall, about 15 minutes away and this same guy, with the same gas can approached me with the same story. I said to him, "Weren't you the same guy asking me for money in the Office Depot parking lot a couple of nights ago. Do you know that what you are doing is illegal (scamming)?" He hurried up and walked off in the other direction.

[Chaka]

In the US, the one city where I've experienced panhandlers the most has been Santa Barbara - a very expensive city.

[ilmd]

There is a woman in the northwest side of town that will park her car on the railroad tracks- then run to other cars and ask for money for 'gas- so she can get her car off the tracks'. Happens a few times a week. I drive a 10 year old truck. When a girl at Wal-Mart asked me for money a few years ago, I gave her about $10. I then saw her run to a waiting truck- a truck very new and nicer than what I have. That did it. I will offer a meal, which most turn down in disgust. They want money for drugs, booze. I will give money to a few that are obviously having a hard time with life- you can usually tell the difference- they are dirtier, smell badly and just look 'worse'. I also have dog food in the car if I see somebody with a dog.

[cheermomof4girls]

I was visiting my cousin who lives in Modesto CA. One day we went to Walmart and as we were parking she told me not to look at any of the homeless people because they will literally flock to you begging.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by traveler guy

I think speeding is enforced because it can actually kill or do some damage to a human while panhandling isn't really much of a threat to human life.

Gee, that's an odd quote coming from someone who is a traveler! I was just doing 200 kph (120 mph) on the autobahn from Frankfurt yesterday and no one was killed. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen an accident all day; something that is rare within the San Antonio city limits.

Speed doesn't kill, lousy drivers kill. And our laws protect us from more than being killed, they regulate society in general to keep good order and having people panhandling is not maintaining good order. That is why there is a law against it. Simple enough.

Cheers! M2