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Old 08-20-2014, 12:12 AM
 
Location: On the water.
21,573 posts, read 16,079,852 times
Reputation: 19587

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^^ and another great crack tonight. Must have been the wine, eh?
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Old 08-20-2014, 12:27 AM
 
1,650 posts, read 3,507,302 times
Reputation: 1142
Quote:
Originally Posted by voiceofreazon View Post
Visiting the city on business and have seen at least 2 instances of young homeless women with signs asking for money. They did not look that unkempt or ragged as the typical homeless person that you see on the street.
Haven't seen this in other cities before, maybe it is a new trend with the lousy economy?
I hate to be cynical but I also wonder if it isn't just a scam to garner sympathy. I gave one woman $10 because I felt bad for her. As I was walking up the street, I saw a more typical looking homeless person screaming at her like a lunatic before stumbling off. Maybe she was intruding on his "turf"? Anyway, I felt bad for her after that so I gave her a ten and wished her good luck.

After, I kind of wondered if it wasn't just a scam. She did not look bad off, save for her somewhat sloppy clothes, she could have walked down the street and no one would think she were homeless. She looked able bodied and healthy enough to work.
Given that you gave $10 I guess the business strategy is working. Do you usually give $10 to smelly, older homeless men?
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Old 08-20-2014, 04:11 AM
 
Location: San Francisco
2,415 posts, read 2,007,566 times
Reputation: 3998
...

Last edited by modernist1; 08-20-2014 at 04:20 AM..
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Old 08-20-2014, 04:19 AM
 
Location: San Francisco
2,415 posts, read 2,007,566 times
Reputation: 3998
The other day I was accosted by a homeless chap on the Stockton Street steps. He looked a little the worse for wear, his tuxedo appeared unpressed and fraying at the collar. I promptly peeled off five C notes and pushed them into his pocket. Did I do the right thing?
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Old 08-20-2014, 09:33 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,063 posts, read 106,896,974 times
Reputation: 115814
Quote:
Originally Posted by dalparadise View Post
There's an older lady named Judy who stands at the corner of Sac and Battery every day asking, "do you have a dollar for a cup of coffee?"

Thinking that sounded like a good deal, I gave her a dollar the other day. But, she didn't give me my coffee. She didn't even have any coffee brewing! Live and learn, I guess...
You really need to have your own column in the paper...
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Old 08-20-2014, 10:11 PM
 
Location: Seattle
555 posts, read 799,423 times
Reputation: 520
Hemlock:
I ran into one in the University District, on three different nights, who told me that her car had broken down and needed money for gas to get back to---(the town was different all three times).

It's just part of the hoodrat/Trash Culture that we live in, where it pays to be a dirtbag and working people are considered chumps.
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Old 08-21-2014, 01:18 AM
 
Location: Planet Earth
1,963 posts, read 3,021,291 times
Reputation: 2428
Quote:
Originally Posted by voiceofreazon View Post
Visiting the city on business and have seen at least 2 instances of young homeless women with signs asking for money. They did not look that unkempt or ragged as the typical homeless person that you see on the street.
Haven't seen this in other cities before, maybe it is a new trend with the lousy economy?
I hate to be cynical but I also wonder if it isn't just a scam to garner sympathy. I gave one woman $10 because I felt bad for her. As I was walking up the street, I saw a more typical looking homeless person screaming at her like a lunatic before stumbling off. Maybe she was intruding on his "turf"? Anyway, I felt bad for her after that so I gave her a ten and wished her good luck.

After, I kind of wondered if it wasn't just a scam. She did not look bad off, save for her somewhat sloppy clothes, she could have walked down the street and no one would think she were homeless. She looked able bodied and healthy enough to work.
What, exactly, is your question?

2ndly, you should NEVER give cash to somebody "down on their luck". If they are a scammer, you've been screwed. If they are an addict, you have enabled them. I always offer food. 90% of the time I am rebuffed for one reason or another. The 10% of the time that a sandwich or a bottle of water is gratefully accepted is wonderful (for me).
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Old 08-21-2014, 06:50 AM
 
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
732 posts, read 963,241 times
Reputation: 942
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr bolo View Post
maybe she just recently became homeless, that could explain why she didnt look dirty or run down yet? the long term homeless usually have a "weathered look" from staying outside all day, living on the streets.

also she probably has a partner or boyfriend, but she probably has better luck panhandling when she's alone because people like you feel sorry for her and give her money more often than if she was with her boyfriend

I once saw a young asian female with a back pack and a dog panhandling and I kind of felt sorry for her, then her boyfriend shows up and he's also carrying a backpack and also covered in tattoos & piercings, then I didnt feel so sorry for her anymore, they were trying to get money for a bus ticket back to Oregon or Washington? I didnt know they could bring pitt bulls on buses?
That's a possibility. Some renters end up on the street because they live pay check to pay check.

I've seen homeless dressed nice & better kempt than me sleeping in doorways (but I like looking disheveled on purpose), and whenever I see them I always figure they're new to being homeless.

One such a sight I saw the most recently was a woman with a little dog and her luggage carrier sleeping in the doorway of a restaurant in my neighborhood. Her, her dog, and her stuff didn't look dirty at all and I figured she must had recently been evicted.

I've also seen elderly and handicapped homeless people in wheelchairs sleeping on the street. I guess they probably could no longer afford rent or rent hikes and were evicted at some point without anywhere to go and/or not enough money saved to move somewhere affordable.

I sometimes also see people sleeping in their cars and camper/RVs (usually near city parks) which is illegal, but I'm certainly not going to report them because I think it being illegal is an inhumane & unAmerican law and that people who look down on the homeless are evil POSs.
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Old 08-23-2014, 05:53 PM
 
Location: O4W
3,744 posts, read 4,758,025 times
Reputation: 2076
If those women had acted right in their last relationship they might not have been homeless
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Old 08-23-2014, 08:04 PM
 
Location: California
37,042 posts, read 41,967,329 times
Reputation: 34835
I don't give anyone who is panhandling money but I have given money to people who needed it and were short at grocery stores, gas stations, movie theaters, etc. ANYONE can be out and about and not realize they don't have the cash or left their wallet somewhere else and get into a bind so why not?
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