Downtown Bangor Beggars (to buy, restaurant, shop)

[Honeycrisp]

A friend who lives in CA said even going to the drive-in at McDonald's, panhandlers approach and ask for change, same w/ getting out of your car and going to Walmart's, women w/ children approach, people holding signs on major highways are looking for money too. Tough times everywhere.

[Maineah]

Bums are bums. Whether you ride the rails in boxcars, hang out on corners, subway stations, bus terminals, airports, outside ball parks , court houses or what have you, people asking for a handout are begging, as the OP pointed out in his original post. God knows we pay more than enough in taxes for social programs for the down trodden. We should not be accosted by them at every turn. They should be arrested when they beg in public. I have no sympathy for bums. We all know there are poor hapless people in the world without having them harrass us in our daily lives. They should be locked up or sent to a mental ward. Clean the streets!

[RANGER.101ST]

i knew a guy who was what some would call a bum or begger.
but he wasnt allways that way.he had a great job nice wife and a son.
when his son died he fell apart and lost it all.
wasnt his fault ,he just couldnt deal with what was going on in his head.
i still see his wife every now and then but he has past allso his jurney is over.
befor i met him ''bums'' use to bother me but seeing some one go from riches to rags
gave me a whole new out look.
you should look beyond the clothes and see the person you may find out some thing about your self.
if you dont want to give them money then dont.but dont look down at them becouse at one time they may have had more then you.
you could be there some day you never know.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by RANGER.101ST

i knew a guy who was what some would call a bum or begger.
but he wasnt allways that way.he had a great job nice wife and a son.
when his son died he fell apart and lost it all.
wasnt his fault ,he just couldnt deal with what was going on in his head.
i still see his wife every now and then but he has past allso his jurney is over.
befor i met him ''bums'' use to bother me but seeing some one go from riches to rags
gave me a whole new out look.
you should look beyond the clothes and see the person you may find out some thing about your self.
if you dont want to give them money then dont.but dont look down at them becouse at one time they may have had more then you.
you could be there some day you never know.

"There but for the grace of God go I." You're right Ranger. Thanks for pointing that out.

[bbb3601]

Not to get off of topic as far as area, but in Columbus, Ohio the local shelters kick out patrons of a morning. I have been told that they provide the homeless with the materials, and transportation to local corners in order to ask for money. By my parents home there has been one gentleman pan handling for as long as I can remember...even when I lived at home!! A neighbor told my dad that he seen a lady drop him off in a brand new Cadillac. An older lady that lives behind my parents needed some yard work done and asked the man if he was interested. He stated to her that he had no intention of working hard because all he had to do was stand there. I have no problem with it untill I see the ones with the veteran signs. My father is a very involved vet, and i know the local chapters help more than some realize. His V.F.W post has went about town offering help to veterans only to find that none of them were actual veterans....they were just using that as their ploy. Now that is sad.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by bbb3601

Not to get off of topic as far as area, but in Columbus, Ohio the local shelters kick out patrons of a morning. I have been told that they provide the homeless with the materials, and transportation to local corners in order to ask for money. By my parents home there has been one gentleman pan handling for as long as I can remember...even when I lived at home!! A neighbor told my dad that he seen a lady drop him off in a brand new Cadillac. An older lady that lives behind my parents needed some yard work done and asked the man if he was interested. He stated to her that he had no intention of working hard because all he had to do was stand there. I have no problem with it untill I see the ones with the veteran signs. My father is a very involved vet, and i know the local chapters help more than some realize. His V.F.W post has went about town offering help to veterans only to find that none of them were actual veterans....they were just using that as their ploy. Now that is sad.

This is all too true. I asked a guy playing a mandolin outside the Sea Dogs game the other day how much he made from people tossing money in his case. He said he averaged about $300-$400 a game on good days. He keeps cleaning out the case so it looks like no one is putting money in it. It raises the "guilt factor" when people see an empty case.

[flycessna]

Can't say I have seen the aggressive panhandeling I became used to in DC here in Maine.. I've seen a few shaggy looking fellows with cardboard signs and such but have ever been aproached here in the LA area.

True story!!.. I used to live in a steet side 1br apt on the back side of the zoo in DC.. in the 2 yrs I lived there my door was knocked on at least 10 times from people looking for money or "work"?? Once I was making lunch and made a sandwhich for this guy..big mistake! he came back the next day.

[flycessna]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

you did bring up a few hot button issues (good post)

if i see a homeless person, yes i do get frustrated, because thats someones' mother/father/brother/sister, and if they are this destitute, then perhaps thier family abandoned them, however, thier is always a flipside, i know many have mental or substance abuse problems,

this is why i get so haired up about welfare fraud, and folks on disability , that could work, they take away from the folks that really need it...

as a society we spend billions on welfare, yet we still have homeless folks that need shelter and a meal...??
is it because we dont give (tax enough) or is it,,,too many folks are receiving, when they should be contributing. sadly, many politicians almost encourage this by trying to "buy" votes

When I lived in DC I also worked there as a Police Officer. We dealt with many of the "street" people as they were responsible for many of the smash and grabs and street robberies... there were professional panhandlers who were NOT homeless but actually made money through panhandling..

But I have to say that MOSTLY, the homeless people you see wondering the streets were harmless men who mostly suffered through mental disorders usually schizophrenia and bi-polar. The local churches were the "payee’s receiving their checks from what ever benefit they received and cashing it for them and making sure they were all right.. These people I believe chose to be homeless as they were not able to deal with society as we know it. Really sad! And after a while I could differentiate the difference between the street thugs and homeless.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by flycessna

But I have to say that MOSTLY, the homeless people you see wondering the streets were harmless men who mostly suffered through mental disorders usually schizophrenia and bi-polar. The local churches were the "payee’s receiving their checks from what ever benefit they received and cashing it for them and making sure they were all right.. These people I believe chose to be homeless as they were not able to deal with society as we know it. Really sad! And after a while I could differentiate the difference between the street thugs and homeless.

I have to agree. I have occasion to know a few of the homeless population through work.

There are many reasons (yes, some self-induced) why they panhandle and hang out in "The Pines" as the local area (where many of them frequent when the shelter is closed) is known. IMHO, one of the problems is that when the state downsized Dorothea Dix (BMHI) the services that were supposed to be in place to help those who were discharged fell a little short. It costs a lot more in the long run IMO, but I won't go there. The current prescription drug/opiate (what I personally call an epidemic) is also an issue. There's a reason we are seeing more and more drug trafficking arrests of dealers who have out-of-state addresses. Certainly it's more problematic in other states, but it's increasing here as well.

In my case of the young man who was begging in the grocery store lot, it was obvious to me that he was emaciated and mentally ill, and one that I had not seen before, which led me to wonder if he was from somewhere else and received "Greyhound Therapy." That's the type of therapy where someone is given a bus ticket to as far north as the bus line goes i.e. Bangor. Yes, they are given tickets to go back as well unfortunately, some of them simply spend time being bounced back and forth. It's counterproductive to say the least as far as I'm concerned.

I won't even pretend to know what could be done, but I do think that each situation is unique and should be dealt with accordingly - for example, with those who are indisputably known to be mentally ill.
I know there are some good actors and actresses out there, but a lot of the time they have a long and documented history of mental illness.

In this case, where the OP is concerned about being approached by people begging for money 'tho IMO, unless he wants to be continually approached, he'll have to set the boundary line with the "regulars" or it'll continue to be problematic.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

this is why i get so haired up about welfare fraud, and folks on disability , that could work, they take away from the folks that really need it...

as a society we spend billions on welfare, yet we still have homeless folks that need shelter and a meal...??
is it because we dont give (tax enough) or is it,,,too many folks are receiving, when they should be contributing.
sadly, many politicians almost encourage this by trying to "buy" votes

A lot of people get fired up about welfare spending - and rightly so - there are crooks in the system just as there are people who need it.

Nonetheless, it looks good on the books if you are able to save money on services such like the attempt to do so by downsizing state mental health institutes (only one example). However, the follow-up seems to not quite deeply enough review into where these people end up, and how much they cost society when they wander the streets and end up using emergency services/jails etc.

Yes, there are shiftless panhandlers on the streets of Bangor just as there are everywhere else on the planet - but, (there's that but again ) don't discount the fact that mental illness also plays a role. I find it hard to believe that anyone would really want to live (and/or die) under a bridge.