begging (Memphis, Brentwood, Nolensville: insurance, house, deed)

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by gumpop

My concern isnt so much about the panhandling as it is about what other motive they may have had. Telling you at a gas station that they just got dropped off from the bus, are on the way home, and dont have money for baby formula is a little different than pan handling. The concern was that it didnt seem to be on the "up & up" and he was asking for a ride to a neeryby store and money for formula. This became a real concern when my wife reported a simllar experience at a differnt gas station from a different person, also in Brentwood. Both these occured in the area of nolensville Pike (so technically just outside of Brentwood). We both still have out of state plates on our cars so maybe that made us a target for some reason.

You were nowhere near Brentwood if you were on or near Nolensville Road. The bus does not drop off anywhere near Brentwood.

Look, if I were in an emergency situation like that, I would not approach other drivers at a gas station asking for money or a ride!!! I would go inside and see if the clerk would let me use a phone or something.
These days, if someone approaches you with any kind of long story like that, you must move on. Yes, people are homeless and need our help. But while you are standing there debating your moral responsibility to help your fellow man, your fellow man might be trying to jack your car.

[DonCorleone]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

But while you are standing there debating your moral responsibility to help your fellow man, your fellow man might be trying to jack your car.

Sad, but true.

[TXRyan23]

In all parts of Nashville people panhandle...

It's esp. bad in Madison and East Nashville..

[arkies]

Panhandling does exist in Nashville. We moved here in January and I have been approached three different times. Once in an Arby's parking lot, once at a gas station, and once in a shopping center parking lot (this one was a dude carrying a baby girl and he ran across the parking lot trying to beat my children and I to our van!). All very scary in this day and time. One said they were on way to a funeral out-of-state and needed gas money, one needed gas for something, guy with baby needed money for food. Of course he wouldn't take food - just wanted the money. Poor baby. These have happened in the Madison/Goodlettsville areas, but I imagine it is widespread. My husband has been approached in different areas of Nashville. Increase in drug usage, increase of desperate people needing money.

[JBPisgah]

Scamming is what the OP asked about - the whole, "my car broke down and I just need $20 for gas to get me back to Alabama." Um, really? Your car broke down in Brentwood? Scamming I have no sympathy for.

But the grizzled old guy with cardboard sign who stands by the corner in the sun when its 95 degrees? I don't know what his story is, but I know this: he is desperate.

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by JBPisgah

But the grizzled old guy with cardboard sign who stands by the corner in the sun when its 95 degrees? I don't know what his story is, but I know this: he is desperate.

That old man has been running around Madison for 20 years...

[bmrisko]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

You were nowhere near Brentwood if you were on or near Nolensville Road. The bus does not drop off anywhere near Brentwood.

[bmrisko]

Originally Posted by JBPisgah

But the grizzled old guy with cardboard sign who stands by the corner in the sun when its 95 degrees? I don't know what his story is, but I know this: he is desperate.

There is a guy in Raleigh, NC who has made millions by doing this...

[Mary_Moon]

Originally Posted by JBPisgah

What about when a homeless person respectfully holds up a sign next to an intersection for hours on end in the hot sun? Or when a homeless newspaper vendor spends an entire day selling papers for one dollar each? What I've observed time and time again is that nearly everyone - locals and tourist alike - ignores them.

In this economy, some people are going to be homeless. The newspaper says that one third of homeless people are mentally disabled. Some of the homeless are our veterans.

When panhandling is aggressive it is obviously a problem and it's fine to complain on CD. In addition, we might make a contribution to help the homeless.

Well said! While no one should have to tolerate being harassed and intimidated by *anyone* while pumping gas or simply walking down the street, our homeless issue is not going to be solved by simply 'getting tough on panhandling.' There just aren't enough resources to help these people, many of whom have no way of helping themselves for a myriad of reasons.

I have a retarded older brother who suffers from mental illness. He has absolutely no way of supporting himself and if he didn't have family to care for him, he would most likely be living on the streets. Openings in good group homes are few and far between and most don't take the retardation/mental illness combo anyway. People with mental illness can't be trusted to take their medication without proper supervision - when they work correctly, the individual often convinces themselves that they're ok and stops taking them. When they're off meds, they're incapable of making intelligent decisions or recognizing that they need help.

If you've never been exposed to someone with severe mental illness first hand, please consider yourself fortunate. It's not a walk in the park for the individual nor those around them and I'm not surprised that some people wash their hands of a family member affected, leaving them to fend for themselves on the street. Even though my brother is medicated and under the supervision of a public service medical facility (what a joke THAT is), my brother still talks to and argues with people only he can see and is extremely hostile to those around him. I've been grabbed, shoved, screamed at and cussed out more often than I would like by him and I have often entertained the thought of washing my hands of his crap so I could have a more normal life with less stress. I could never do it, but understand why others do. Getting 'tough' on panhandling isn't going to solve this fraction of the homeless population.

[hey teach]

I went to college with two guys who panhandled the Hickory Hollow exit for a semester, pretending to be homeless (they lived in a frat house). They collected almost $10,000 in that one semester, splitting the time between the two of them. This was in the 1980's, people were generous.