Holy Panhandling Batman! (Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale: home, neighborhood, living)

[Juram]

It finally hit me today just how bad the panhandling has gotten along the freeway on and off ramps along with quite a few major intersections. I remember when there used to be a random guy here or there and at times I'd give them a few bucks but now based on seeing the same people moving around together it almost looks like they're out there working in teams and I see some of the panhandlers becoming more and more aggressive, one of the guys walked right up to a car next to me, wildly waving his arms, shaking his head at them like they had committed some grave travesty for not giving him anything.


Has it always been like this and I'm just seeing things or has it gotten steadily worse recently? I'd love to help out everyone but having someone stare you down at intersection after intersection without their hands out doesn't really put me in the giving mood. If anything its turned me off to giving money to any of the panhandlers and in lieu of that, increasing my yearly donations to CASS and St Vincent de Paul.

[Solar93]

Yeah what gives?
It's become WAY more prominent in the last two months, I've noticed. Especially around the I-17.

I honestly think most (and I say most) of these folks aren't homeless, and are actually just lazy bums looking for handouts.
Maybe it's the cynic in me.

Either way, yeah there's a ton out now!

[observer53]

I've actually seen fewer of those than I used to. I encounter one at a gas station or on the sidewalk downtown once in a while, but not as many at the off ramps.

[Juram]

Originally Posted by Solar93

Yeah what gives?
It's become WAY more prominent in the last two months, I've noticed. Especially around the I-17.

I honestly think most (and I say most) of these folks aren't homeless, and are actually just lazy bums looking for handouts.
Maybe it's the cynic in me.

Either way, yeah there's a ton out now!

Greenway and the 17 as well as Bell and the 101 seem to continually be stacked with multiple panhandlers in either direction and either side of the freeway.

[Juram]

Originally Posted by observer53

I've actually seen fewer of those than I used to. I encounter one at a gas station or on the sidewalk downtown once in a while, but not as many at the off ramps.

I don't see them much in the East Valley but mostly along the 17 and the 101 in Glendale/Peoria.

[LBTRS]

There are a lot of these guys that do this for a living and make good money doing it. I quit giving to any of them after the same lady stopped me for "gas money" in the Sams Club parking lot going into the store where I gave her $10 and then she stopped me again on my way out and forgot she had already hit me up.

She gave me some sob story about running out of gas on the way to her home in the east valley from visiting a sick relative in California. Said "I just need $5-$10 to get gas to make it home". I only had a $20 and a $10 and gave her the $10.

When I came out and she got me again I said "I just gave you the $10 you asked for to get home and now you need more?" she said "oops, sorry" and walked away.

No more for me.

[kell490]

Has been lots of news stories on youtube where local news channel follows one of them around and finds them jumping into a 2007 BMW driving to an upscale area. The pan handlers are scammers or meth heads looking to get the next hit. A friend of my wife got into meth and was doing the same thing she told us she could make about $20-30 an hour some good days all went to meth. Police have been running them off at I-17 and Peoria. Went to lunch with some co-workers I showed them some of those youtube videos one lady said she had been giving them $5-$10 a week. If I see someone with little kids I call the police standing in the middle of the intersection.

[go09]

There are plenty in Mesa as well... often at the stoplights at exit/entrance ramps to the 60. And in one neighborhood, I've been seeing the same young man weekly at his "post" at the entrance to a nearby shopping center.

[DetroitN8V]

I've found them to be more prevelant lately too. You used to never see them in Scottsdale but I've seen them at the 101 and Raintree lately.

[SMG]

I feel bad for them, if I have some dollars on me I often help them. Problem is, I often just have plastic, no currency on me. I can't make a blanket statement that they are meth heads. Teams, etc. I really do not think it out that far. I am guessing some are, some are people that had some bad luck. I help them here and there if I can.