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For a number of years I have seen a lot of panhandlers at major intersections with traffic signals. All the way from I-40 in Durham-Chapel Hill to Johnston County. Many are dropped off in very expensive autos.
Many that I see stay in encampments in nearby woods.
This thread is why I love social media. Half of the content so far has nothing to do with the topic and everything to do with its author.
Panhandling is not worse here than anyplace else where there is affluence and highways (I literally travel all over the country - or at least did until mid-March) and this is a constant. I think there's probably a slight uptick in activity as the pandemic has introduced new dynamics and financial pressures throughout society, but that's an anecdotal observation and absent factual analysis.
I have noticed that in certain areas, the panhandling appears to be coordinated among a team of people. Over by the intersection of Old Wake Forest Road and Capital Boulevard there's a youngish crew that I've personally witnessed operating in shifts and gathering at certain points throughout the day (I shop that BJ's 2-3 times per week). And before moving late last year, I would watch as a crew of men would walk from the bus stop on Creedmoor Road (near the intersection of Strickland Road), up to 540 and each man an exit ramp and turn lane. These don't appear to be homeless people based on their clothing and overall physical state. I even used to encounter one two-person crew in their 20's who would drive to that same intersection (540 and Creedmoor), park the car out of sight, and then spend the afternoon panhandling.
I suspect that it's lucrative to the point where it's worth doing. And while a high percentage of those who participate in this sort of activity are exactly who we would think they are (people with addictions or mental illness), there are many who figured out they can make more money this way than working for an hourly wage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by don6170
While many of the homelessness have mental / drug issues, I am not so sure about those on the side of the road. I have seen too many stories where many people are recruited to do so, often moving from location to location.
^This^
I've lived in urban cities before but here, they uniquely appear to be well organized and appear in better condition generally than what I've seen elsewhere. By that I mean, their skin and clothing looks better kept; they don't look like they sleep out of doors, they appear relatively "clean" in that they have some access to bathing facilities, their clothing looks washed, etc. Just my observation.
I am sadly VERY aware of this. My brother has been part of the 33%. Hence, my offense to a comment about what a mentally I'll person "looks like."
And there were plenty of other things that I disagreed and disliked in the OP, but others here were addressing those issues very well.
I agree we cannot assume just by looking at someone, especially in these times. I hope the person was just "assuming" overall based off of studies and not making judgements just by how someone looks. That would be bad.
^This^
I've lived in urban cities before but here, they uniquely appear to be well organized and appear in better condition generally than what I've seen elsewhere. By that I mean, their skin and clothing looks better kept; they don't look like they sleep out of doors, they appear relatively "clean" in that they have some access to bathing facilities, their clothing looks washed, etc. Just my observation.
A friend told me to look at their shoes and socks before donating.
Educate me, please: what does someone who is mentally I'll or on drugs look like when you see them for 5 seconds as you drive by?
I can't speak to how the OP made that assessment but I can tell you that I have seen many of these peoples arrest records. So many have drug related charges in addition to the begging charges.
I can also tell you from years of observation and involvement in certain volunteer orgs that many truly homeless people are mentally ill and/or substance abusers. I can't say if the one's that are on the off ramps are mentally ill but can confirm the drug arrests like I stated above.
As for the mentally ill homeless, if you ever walk around downtown and observe you can clearly see that many of these people exhibit symptoms of those that are mentally ill. For instance one of the gentlemen that I stopped and talked with and gave a care package to was a homeless veteran that clearly showed signs. First he thought I was a young Doris Day and wanted so badly to take a picture with me. Then he kept having to listen to his radio to try to overhear what his enemies were saying/doing. He may or may not have had a substance abuse problem but lots of times they go hand in hand.
The well dressed corner panhandlers with the expensive cars must be specific to some area I'm not stopping at very often. Most folks I see with the exception of folks who have a sign about traveling and running out of money or something of that nature look pretty rough.
That said, I've definitely come across many career scammers in big box parking lots with long convoluted stories of broken down vehicles or running out of gas or sick children. No one runs out of gas or breaks down every week along the same road.
The well dressed corner panhandlers with the expensive cars must be specific to some area I'm not stopping at very often. Most folks I see with the exception of folks who have a sign about traveling and running out of money or something of that nature look pretty rough.
That said, I've definitely come across many career scammers in big box parking lots with long convoluted stories of broken down vehicles or running out of gas or sick children. No one runs out of gas or breaks down every week along the same road.
Yes...those too! I remember being in Michaels off of Capital one day and some woman came running up behind me pleading she needed money for thyroid cancer. Since I actually had it I tried to talk with her about it. She was clueless and just a scammer with a made up story and took off!
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