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C-D is doing something strange. I tried to "rep" Shallow Hal and was not able to do so. "You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Shallow Hal again."
I never heard of Shallow Hal before reading this thread. I certainly didn't Rep him before. Puzzling.
Anyway, Shallow Hal, yours was a well-reasoned and well-written post. Thank you.
Well that escalated quickly, for a 5-page thread that started today.
I too have noticed an upswing in the past year and before Covid, and that in some cases it looks like a racket. Some places like on WF road near Wegmans they have 3 of 4 corners covered and I see a lot of the same people, some of them look to be in their 20s or 30s and perfectly capable of more sustainable means of employment.
Yeah I get it that I don't know their personal situations and some are truly in need, often enough some of them at least appear that money is going towards their drug habit and that in some cases part of an organized and disingenuous racket. There are some who do look truly in need.
I remember a group of them camped out for months near the WF Road Food Lion and Bojangles in their early 20s who just looked lazy AF and content to beg for a living all day.
There's the sax player across from Crabtree Mall, the one-legged man at the off- and on-ramp coming from / going to Crabtree Mall, any of a number of young men at the Glenwood stoplight turning into Crabtree Mall. There's the older men at the corner of Glenwood coming out of Crabtree Mall. There's a repeat group at Exit 287 off 40 turning onto Harrison Ave at what was not so long ago Rush Hour. There's usually younger men at the 40 offramp to WF Road stoplight who also look capable of employment.
I can imagine how some of them, as mentioned, are getting into cars at the end of their workday. I can also imagine that some would not be appreciative of food instead of money, got a sense of that last week at Wegmans when someone gave a guy that. For all I know they could be some of the people I see living out of their cars in shopping center parking lots.
Who knows, maybe this time next year I could be one of them.
Last edited by Repatriot; 09-15-2020 at 08:16 PM..
If there are more beggars in other cities than the greater Triangle area, heaven help us! I still maintain there are more of them standing in the medians asking for money than any other east coast city.
People laughed at me for thinking I could get some type of response from them other than a grunt when I asked them how they got in this tough spot. And no, I did not really think many of them were ex Fortune 500 Company executives who lost their jobs due to age discrimination and office politics. That was tounge in cheek. Though they could get more help from bleeding hearts like me if they had a 15 second elevator pitch telling anyone who would listen how they ended up in that situation.
Only place I see this on a consistent basis is Page Road and South Miami by the on and exit ramps of 540 and 40....the Triangle pales in comparison to other states and countries depending on how much you travel. Ever been to a railroad in France or Italy?
There are always people begging outside of Crabtree. Usually one person on each corner of the intersection at Glenwood and Blue Ridge. Occasionally, I'll see a few people up and down Capital Blvd - but that's about it.
I don't venture into Durham or Chapel Hill much, so I can't comment on the situation there.
Rare to see anyone begging in Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, or Fuquay. I did have a guy approach me at a gas station in Cary asking for gas money a few years ago. He was fairly well dressed and was driving a newer vehicle. When I offered to go inside and run my card at the register for him, he declined. So, I can only assume he was running a scam of some sort. Not the traditional 'down on their luck' beggar you see on a median/street corner.
I was in Greensboro a few weeks ago. I saw about triple the amount of people panhandling/begging that I do in Raleigh. Fayetteville also has a big problem with panhandlers. Much more so than anywhere in the Triangle.
I haven't really noticed an uptick in Western Wake but I live in the burbs. You very rarely see any people begging on the side of the road in HS and Fuquay. But I don't get out much these days. I did go to the beach yesterday and although Clayton isn't the Triangle, I did not see any people begging there on the exit to rte 42 which is actually not usual.
Are there scammers out there. I suppose but it doesn't seem like a very lucrative business as I don't see many people handing out any bills let alone big ones. However I could be very wrong.
Look, desperate people who are mentally ill or have substance abuse issues *that's mental illness as well when it's to that degree of loss of societal functioning* maybe aren't up to entertaining you for cash. If they're just "grunting" maybe they feel very sick. Where would they go for treatment of their addiction anyway? Beg their way to rehab?
There are always people begging outside of Crabtree. Usually one person on each corner of the intersection at Glenwood and Blue Ridge. Occasionally, I'll see a few people up and down Capital Blvd - but that's about it.
I don't venture into Durham or Chapel Hill much, so I can't comment on the situation there.
Rare to see anyone begging in Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, or Fuquay. I did have a guy approach me at a gas station in Cary asking for gas money a few years ago. He was fairly well dressed and was driving a newer vehicle. When I offered to go inside and run my card at the register for him, he declined. So, I can only assume he was running a scam of some sort. Not the traditional 'down on their luck' beggar you see on a median/street corner.
I was in Greensboro a few weeks ago. I saw about triple the amount of people panhandling/begging that I do in Raleigh. Fayetteville also has a big problem with panhandlers. Much more so than anywhere in the Triangle.
We were posting at the same time. I agree about Apex, Cary, HS and Fuquay as I posted. I see people outside Crabtree as well and kinda hold my breath with that situation as the amount of traffic and where they are standing makes it very unsafe.....
Homelessness is a hugely complex problem and finger pointing and the blame game contribute nothing to it's solution. There is too much political division now, obstruction, deadlock and it can't continue if there will ever be help for a population that desperately needs help and very much deserves the assistance. I always give because I figure it could happen to anyone of us. Some are homeless because of losing their homes due to catastrophic medical bankruptcy. When historians looks back they will be appalled at our treatment of the homeless, substance abusers and the mentally ill.
So do you really believe that giving money to a substance abuser is contributing anything to the solution??
If your loved one was a drug addict would you give him/her money knowing darn well that he/she will be taking that money to go buy more drugs which in turn might lead to their death??
I'm all for helping people but I don't see how giving money to these people on street corners is helping. Buy them a hotel room, give them food, help pay their bills by paying directly to the creditor or give to a mental health/substance abuse program or homeless shelter if you really want to help them.
If there are more beggars in other cities than the greater Triangle area, heaven help us! I still maintain there are more of them standing in the medians asking for money than any other east coast city.
People laughed at me for thinking I could get some type of response from them other than a grunt when I asked them how they got in this tough spot. And no, I did not really think many of them were ex Fortune 500 Company executives who lost their jobs due to age discrimination and office politics. That was tounge in cheek. Though they could get more help from bleeding hearts like me if they had a 15 second elevator pitch telling anyone who would listen how they ended up in that situation.
Don't go to Haight-Ashbury then. Most numerous and aggressive "street kids" I have ever experienced in any city I have been to in the world, including third world countries.
Last time I was in SF (2010 for a HS "reunion") a street kid followed me for 6 blocks asking for a cigarette which I ignored him the entire time (was having a conversation with my friend while we walked).
Dude flat out wanted to fight when we turned around at Golden Gate park because I ignored him.
I haven't been there since the "1M dollar housing bubble pushed everyone out of their house" so I can imagine it's only worse there now.
If there are more beggars in other cities than the greater Triangle area, heaven help us! I still maintain there are more of them standing in the medians asking for money than any other east coast city.
Could be at least in part because New York City was sending their homeless down here. Like I mentioned earlier, I noticed this kind of panhandling (standing at the intersection/exit ramp with a sign) really picked up over the past couple of decades, so it's not like something that's always been going on.
I don't really see it when I visit family in NJ or in MA either. It could just be because of better weather here and different trespass laws and/or how they're enforced too. There's lots of folks with money here too who seem to be quite willing to contribute.
I still maintain there are more of them standing in the medians asking for money than any other east coast city.
People laughed at me for thinking I could get some type of response from them other than a grunt when I asked them how they got in this tough spot. And no, I did not really think many of them were ex Fortune 500 Company executives who lost their jobs due to age discrimination and office politics. That was tounge in cheek. Though they could get more help from bleeding hearts like me if they had a 15 second elevator pitch telling anyone who would listen how they ended up in that situation.
Maintain it all ya want if that helps you feel better about your weird observations. Unless you have scientific data it's just your OPINION that there are more beggars here. And we all know how much OPINIONS are worth.
And who cares what the person's backstory is...if you're going to help, then help. If you're not, why bother engaging in conversation? I'll be straight forward, I generally do not give out cash to people begging. If I do give out cash (gift certificates, food, etc.) I just do it. I don't have the time to interview everyone I choose to help. There is no need for someone to come on C-D and talk about some questioning they did to make sure that a beggar is qualified enough for them to throw the person a buck.
For someone who posts in other forums about being close to being fired and quitting your job as a failure - you should have a little more compassion to people who are down on their luck. Or not...but no need to put it on social media to make yourself feel somehow "superior".
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