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Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary The Triangle Area
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Old 09-15-2020, 08:16 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
6,641 posts, read 5,532,897 times
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I also agree with most people here that the Triangle does not have a high number of roadside beggars compared to other cities.
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Old 09-15-2020, 08:20 AM
 
1,204 posts, read 764,220 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luv4horses View Post
Nothing wrong with the OPs observation and responses. They belong to him. And perhaps waiting for a quick response to his question shows that he thinks of the panhandlers he sees as people not objects.

While begging kind of creeps me out since it seems prone to exploitation and demonstrating of potential mental health problems, I accept that some people may think this is all they can do. But those panhandlers at intersections are putting themselves and drivers in danger. There are better remedies.
I am not questioning that. Of course he can make his own observations. I am questioning the "compelling story" piece of it, and the example he gave for a compelling story. People become homeless for a variety of reasons. They do not seem legitimate reason to be homeless or beg for money to some people, but that's the story they have. They do not have to share it with you on demand. Even if they do, as human beings (read skeptic, judgmental) what is the probability you believe them? They know that. That's why signs that say "need to feed my family" do not work, but the funny ones like "I am not gonna lie -- I need booze" do. Because people believe what they want to believe that these people are lazy losers who'll probably drink or get drugs with the money they get. Knowing all of those preconceptions and stereotypes, you can't just stop and expect an excellent story, and then complain you didn't get one.
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Old 09-15-2020, 08:21 AM
 
Location: NC
1,320 posts, read 712,483 times
Reputation: 1485
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wakeforest20 View Post
I travel all over the country and it seems like the Raleigh area has more beggars walking up and down the medians at stop signs asking for money. They are everywhere! Yes, I see these beggars in other cities but not nearly as many as here in Raleigh. What's up with this?

Most appear to be mentally ill or on drugs. Their signs are usually too busy with 100+ words describing their challenges. Too many words for us bleeding hearts to read. (Whatever happened to the short and sweet statement "Will Work for Food!?")

Recently I have rolled down my car window and asked the beggar why they are there and what happened to them that forced them onto the highway median asking for cash with a sign. Needless to say, none of them are great communicators because no one so far has given me a straight answer. I would give someone the shirt off my back if they told me a convincing story about how life's challenges forced them onto the highway's median. (Such as: "I used to be a corporate executive for a Fortune 500 Company but age discrimination and office politics sent them to the unemployment line.")

So anyway, why are there so many beggars standing at highway medians with a sign asking for money in Raleigh?
While Raleigh and the Triangle area has always had panhandlers, they used to primarily stick to more of the urban core and mostly downtown areas and just ask people walking by. It seems to me the panhandlers on the highway exits with the signs is something that started maybe a couple decades ago. I'm guessing it's mostly because of growth...more people, more homeless, things spreading out.
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Old 09-15-2020, 08:36 AM
 
Location: 2*** Chelmsford Ct, Cary NC
826 posts, read 241,649 times
Reputation: 540
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wakeforest20 View Post
I travel all over the country and it seems like the Raleigh area has more beggars walking up and down the medians at stop signs asking for money. They are everywhere! Yes, I see these beggars in other cities but not nearly as many as here in Raleigh. What's up with this?

Most appear to be mentally ill or on drugs. Their signs are usually too busy with 100+ words describing their challenges. Too many words for us bleeding hearts to read. (Whatever happened to the short and sweet statement "Will Work for Food!?")

Recently I have rolled down my car window and asked the beggar why they are there and what happened to them that forced them onto the highway median asking for cash with a sign. Needless to say, none of them are great communicators because no one so far has given me a straight answer. I would give someone the shirt off my back if they told me a convincing story about how life's challenges forced them onto the highway's median. (Such as: "I used to be a corporate executive for a Fortune 500 Company but age discrimination and office politics sent them to the unemployment line.")

So anyway, why are there so many beggars standing at highway medians with a sign asking for money in Raleigh?
NC keeping things as restricted as it has has caused many people to lose everything, so this is a sight we will see more and more of, until someone realizes the damage he is causing and changes his mind and lets us get back to normal.
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Old 09-15-2020, 08:42 AM
 
3,666 posts, read 6,546,040 times
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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.
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Old 09-15-2020, 08:44 AM
 
3,666 posts, read 6,546,040 times
Reputation: 7143
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thnkfl4CountryLife View Post
NC keeping things as restricted as it has has caused many people to lose everything, so this is a sight we will see more and more of, until someone realizes the damage he is causing and changes his mind and lets us get back to normal.
Nice dig at Governor Cooper, his handling of the pandemic is clearly the reason why panhandling became a problem years ago.

Dan, is that really you?
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Old 09-15-2020, 08:44 AM
 
Location: Somewhere
2,211 posts, read 2,909,883 times
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I agree with the OP! There are a lot of them here but not as many as I have seen in Charlotte. But there are definitely more here than where I was from in the Bay Area.

There are many along Capital. They also love to hang out at the off ramps of freeways (540/Creedmoor/FoN/Six Forks, 440/Wake Forest Road etc) and the areas there are filled with so much litter from them. You can see their "day camps" in the woods next to these areas. They will all sit in there while a couple of them are out begging and then they switch up. Strangely you see them leave at dusk or when the weather turns bad....hmmmm!

Many are arrested for drugs along with Solicit/Beg for Money or Begging without a Permit. Many are seen getting in nice cars a few blocks up. There are some that have their little children or babies with them while their husband is sitting in a nice car in the parking lot!!! Many live in hotels (one of the older ladies that begs by TTC is a registered child sex offender that lives in the hotel by there) and many live in homes/apts. There are many that are also drifters and homeless.

I prefer to give to agencies that help homeless people rather than giving the people on the streets money because I don't want to be an enabler. My daughter and I have also driven around downtown Raleigh where you really see a lot of true homeless people and they are not out begging. They usually are just pushing their cart from place to place or sleeping behind something. We will stop and talk with them and give a "Care" package and they are truly grateful for it. I've heard from others on the community boards that the people standing on the corners get upset when they are given things versus money so that tells me a lot! And I've seen first hand people getting "things" versus money and they will toss it when the person drives off!

All you have to do is sit and observe for a bit and you can usually see who really is in need versus people that are career beggars. One time we saw an older woman in the parking lot of Trader Joes. She had a van that clearly she was living in. She got out and walked to the burger place there to get a cup of water and then we saw her washing her food dishes and utensils with it. We started up a conversation and I tried to give her money but she was too proud to even accept it. She said she had fallen on hard times and was let go from her job and then subsequently evicted. She just asked that we pray for her. I gave her my phone number before I left and also put all the cash I had on hand in her van. She has even called us a few times to let us know how she is doing.
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Old 09-15-2020, 09:15 AM
 
386 posts, read 433,165 times
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There's no way there are more in this area than in other metropolitan areas. Perhaps there are more simply at off-ramps because we are more of a car-based commuter area than an urban "subway-then-walk" type of area. They go where the business is, and the business is, apparently, good.
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Old 09-15-2020, 09:42 AM
 
1,243 posts, read 2,228,498 times
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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. Raleigh Rescue Mission Director once advised we are enabling many drug addicts at these intersections. If they were not receiving big $$ they would stop!
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Old 09-15-2020, 09:46 AM
 
Location: under the beautiful Carolina blue
22,614 posts, read 36,512,094 times
Reputation: 19814
Quote:
Originally Posted by wake74 View Post
I'm not sure what is more amusing by this post:

a. Asking the guy/gal on the street corner for a life story, and expecting to get "I used to be a corporate executive for a Fortune 500 Company but age discrimination and office politics sent them to the unemployment line"
And being sympathetic to it....that's where I got completely lost!
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