Are panhandlers becoming more aggressive?

Question

You see them on nearly every street corner and depending on where you live, up and down the street, on the side of the road and even in the stores. They all want the same thing. Money. Your money.

But lately, it seems that panhandlers are getting more aggressive. If you say "sorry man, don't have any", they talk back "well, for someone who doesn't have any, you have a nice watch asshole." or "i know damn well you got a laptop computer! don't be a ******* cheapass!" Panhandlers yell at you, "HEY you! help me out" even if you are walking with a friend and chatting, they'll interrupt you and beg.

I do not believe in giving the homeless and panhandlers money mainly because I have walked many miles in their shoes. I know that their are many services for the homeless for the taking. The only way one improves their situation is by taking action and helping themselves.

There's this lady in Denver who hangs around the bus stops and on the 16th street mall bus and goes up to every one and yells, " you got 45 cents so I can buy a cup of coffee?" and unless you say no, she'll keep asking and asking. and god forbid you be on a cell phone, she'll get right up in your face and yell at you.

what the hell man!

There's also a lady like that in Vegas, she hangs out by the bus stops in the tourists areas and yells at every single person, "hey, you got 2 bucks so I can ride the bus home to my children?" and again, she'll pester you until you give her money or say no.

The funny thing was that a guy who was with his friends gave the lady 2 bucks. but she kept going around and asking people the same question. and then the bus came and she stayed behind and the guy was like "you coming?" and she was like, "i'll catch the next one". yeah right. so i had to listen to this guy complain about how he got scammed all the way down the strip. he even called his wife on his cell phone to tell her. OMG!

Answer 1

I fortunately have not had too many issues with this, although I do understand where you are coming from. I was homeless myself about 12 years ago - and not once did I end up panhandling for any change or money. At the time, I was too embarrassed - but the fact of the matter is, there were organizations out there to help. I would much rather send my money to one of these places than to the person's hand just so they can go buy cigarettes or beer (and that is what happens to most of it, I have seen that for a fact.) One thing that I thought of though, if you wanted to do something to help them - perhaps get them off of your back (oh, its that guy again. leave him be he never gives anything), and perhaps the organizations that are out there as well, then do this: make a small list of a few of the organizations around your area that offer hot meals, shelter, etc... and type it up. Print out several pages of this, just to have about 10-12 of these slips of paper on you when you go out. Whenever they ask you for help, hand them one of these folded up, most of the time they will take it thinking it is money. They may not like the fact that it wasn't a dollar bill, but in the end you have given them a free meal, or shelter for the night. You have saved yourself (hopefully) some of the hassle that they give you all the time because eventually, when they get the idea that they are only going to get this piece of paper from you, they will probably begin to avoid you on the street. Also, you may inadvertently be helping these organizations. Many rely on funding, which in part rely's on how many people they are helping. If you send them more people, they get more funding.
Everyone gets something out of this solution.

And for anyone who reads this - don't feel guilty about not giving to the panhandlers. The news programs have done actual stories on people who do this for a living! Seriously, they get up, put on dirty clothes, have their wives drop them off at a corner and put in a full 8 hours of panhandling. One guy stated he made more at this than he did at his previous job.

Answer 2

In NYC there has been a tremendous crackdown on what the city calls "aggressive panhandling" (to distinguish it from sitting with a cup and a sign) in recent years. Sparing for change is tolerated, but the kind of things you describe will have the cops involved.

Due to this there has been a marked decrease in agressive panhandling in the past eight or so years.

Answer 3

The world is filled with the hopeless, more so in the cities. I agree about not giving money but I do take care of those who are helping themselves by donating to the women's shelter or the homeless shelters.

Thank Ronald Regan too, he closed down the psyc wards while he "reined". This let thousands of people who can't help themselves onto the streets! Between that and what he did to the farmers of America, I am not suprised at the high suicide rate and high crime rates in cities across our great nation!

Answer 4

Most (but not all) of the panhandlers I run into talk to me like it's their fault they're homeless. I've gotten comments like "hey, asshole, don't be a jerk, spare me some bucks" and stuff like that. I find it to be very annoying. I'll give money if they're actually grateful. If I don't give them money, it's like I'm a huge jackass who couldn't spare the poor bum some money. It's every man for himself in this world, don't drop out of school, go to a homeless shelter, anything. I get all this guilt riding on me if I don't help the poor guy out. He needs to help himself out not depend on other people. I know, you probably think I'm selfish, but I've just lost all sympathy.

Answer 5

ignore about them.. if there are some homeless human beings contained in the line at minus 22 degrees celsius and they in simple terms sit down there and are not in any respect impolite and ask for rather replace then I do provide it to them because no human being who isn't determined sits out in that climate even if the impolite ones who call human beings nasty names I in simple terms ignore about.. I easily have met a good number of pleasant homeless or highway human beings and they requested for no money yet that they had a hat there or a jar and that i positioned some money in and they did thank me and smiled and were very polite and needed me an superb day.. i do not provide to impolite human beings even if.. i do not say some thing decrease back to them I in simple terms ignore about them.

Answer 6

In the towns around me there are labor halls [ daily work for daily pay] if they look like they can work I give them directions to that . If they look like they can't work I tell them how to get to the homeless shelter. I also donate to the shelter! The labor halls do send women out to work to!!

Answer 7

give and you will receive