One of the local TV stations near here had a PD communications officer advise not to give cash to panhandlers. PD thinks about 50% or more goes directly to buying drugs. Same interview listed several ways to contribute safely for those who wish to help needy.

I refuse to give these people money. When you get off the freeway and there's a person at every corner begging for money I think that's an issue... I have no problem donating to good causes (V.A, Phoenix children's hospital, etc) but I work hard for my money and I refuse to give it to pandhandlers because more than likely it's a scam and I think people begging for money at every corner makes the city look like crap.

Most of these people are able-bodied people and instead of getting a job and working they would rather do nothing and make more tax-free money than a lot of us make working 40-50-60 hours a week. "Will work for food" is one of my favorite... I've offered multiple of these people simple chores at my parents machine shop (pulling weeds around perimeter, mopping floors, etc) and I've been turned down every time I've offered.

Maybe I'm cynical and I hate to be that way, but unfortunately the majority of people suck and it ruins it for the ones that truly do just need a couple bucks for gas or something.

There's a guy near here who lives in a house at a busy intersection. He drags out a bike and a whole bunch of shit and sits right outside his front door looking pitiful with the typical magic marker/cardboard sign begging for change. If I get a chance, I'll take a photo of this asshole for y'all.

I used to occasionally be generous to some of them, but my heart has hardened. Not only are they irritating, but they provide cover to criminals who can get close enough to you to do more than beg for your shit. Fuck 'em all.

I've said no to some and used my card for a few who seemed genuine. Were they? I don't know, but I don't regret it. Worst case scenario I'm a decent sumbitch

I actually ran into a lady who I had given money to (one and only time I've given cash) at another gas station in town. She was trying to get money from me AGAIN. Apparently her other Mom was on her death bed across the state. I told her what I thought about that

I experienced one incident that I still feel bad about.

I was maybe the third person in line at the register in Walmart. There was a clean-cut man with a small boy checking out, paying in cash. There was a conversation between the man and the cashier, and some items were removed from his order. He paid for the rest and he and the boy left.

Unfortunately my mind was elsewhere and I wasn't thinking fast enough. I realized that his cart did not contain junk food or luxury items, just plain food to feed them, and it looked as if he did not have enough money to feed the kid.

If I had been thinking faster I would have told the cashier to just add it to my bill, so that he could take the food, but I was too slow. I get out to the parking lot as fast as I could, looked for them, but could not find them.

To this day, I feel bad about not helping somebody who appeared to have a legitimate need.

I generally don't give money to the, the ones that do get me to cough it up have dogs.

I'm really quick to just say no to the beggars. Simply "No" every time. I gave in once, a couple of years ago, and the same person hit me up again less than a week later at a different shopping center in town. To hell with all of them.

quote:

Originally posted by germandogs:

What pisses me off is I am afraid that someday I will miss the opportunity to really help someone because assholes have made me so cynical.

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This is what I am afraid of also.
Over 25 years ago I gave some one money. They said they were hungry and had no money. It was at a time when we were in a rescission and a lot of people were out of work. I had a great job and was doing well for my self and felt bad for the person and their situation.
Fast forward eight hours latter. I see the same person walking out of a convenience store with several packs of cigarettes in their hands they just bought. I was a little pissed and said the money I gave you was to get something to eat not buy cigarettes she said I should go F my self it was her money and she could do what ever she wanted with it.
From that point forward I have only given to organizations that help people that really need the help. The number one organization my wife and I give to is the Salvation Army. They seem to do the best with the donation with the least overhead cost. At least I know the help is going to the people who most need it.
I am still waiting for someone to just ask for food because they are hungry.I would feed them. That is something I do not think I would have a problem doing. At least I would know where the money went.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I experienced one incident that I still feel bad about.

I was maybe the third person in line at the register in Walmart. There was a clean-cut man with a small boy checking out, paying in cash. There was a conversation between the man and the cashier, and some items were removed from his order. He paid for the rest and he and the boy left.

Unfortunately my mind was elsewhere and I wasn't thinking fast enough. I realized that his cart did not contain junk food or luxury items, just plain food to feed them, and it looked as if he did not have enough money to feed the kid.

If I had been thinking faster I would have told the cashier to just add it to my bill, so that he could take the food, but I was too slow. I get out to the parking lot as fast as I could, looked for them, but could not find them.

To this day, I feel bad about not helping somebody who appeared to have a legitimate need.

I've bought the person in front of me things in the same situation before. Just what they were short for, not the whole cart. Will do it again without thought, especially if ita all staples - milk, bread, eggs, rice, vegatables, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I experienced one incident that I still feel bad about.

I was maybe the third person in line at the register in Walmart. There was a clean-cut man with a small boy checking out, paying in cash. There was a conversation between the man and the cashier, and some items were removed from his order. He paid for the rest and he and the boy left.

Unfortunately my mind was elsewhere and I wasn't thinking fast enough. I realized that his cart did not contain junk food or luxury items, just plain food to feed them, and it looked as if he did not have enough money to feed the kid.

If I had been thinking faster I would have told the cashier to just add it to my bill, so that he could take the food, but I was too slow. I get out to the parking lot as fast as I could, looked for them, but could not find them.

To this day, I feel bad about not helping somebody who appeared to have a legitimate need.

I've bought the person in front of me things in the same situation before. Just what they were short for, not the whole cart. Will do it again without thought, especially if ita all staples - milk, bread, eggs, rice, vegatables, etc.

I will say that I'll refuse a beggar in a hot second, but something like this I'll happily do. I don't mind helping someone truly in need, but those people usually won't ask in the first place.

My wife says I look mean so nobody ever asks me for help which is true but about 5 yrs ago man asked me for gas money and I promptly told him I would call the local PD as they like to help stranded motorists. He took off.

There used to be a guy who was on one of those small motorized wheelchair things, I don't recall the name of it. He would be sitting in the thing at the bottom of the on-ramp to the highway (where the entry control stoplights are) every morning with his "homeless" sign and his hand out. When I started riding the commuter bus to work in the morning, guess who I saw on the same bus, every morning? Same guy. Only thing is, he would be talking to others on the bus about how he's living at his son's house. Haven't seen him there in a while now, somebody must have figured out his scam and notified the police.

Way back in the mid 1980's , while on the Hwy Patrol job, I was approached by a man in his 70's, driving a reasonably new truck with AK plates. He asked me if I knew of a Veterinarian in the area. Seems his dog was sick and he was very concerned.

We were close to Cascade and the local Vet was a good friend. So he followed me several miles to town and I hooked him up with the Vet.

He had a sob story about losing his money, or something. He was a miner trying to get back to his claim, someplace up in Alaska. Bill worked on his dog anyway, kept it overnight and the next day the old guy left, PROMISING to pay.

We talked about it....I apologized for putting him in a bad spot, etc.

Few months later I see the Vet and he shows me a small container, with exactly an OUNCE of gold dust. Came with a letter Thanking him for his kindness and paying him for the Vet bill.

This is what pisses me off about beggars/scammers. We get so immune ,that we then deny help to the decent folks who really ARE in a bad spot.

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:
On way back from Silver City, I stopped for gas and food at an I-10 Truck Stop. Young man walked over and asked me for money 'cause he didn't have enough gasoline to get home.

I noticed he was holding an Iphone, so I offered him $20 for his Iphone.

He walked away.

I thought the offer was good.

Perfect! Sounded like a reasonable offer to me!

I noticed a "gentleman" asking people for gas at a gas station. He had a 5 gallon container. I watch one lady put gas in it for him. Then I watched him put it in the back of his truck where he had probably 10 other containers.

Such pieces of shit.

quote:

Originally posted by preten2b:
One of the local TV stations near here had a PD communications officer advise not to give cash to panhandlers. PD thinks about 50% or more goes directly to buying drugs.

50%?

Try damn near 100% for drugs and booze.

I had an older woman (mid 60s maybe older) hit me up for diapers for her grand child....she started in on her explanation....I handed her a $20

was she legit....don't know but it seemed right at the time.

That was my first and last in many years, normally they get a "sorry no cash".

One of my favorite was a small (8ish) Gypsy boy who hit me up at the ATM in Lvov, I feigned not understanding him....he went through, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Spanish and finally English .....I gave him $5

But I also saw plenty of Gypsy women hang around outdoor cafe's holding babies looking downtrodden...for some reason this just pissed me off

I am in "no" is the first word out of my mouth group however; there was a homeless woman who set up shop at the exit of a supermarket in the neighborhood, which was around the corner of my church. I never stopped to help or donate though one of the ladies in the church finally decided to (the homeless woman had been there for about six months).

Church Lady (CL) buys Homeless Lady (HL) lunch and invites HL to church. HL shows up, dirty, in need of a shower, and hungry.

End result, without going in too much detail, CL brings HL into her home, gets HL into a program for people who lost a child. Seems HL lost her child of 3 or 4 years old and went off the psychiatric deep-end as a result. Husband divorced her and took other kids back east as a result.

The church as a whole were able to gather up enough donations to keep HL in treatment and then provide enough funds for HL to move back east, near her surviving children, and in with a sibling. About a year later we received a letter from [former] HL explaining how grateful she was, connected with her surviving kids, and had a self-supporting job.

Great story and one I remembered when a kid (early 20s) at a gas station asked me for $20. Said he was trying to get to a job interview (he was in a button-down shirt and slacks) and didn't realize he was overdrawn and hence, didn't have the $$. Also, there was a cop nearby. What the hey, I gave him $20.

He went into the store and, as I was cleaning my windshield, came out with two packs of cigarettes, a soda, and a big "you're a sucker" smile on his face, makes a gesture at the cop as literally says "and you can't do anything about it."

I was pissed and in a split second of rage, through down the squeegee so hard it does a perfect bounce off the pole (I missed the ground) and the handle into the kid's windshield.

Cop see what had transpired, comes over to the kid raging something had to be done, I needed to be arrested, he was going to sue, yada, yada, yada. Cop's reply: "sorry, he's heading to a job interview and doesn't have the time for you." Then told me to leave while he assisted the kid with getting a tow truck as the car was not safe for the road anymore.

"No" is still, typically, the first word out of my mouth.

You have to harden your heart in the face of that stuff. The scammers have ruined it for the people who legitimately might need help. I don't pony up for anyone these days. It's the only way to be certain that I'm not funding a scammer.

quote:

I don't mind helping someone truly in need, but those people usually won't ask in the first place.

+1