Homeless Voice - Panhandlers - Fort Lauderdale Intersections

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Anyways, what would you guys do in my situation?
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Is this the tall guy with white hair and really sunburned skin? I used to see him as far south as US-1 and Sunrise Blvd. and as far north as Commercial Blvd. His main AO seemed to be Oakland Park Blvd.

I would have to answer your question with another question: "How would you respond to this beggar if Jesus could see what you were doing?" (He can!)
 
They get arrested now, but they never come up to me, I drive a marked Security vehicle, and my shirt has a Flag on the left shoulder.

Mind you I do give to the Fire Service, Boy Scouts, at lights.
 
I hate that stuff.

Where we live, there is an agressive panhandler ordinance; calling the cops is an option (per the above suggestions) when someone behaves in the manner you describe–though it still goes on all the time at corners. I'd second giving your local PD business line a call to notify the police and ask about the law regardless; never hurts to have more information (IMHO).

I am generally very polite with the homeless on the street, FWEIW; usually a sincere smile along with "sorry, I can't help you out" does the trick.

Car approaches are a different type of animal though. Once, when I was getting into my car to pull out from a meter (parallel, not angle) this guy starts through traffic across the 3-lane street right towards me. I wasn't completely sure what was coming next so, by the time he reached my driver's window, I was already in and locked and had made note of the clear space behind me, cranked my wheel right, and dropped the car into reverse. If I didn't like what I saw going on with his hands, it would have been an easy stomp and his day would have taken a turn for the worse: always leave some space in front of your car to allow for some movement when stopped.

The upshot: the guy just asks me for change, of course, while his eyes dart around looking to see if there are any authority figures in sight. He's got both his hands on my car frame and is leaning as close to the 1-inch gap at my window as he can get–which pisses me right off, but I can also see that he's got nothing but snot for a weapon at that moment.

I gave him some quarters.

I know, I know... and I agree; that sort of behavior just encourages him. But hey, I've done pretty well at not enabling the last 30-40 times someone has asked (and yes, I've actually done some past fundraising for a local halfway house instead), so I took the easy way out that particular time around. Generally, I'll go pretty far out of my way to position my car so that some other guy becomes the first target, but this guy got me; right place, wrong time.

Anoying, but, whatever. It's worth a lot more than 50 cents to avoid escalating a situation into a place where the bogota bumper rub starts to look like a legit response option, IMHO.

Still, this sort of thing is going to continue to be an issue–possibly even more so in the future. I'm always interested to hear others ideas for handling the more mundane threats that come our way in day to day urban life; always good to have more information.
 
eric.cartman said:
Has anyone else here been harassed by those [people]?

So about a month ago, I'm on my way to the dentist in the morning, and I stop on a red light on the corner of Oakland Park Blvd and MLK Jr. (31st Ave) in Ft. L. Windows rolled up. One of those guys walks up with a cup and points it at me (as in, "Hey put some change here"). I say and signal "NO" by turning my head. Now at this point most of those guys normally get lost. Not this guy. He repeats the gesture while saying something, I think he was saying "dollar? 50 cents?" or something like that. I say "NO" again. Guy doesn't give up! He gets more pushy. So this time I yell "NO!" right at him. Now I know it might be rude of me, but he was not getting it. Anyways, so I yell at the guy "NO!" and he makes the "[]what what?!?!?" face at me and starts yelling! Walks in front of my car, points at me, yells, whatever. I was getting really annoyed, but never rolled down my window or anything, and the guy never touched my car. So I let it slide while watching his every move. A minute later the light turns and I drive off. In the mean time for about a minute the guy was all up in arms.

Fast forward to yesterday. I'm in my wife's car driving to a mall. Wife in the back with our 8 month old baby boy. SAME INTERSECTION. SAME GUY. CRAP! I stop on red, I'm the first car in the left most line (left turn onto Oakland heading east). He walks up with the money cup, points it at me and I THINK he might have recognized me, OR the strategy worked and he was pushy from the get go. He repeats the routine of asking for 50 cents etc. I again signal "NO", this time trying to stay much calmer (wife and kid in the car, don't want to stress them out). He's standing literally 1 foot outside my window, saying something to me. I look at him and tell him "I can't hear you man." while pointing at my ear. He gets irritated. NO WAY I'M ROLLING DOWN MY WINDOW. Wife get's a bit scared at this moment. He starts to walk in front of my car, looking very aggressive and putting his head to the windows looking into the car and mumbling something. He finally gets to the wife's side of the car while looking at her and kid, picking inside the car while mumbling. I instruct my wife to not even look at him (she knows better not to open the windows). At this point I'm thinking to myself "Just TRY to grab the door handle a-hole!" All the while Ruger LCP in my front pocket.

Thank goodness he gives up and walks up to the people waiting on the light to run behind me. He repeats the routine and after about a minute the passenger in the car behind me (it was a couple, guy was driving) roles down the window and gives him some change (BAD IDEA, reinforces bad behavior )... Light changes, I drive off...

Now I'm really upset with this crap. This is outright harassment. My wife told me later, if she was in the car without me, just her and our baby, she would have her hand on her gun (not exposed of course, hand in purse) very quickly and would have been scared []. I guess I can handle it much better. But I worry, wife drives there once in a while with kid. Now I told her, that if that ever happens, and guy tries to get inside, and YOU CAN DRIVE OFF, do it. If you're blocked and no way out, and guy tries to get in the car, or the window is busted or something... she knows what to do...

Anyways, what would you guys do in my situation?!?!?
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My friend from Los Angeles, familiar with road rage shootings, said this.

"If someone does something, or says something, don't look at him. If you do you could get killed."

I treat it all like that. I would not even look at this guy, or engage in ANYTHING with him. Check your map, look at your watch, stare at the traffic light, anywhere but at him. Don't even acknowledge he is there.
 
I work in Downtown Austin and deal with a plethora of homeless people. Frequently I get accosted for cigarettes. I make it a point that I am not only refusing to give them one but that I make it a very loud point by often screaming and taking a very aggressive stance with them. It works and now almost all of them leave me alone completely. I live in Austin which is pretty laid back so this strategy works out pretty well. I don't understand why anyone would give them money, they are just going to spend it on drugs or booze. Give to a charity like Salvation Army or the Red Cross or Caritas if you want to help those people.

I also would call the cops if the bum gets uppity and tries to mess with you further. Don't ignore the problem, solve it. I always let them know I see them and that I am now seeing past them. More helpful than handing them my hard-earned money. Might inspire them to clean themselves up and if not, didn't cost me a dime.
 
In our small town, right next to I-5, we get lots of panhandlers/beggars bugging people at the freeway off ramps, they have a captive audience after all. Our city council did something pretty smart I think, they didn't outlaw begging/panhandling, they made it against the law to give someone money from inside a car. It's not illegal to give them money, you just have to park and walk back to where they are at to give them money... I don't think there are many people doing that. Guess what, the panhandlers moved on, now you are "lucky" to see a panhandler once a while. Problem Solved.
 
JohnnyOrygun I remember hearing about this. I know in Beaverton, they considered trying to pass anti panhandling laws, but decided it wouldn't be worth running afoul of the ACLU. Has the ACLU or any other groups tried to mount a legal challenge to the ordinance in your town?
 
Cougfan2 as far as I know, there have been no challenges to Roseburg's Ordinance. Maybe we are too small to draw the attention of the ACLU, but the law went in to effect last year or maybe the year before and so far so good. It has really cut down on the panhandling, especially at the freeway off ramps.

JohnnyOrygun
 
We have a few homeless people in particular in my area who are also mentally unstable. They're not just panhandling they're on the corner, hopping into traffic or throwing things at cars. Screaming & ranting. I had one near my car, just me & my kids inside, windows up and doors locked.

We are not allowed to carry firearms i.e. conceal/open carry for protection here ("may issue"state) so I was planning to use my car to get outta there if I had to.
We watch for them and try to avoid them when possible. I never give them money.
 
It's really sad about the one's who are mentally ill. The ones who just poison themselves with drugs I don't feel too bad for, but the ones who were released back in the 80's are a sad case.

Not to get political but I just read an article where employers are more reluctant to hire veterans in fear of them having PTSD when only a small percentage do and usually they clear up with time. It would be a sad trait of our nation if our brave men and women who came back from over there could not land a job from a very undue prejudice.

I don't want others to think that I'm heartless with the homeless but I take a tough stance. I don't mind helping out organizations that help them out, I just refuse to help them spend money on drugs and further their problem. And I don't want to reinforce negative behavior. Being an enabler to a drug habit makes you just as culpable to the dealer who sells it to them, IMHO.
 
I will pull into the parking lot of a business (if allowed) and call the police about an aggressive panhandler at the intersection. I will wait for the police to show up and point out the panhandler. I will repeat the call if I see the panhandler there again.
 
Never "donate" money directly to the homeless. My wife worked for several years at a homeless shelter and recovery center, and all the stories you hear are true.

Homeless people will not starve. Most eat three square meals a day at homeless shelters, churches, or some other location. Statistics show that over 75% of homeless people are mentally ill or substance abusers, or both. Your money WILL go to buy drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, porn, anything but food and shelter, which they get for free.

Want to help the homeless? Send that change to your local homeless shelter or recovery center. Helping a man buy beer doesn't solve his problem. Funding a recovery program to help him break the cycle does.
 
I always thought those Homeless Voice people were not homeless people but do-gooders with a few screws loose, begging for money so that the real beggars can relax and take the day off.
 
I concur. They aren't starving. Salt Lake City has a shelter that has NEVER been filled to capacity. And of course this area has a reputation for being particularly unfriendly to pan handlers.

I look at them squarely and say "No." In almost every case they leave.

But in a place like the OP describes, they obviously have a different attitude. They have probably been picked up a dozen times, know exactly what they can and cannot get away with, and the worst that will happen to them is that they will have to spend the night in the city lockup. What do they have to lose?

I try to empathize, but I'm not very good at it. I remind myself that as a human being of Judeo-Christian ethic, it is my responsibility to look for chances to help those who need it. The last time I remember helping a guy out, I was in a parking lot getting into my Blazer after a night shift, and a guy approaches me, tells me he needs another ten bucks for his bus ticket to get out of town. I opened up my wallet, and all I had was two. I gave them to him, and he made a disgusted noise. "You don't have any more?"

Ever since then, I have reminded myself that there is plenty of charitable help here, no one has to starve or freeze, and letting a stranger get close enough to see inside my empty wallet in a dark parking lot, alone, after hours, is a BAD idea.
 
Dude, I had a little laugh when I saw the headline on this forum. I used to live down in MIA and would run into those guys at most of the major intersections from North Miami Beach out to Hollywood. It was a bit freaky seeing some of these guys passing out their papers. I remember getting freaked out at 163rd and Biscayne. Some of these guys were pretty rough looking, while others were friendly. I also thought it was odd that they could operate right in between all the traffic day-in and day-out without any oversight. I don't know what the best solution is to your case you mentioned - you did come out ok. I guess that is enough said.
 
Let me get this right, you think its ok to draw on a homeless man for being persistant while begging? This might be the most high road thread I've ever read.
 
These were showing up in Toronto. Some art student made a series of signs with phrases about keeping the heat grates clear for the homeless and being quiet beause the homeless were sleeping. I think the guy was serious about it.

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I work 2 blocks from a drug store at a major intersection, and not far from the bus station either, and all I ever do is offer to walk them over to Hardee's for a burger if they say they need money for food.

In 23 years I have yet to have to buy somebody a meal.

Every few years somebody says they need money for a beer. I reward honesty.
 
sohcgt2,

From what I read I believe that he would draw on the homeless man if he broke a window and tried to go/get at his wife and kid...I don't think he was talking about just drawing on him for begging.

I worked at a company in a rich north shore area of Chicago that was right off the el. Homeless/beggars/vagrants would ride the trains all day and very often get off and stop to talk to me while I was having a cigarette. Most of the time I would offer one to them and ask them what there story is, and then they would ask what my story is. It is very enlightening and really gave me perspective on my life and how good I have it. I don't like to pull out my wallet and give money, so I normally keep a few spare dollars in my back left pocket and do what I can. Money or cigarettes, a lot goes a long way with people in desperate situations.
 
Birdmang,

SAME INTERSECTION. SAME GUY. CRAP!... He gets irritated... NO WAY I'M ROLLING DOWN MY WINDOW... At this point I'm thinking to myself "Just TRY to grab the door handle a-hole!" All the while Ruger LCP in my front pocket... if she was in the car without me, just her and our baby, she would have her hand on her gun
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This after a prior encounter in which the homeless man never touched his car. If you are that fearful of a homeless man at an intersection I wonder if you have the necessary mindset to carry a firearm. He's a homeless man not a gang of thugs.
 
i live in tampa florida same problem. They beg for money with signs that say 'homeless helping homeless'. At a lot of major intersections.
 
People need to stop calling them homeless or panhandlers. They're bums. Worthless and not looking for help. They harass people on their way to work. They know that churches and shelters will help them, yet the beg for cash. Cash doesn't help them. That isn't going to get them an address or a clean shave. That's going to get them smokes, junk food or booze.

I have no mercy for bums.
 
sohcgt2 said:
This after a prior encounter in which the homeless man never touched his car. If you are that fearful of a homeless man at an intersection I wonder if you have the necessary mindset to carry a firearm. He's a homeless man not a gang of thugs.
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You've obviously never delt with hosile bums. I have, they have short fuses and don't like someone telling them "no". They have the mindset of children. I keep my hand on the ready when approached.
 
There is a spectrum of panhandlers, from the mellow to the professionals to the mentally unhinged. You can usually tell who's who as you watch them work, and alter your response accordingly.

The aggressive ones are not easily bought off with smokes, like you can with the mellow ones. They tend to shrink from confrontation and feed on discomfort, and so it's probably best not to cower. I have found (working in downtown DC for almost twenty years) that a firm command voice is usually more effective at ridding yourself of the aggressive ones as much as anything else.
 
As a lifetime South Floridian let me correct some things...

Homeless Voice in South Florida is not panhandling. They offer a newspaper with the donation. Most are not even homeless either. Many live in subsidized housing and are not destitute crazed homeless.

The advice is still good. Ignore them.
 
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