Panhandlers

[Fiveshooter]

You guys are WAY too kind

When asked for money I generally respond with "Dang, I was gonna ask you"
That usually does the trick. I never had one try to reach in my pockets but I suspect such action would call for an armed response and I don't carry "pepper spray"
The last time I was approched by panhandlers it was while doing a charity work day for my local cities housing development department. Seems the "Homeowners"(crackhead losers) weren't satisfied that I was giving up my weekend to fix up their house. They felt the need to hit me up for cash while I was working
Can you guess who is NOT volunteering next year?

 

[crashresidue]

Can I go back to that posted article?

I want to re-name the principles involved - if thats OK? I tried and tried to get on to that forum, but couldn't.

First off - there were two people involved - the "victim" and the dead guy - OK so far?

First off - the victim is attacked by the "not yet" dead guy - who assaults him with a facial attack. As per the article. That, to me is a "deadly force assault". Even HI acknowledges that an assault to the body is a lesser attack.

Secondly, the victim does NOT know the "dead guy" is homeless - are they given special priviliges? That us "home" people don't have?

Thirdly - he doesn't know the dead guy isn't armed! Ever been stabbed with an ice pick?

The "cops" say that they "know" both parties - everyone assumes that they are both problems for the cops. Well, I know enough about "double speak" to guess that the victim may be a multiple victim - if so, then they are trying to cast doubts about his integrity? Yea, they might know him because he's been a victim before - somewhere, sometime.

Lastly (is that good English?) - dead guy was shot once from the front and twice from the back" - OK, what do you guys consider "front"? Direct "eye to eye contact" with our bodies "shoulder to shoulder"?. If the dead guy started turning, and the first shot went in at an angle, and the last two shots were consistent with that turn - was it still "one in the front and two in the back"? He could have been reaching for a weapon stashed in his off-side belt - make sense? And the victim had NO idea what he was going to do - run or get a weapon!

Illegal carry? Hell YEA! If I can carry "legal" I will, but when the "locals" are too dense to realize what an asset we can be, then I'll carry - period!

It's MY life - and I'll protect it! I won't depend on anyone else, except my wife to help me.

Sorry - guess this qualifies as a "rant".

Gentle winds,
Russ

 

[38SnubFan]

There's more than plenty in nearby downtown Harrisburg, PA; especially on "club nights".

Usually, "Sorry I can't help you," works.

Past that, it's "No!" or "Get lost!"

Only once did one come up alongside me after telling him no and grabbed me by the arm. I immediately threw him to the ground, and loudly (with witnesses hearing me clearly) advised him that if he got up while I could still see him that his next meal would be given to him in the form of an IV and feeding tube.

If a panhandler was ever stupid/brave enough to put his hands in my pockets or otherwise become physically aggressive, he can deal with the "handout" of a broken nose/broken jaw/missing teeth he'll be receiving.

-38SnubFan

 

[thorn726]

i can't believe you say they put their hands in your pockets!
BOLD!
i have had people almost take a smoke out of my hand though.
look i have WAY to much knoledge on the topic of homeless people.

1) NO ONE EVER EVER EVER EVER has to panhandle for food. sometimes they get food with the money, but there is Always Always Always somewhere to get regular meals, just not good ones, if there wasnt, they would be elsewhere.
usually food = stuff like pizza or some other special snack.
the reality is
2) panhandlers use the money for drugs. nicotine, alchohol, coffee, newspapers,hotel rooms (rarely, but more often for rain,drug use, hooking)

bottom line, there is almost literally no one who actually needs to panhandle, and by giving them $$ you are encouraging them to continue.

the exceptions, the severly disabled, mentally ill, and old= should have social service/cops called on them until someone HELPS them properly.
a lot of people don't realize they can be helped out of their situation, or if they are overly belligerent , they dont really deserve to be in public do they?

there are really only two ways you can go hungry for real in the US-
live in Appalacia, possibly in some similar remote areas, and even then , this generally applies- be the child of horrible parents.

otherwise, food, clothing, pretty much everything person to lazy to work, pay rent, and live inside could need for survival is readily available, free.

 

[thorn726]

this , however

At the first hint of aggression I would hose em down with spray (the big can used for grizzly bears) while yelling "get your hands off me,leave me alone,help" etc,you know the stuff sheep yell when they're in fear.
Witnesses allways told the cops I was trying to get away,yelling for help-worked like a charm!
December 25th, 2004 08:36 PM

wow, man.

if you start here instead=
yelling "get your hands off me,leave me alone,help" and they didnt leave you alone, the spray is justified. Totally.
what you are doing, wow. Sure , no cop will ever hassle you over it, they hate the homeless here. (everywhere), and most with good reason.
your saying at the first hint of aggresion
what does that mean? you say "NO" and they look at you funny?
they ask for change and you toss them an insult?

i am a total nothing and i have never had to do more than say
"don't you UNDERSTAND NO!" to somebody following me.
ok maybe i look a little scary.

not that i couldnt see a cracked out loser grabbing at you , yelling ThreaTs after you told him to leave deserving a good dousing, but to just spray someone down right off?

have a better offense. be totally upright, aware , scanning, and when you scan them, look unhappy, not worried. they won't even approach, and they'll probably call you a cop as you walk by. If i can have half the people on the street convinced, anyone can. pure comedy.

 

[SUE ROVR]

A somewhat humorous solution from another board:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=158670

 

[thorn726]

or the daily show special on the "tactical retreats" where reporter gets to kill a hobo ?

i hate to say it, but that link is absolutely hilarious!!!
a little bit mena, but ho-LEE FREAkin funny.
our police had their own "solution" i knew who this guy was, used to see him all the time , granted he was annoying=

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/issues/2003-07-30/news/feature.html

it's pretty sick.

 

[bobby68]

Did any one say.. SHOOT EM!!!

just curious.. i'd like to know how that guy in portland is making out after shooting the pandhandler/schizo after getting off the bus....

 

[Kamicosmos]

This reminds me that I need to pick up some pepper spray to compliment my CCW.

I ignore panhandlers. Between the 'stories' of them sticking you with a dirty needle, knife, whatever, or flat out attacking and robbing you, and the other side of people who aren't homeless and do panhandling in addition to their day job, I figure no one gets my spare change. Not going to risk getting attacked, robbed, or scammed over change.

Worse incident: I went to a nightclub down town. Pulled into the parking lot, saw the guy coming. I should have just got back in my car, but figured the club entrance was close enough. He walks up, typical 'you got any change'. I say Nope and keep walking. He matches my pace and moves in way too close. He says "You're going to that club, I know you got money, and it's cash too." That freaked me out bad. I tried playing cool saying "If I give you my money, I can't buy a drink when I get to the club. Then I'd have to go home blah blah" He says "So what, give me your money. Now."

By this point I'm close enough to the club I holler over at the bouncer with "Get this creep off me". They did. *whew* I enjoyed a nice drink once I got inside.

 

[38SnubFan]

Just read the article that Thorn posted a link to. Makes things really scary!

Such a shame to see that something like mental illness can change a popular young man with so much potential for success to just a useless waste of life sitting drunk on a sidewalk in Berkeley, CA.

What scared me more: I used to live in Enola, PA; same middle-class, quiet town where the homeless man in the article grew up! I also knew many people who attended/graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, a prominent and highly-regarded private Catholic school.

Makes we wonder what's going on with my old high school classmates these days!

-38SnubFan

 

[Phil Ca]

Sorry if this has appeared in another thread but the principle worked well for me.

I worked in downtown SF for a number of years and there were panhadlers both passive and aggressive all over the place. One day during lunch I needed some funds so I walked over to the ATM near the SF Cable Car turnaround on Powell and Market Streets.

A very aggressive panhandler was trying to bum money from people at the ATM. Why the ATM? as if the customers are about to give the guy a $20 from the machine! There were a lot of younger people in front of me and I just watched to see how they handled the panhandler from Hell. He would hand near the edge of the machine and whine, "GIMMIE MONEY!, GIMMIE A BUCK!" He was having no luck but he was very successful at intimidating both male and female ATM users.

When my turn came i had my card ready and as i stepped up to the machine he started his "GIMMIE!" rant again. I stopped and in a loud , clear tone of voice I advised him thusly: "If you do not get away from here by the time I count to five, I will plant my boot in your @$$!!!" He took one scared whiney look at me as I counted, "One, two, three...." He said,"Well you don't have to be that way about it!!!" and he turned and ran up Powell Street.

The 'sheeple' still in line looked relieved but I have utter contempt for people that would stand there and not confront this individual who was causing them discomfort.

 

[RyanM]

I've noticed no one has mentioned the thing where you act vaguely like a cop, stopping the panhandler at a couple yards away by saying something like "hold it right there, sir, that's close enough. Can I help you with something?", which supposedly works miracles.

Good, because I think something like that would just get you shot if the guy approaching you turned out to actually be a drug dealer or gangster or something, instead of a hobo.