Homeless people

Kevin · #1 03-18-2007, 10:26 PM

They annoy the hell out of me.

I live downtown about 3-4 blocks away from the bus station which is relatively close to the homeless shelter. I frequently walk between where I live and the city's main club/bar/entertainment district (known as Bricktown). Without fail, I get hit up at least twice.

Yesterday, I saw a homeless guy who had taken his art form to a new low. Dude was sitting in a wheel chair, pulling himself around by his feet (if he was really unable to walk, I don't see a) how in the hell he got all the way out there in a wheel chair and b) if his legs worked well enough to pull him around in his chair why he needed the chair. At any rate, dude looked pathetic.

My wife and I were walking to the botanical garden which is also a few blocks from home. The guy locked onto us like a heat seeking missile. You ever watch football where you think the guy with the ball is going to go for a touchdown, but some defender "has the angle" and catches him? Well, this guy had the angle on us. We of course pick up the pace, but the "crippled" guy starts dragging his wheelchair at warp speed catching up to us.

As he starts to close on us, I figured out how to lose him. We made a bee-line for a parking garage where there was a high curb -- and most notably, no ramp to make it wheel chair accessible (it was a shortcut anyhow). So of course we lost the guy. I guess he was faced with the dilemna of actually catching up to us (eventually he would have) or blowing his wheelchair cover by getting himself over that curb. We won... game, set, match.

These folks really get on my nerves. They aren't really all that bad off. If they're able to catch up to me in their fake wheelchair and give me some bullcrap story about how they ran out of gas, lost their job down at the plant, etc., they can definitely work. That they choose not to ain't my problem. There are homeless that really do need help.. like the schizo woman (who I still see around here walking the streets occasionally) I stopped to block traffic and dialed 911 for as she was laying in the middle of the street clutching a teddy bear screaming "Kill me!". Those folks need our help. Panhandlers? eff em.

tld221 · #2 03-18-2007, 10:51 PM

i'm a little tired right now to defend the homeless (or "people without homes, as my journalism professor would say - another story)... but i see my share of homeless folks in NYC. i will agree, most of the time they are annoying - they all that their sob stories and in my case, disrupt what you hope will be a peaceful commute home. then you've got to dig in your pockets for loose change which they will spend on anything from cheap boose and loosies to their children's school shoes. i had a homeless guy (according to him, he was a war vet and the government only gave him $60/month to live for him and his wife) follow me during my lunch hour last week and it freaked me out.

however, realize the homeless come in various looks - i was homeless off and on for 1.5 years at one point. but i didnt walk around reeking of urine and vodka. nor did i beg for change. i feel very fortunate for that.

my point to you, Kevin, is though you may think the homeless are annoying, and think that "theyre totally able to work!" consider the following:

1. the pride it takes to ask complete strangers for change. some of are too ashamed to borrow money from our friends and families for various things. these people are asking - begging - not because they want to but because they HAVE to.

2. survival of the fittest doesnt allow them to have the "privelege" of working. the job market is rough enough as it is. how many people (including ourselves) have a hard enough time finding a job with college degrees, decent references and past job experience? i know i am. now imagine having limited education, little to no job references, no means to even get an interview for a menial minimum-wage job? im sure that's a fraction of what the homeless face if they are even thinking about working. and let's be honest - if a seemingly homeless person walked into your place of business looking for work, would you tell him "Can you start on Monday?"

As much as i want to ridicule and blame you for your borderline "holier than thou" attitudes towards those less fortunate, i really cant - for all i know, you probably have never been in a position to have to ask for help, financially or otherwise. and im not talking about "man i need bucks to pay for my books next semester" or "wow, can i grab $10 for dinner tonight?" but some real destitute type help.

Kevin · #3 03-18-2007, 11:17 PM

tld, I'd never be in that sort of position. I'm not the person some of these folks are. OKC is an interesting place. There is at least one sort of pseudo-corporate entity that sponsors beggars (I've seen a van doing pickups/dropoffs). These guys on a busy street corner can rake in some pretty good money. A decent middle class living at least.. all cash.

As for pride? I don't really care about their situation. Their problems are not my problems. This is a country where someone can sneak over the border with nothing but the clothes on their backs, not be able to speak the language and still be able to make a paycheck.

tld221 · #4 03-18-2007, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

tld, I'd never be in that sort of position. I'm not the person some of these folks are.

We'll i (rather my family) never thought i'd be in "that sort of position" either. no one KNOWS theyre gonna end up homeless. just like you said, people can come to this country with nothing and fair OK... but conversely, people who are economically comfortable can fall flat on their @sses and go to nothing. it's less likely, but it does happen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

As for pride? I don't really care about their situation. Their problems are not my problems.

well lucky you - youre financially comfortable enough that you can distance yourself from the unpleasantries of the less fortunate. god forbid that they ruin your appetite by asking for change and smelling less than desirable.

how can you judge then? seriously, you dont know the backstory - you just know what is front and center. all im sayin is that there's a LOT going on behind the vans that pick them up and drop them off in the city. i know in some parts of DC, the city will sweep homeless into vans, drop them off in some random ass place, give them $10 and bounce. doesn't that suck?

and im sure if these people had a network to fall back on (and im not talking about going to public assistance or having to ask for help from the government, but a real safety net - family, friends, mentors, counselors) then it could be another reason to stay off the streets.

EE-BO · #5 03-19-2007, 12:22 AM

Read "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich and then we'll talk. Seriously- that book will give you a new perspective.

I see your point Kevin to a degree (and I too get agitated when approached repeatedly or aggressively), but it is frightening how quickly a person can become homeless in this country with current rental rates (courtesy of real estate speculation and rapacious property taxes) even if they do have a job- or even two jobs.

I have had countless employees, some of them making $30K+ a year, who have a place to live for them and their kids only because family and friends are helping them out. Again, I see your point in some cases, but you would be amazed how many people are NOT homeless in this country who would be homeless if it were not for the support of friends and family. And many homeless are that way because they do not have friends and family to help.

AlexMack · #6 03-19-2007, 09:17 AM

Dude, you're a real selfish prick. Okay, harrassing you is one thing but just plain not giving a damn?
Sorry I was raised in a family where my parents would travel to London once a month with vanloads of sandwiches, drinks, old clothes and blankets to hand out to the homeless.
It doesn't matter how they got there, the fact is they're homeless. Have a little goddamn compassion in that stone lump you call a heart.

tld221 · #7 03-19-2007, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tld221

i will agree, most of the time they are annoying - they all that their sob stories and in my case, disrupt what you hope will be a peaceful commute home. then you've got to dig in your pockets for loose change which they will spend on anything from cheap boose and loosies to their children's school shoes. i had a homeless guy (according to him, he was a war vet and the government only gave him $60/month to live for him and his wife) follow me during my lunch hour last week and it freaked me out.

see look! its me, empathizing!

ok, for real though, i'm done. i said what i needed to say many times over, and so did Kevin. we'll agree to disagree and all that jazz.

valkyrie · #8 03-19-2007, 11:53 PM

You know how they have "No Soliciting" signs for your house? They should have "I'm an asshole" stickers that you can wear in public, so people don't try to talk to you. I would totally put one on my boobs the next time I go out to a bar!

christiangirl · #9 03-20-2007, 12:43 AM

I'm too tired to read every post on here, so I didn't, just so everyone knows.

Anyway, I feel like i should be all righteous and say, "You bastard, care for all of your fellow man" but I can't. I live downtown and get hit up for change everyday, mostly by people who, in my eyes, don't deserve it.

EXAMPLES OF WHY CG DOESN'T TRUST HOMELESS PEOPLE:
I got hit up by a guy and I offered him the gallon of milk that was in my fridge, but he told me he couldn't drink milk after all the beer he'd just had.

A man outside the chinese restaurant I came out of asked for money to buy food. I said I don't have any, but "I just bought these egg rolls would you like one?" He turned up his nose to it and said "I don't like egg rolls. You ain't got no card?" (as in a credit card)

A man begged me to buy him some tacos from taco bell. The woman at the register told him it was illegal to ask me that and offered him like 7 tacos that they would have to throw away otherwise. He said, "No, I don't like that kind."

A man begged for money so he could buy food for his daughter (who was no where to be seen). I told him I had no cash, but just bought groceries and offered him some, and he said "Oh no, I couldn't take your food from you" and went on to the next person.

A man asked me for a quarter and I gave him a dollar. Ten minutes later, I walked back by him, and he asked me for a quarter.

The same man, got used to me giving him change when I saw him, so one day didn't even ask. He yelled, "HEY!" and when I turned around, he moved his index finger in the "come here" sign, then held out his hand to me.

A guy knocked on my window at the drive through and asked for food. i smart mouthed him and rolled the window up and went to a different place. I felt bad for taking my bad day out on him, so I bought an extra meal, drove back to where he was and gave it to him, apologizing for my rudeness. He took the food and pushed the drink back at me and said, 'I don't like this kind, you can have it back."

One man and his wife asked for money and when I said I had no cash, he actually got excited and said "Oh good, you can buy us some food with your credit card!" and FOLLOWED me to the grocery store. Because I'm nice (to the point of insanity) I bought them a rotisserie chicken anyway, but you see the point of the story. The list goes on and on and on.

I care about others, I do. I donate my clothes to a homeless shelter I used to volunteer at and now I volunteer at the humane society (puppies smell better). But I'm in college. My course load is too heavy to have a regular job, so I make cash babysitting and signing up for random medical studies. 1 out of every 3 times I go to a fast food place, I bought food for somebody begging next to my car. Many times I've had the response, "I don't like this or I don't drink coke." If someone who's two seconds from broke bought you food, BE FREAKING GRATEFUL. I know there are people who genuinely need help, but until there's a way to distinguish them from the rest of the riff raff, get away from my quarters. It's laundry day.

valkyrie · #10 03-19-2007, 02:07 PM

I don't get the point of this. You're making a general statement that homeless people annoy the hell out of you because one dude was making a production of trying to catch up and talk to you?

By that logic, I should start a thread "Men:They annoy the hell out of me" -- not to mention the fact that a dude running away from a homeless guy in a wheelchair is kind of pusstacular.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

They annoy the hell out of me.

I live downtown about 3-4 blocks away from the bus station which is relatively close to the homeless shelter. I frequently walk between where I live and the city's main club/bar/entertainment district (known as Bricktown). Without fail, I get hit up at least twice.

Yesterday, I saw a homeless guy who had taken his art form to a new low. Dude was sitting in a wheel chair, pulling himself around by his feet (if he was really unable to walk, I don't see a) how in the hell he got all the way out there in a wheel chair and b) if his legs worked well enough to pull him around in his chair why he needed the chair. At any rate, dude looked pathetic.

My wife and I were walking to the botanical garden which is also a few blocks from home. The guy locked onto us like a heat seeking missile. You ever watch football where you think the guy with the ball is going to go for a touchdown, but some defender "has the angle" and catches him? Well, this guy had the angle on us. We of course pick up the pace, but the "crippled" guy starts dragging his wheelchair at warp speed catching up to us.

As he starts to close on us, I figured out how to lose him. We made a bee-line for a parking garage where there was a high curb -- and most notably, no ramp to make it wheel chair accessible (it was a shortcut anyhow). So of course we lost the guy. I guess he was faced with the dilemna of actually catching up to us (eventually he would have) or blowing his wheelchair cover by getting himself over that curb. We won... game, set, match.

These folks really get on my nerves. They aren't really all that bad off. If they're able to catch up to me in their fake wheelchair and give me some bullcrap story about how they ran out of gas, lost their job down at the plant, etc., they can definitely work. That they choose not to ain't my problem. There are homeless that really do need help.. like the schizo woman (who I still see around here walking the streets occasionally) I stopped to block traffic and dialed 911 for as she was laying in the middle of the street clutching a teddy bear screaming "Kill me!". Those folks need our help. Panhandlers? eff em.

tld221 · #11 03-19-2007, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valkyrie

I don't get the point of this. You're making a general statement that homeless people annoy the hell out of you because one dude was making a production of trying to catch up and talk to you?

By that logic, I should start a thread "Men:They annoy the hell out of me" -- not to mention the fact that a dude running away from a homeless guy in a wheelchair is kind of pusstacular.

ummmmm yeah. i mean if youre man enough to run away from a homeless dude in a wheelchair, then you really couldve given him the change he mightve been asking for. i mean, it surely wouldve taken you less effort.

but i guess its the principle of the matter right?

Kevin · #12 03-19-2007, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valkyrie

By that logic, I should start a thread "Men:They annoy the hell out of me" -- not to mention the fact that a dude running away from a homeless guy in a wheelchair is kind of pusstacular.

By what logic?

And no one ran away, merely avoided. I merely found it humorous that he was using this prop in the manner he did. It also occurs to me that if he is disabled to the point of needing a wheelchair, he is also eligible for social security, public housing, etc.

valkyrie · #13 03-19-2007, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

By what logic?

And no one ran away, merely avoided. I merely found it humorous that he was using this prop in the manner he did. It also occurs to me that if he is disabled to the point of needing a wheelchair, he is also eligible for social security, public housing, etc.

In your post, you complained about the behavior of one person (wheelchair dude) and then made generalized statements about homeless people (this one guy annoyed me --> they annoy me). Without even getting into the substance of what you're saying, that's, uh, lame.

Running away and avoiding are pretty much the same thing in this situation, cowboy.

It seems like what you're saying (and I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong) is that you feel you should not have to deal with strangers who want something from you addressing you in public.

christiangirl · #14 03-20-2007, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Still BLUTANG

i'm the type of person who always gives food to the homeless. Maybe because i'm chubby, i always have an extra granola bar or piece of fruit or bottle of water on me... i don't see it as a big deal to spare.

I laughed so hard at that I fully believe I just woke up my roommate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

Beggars can't be choosers.

I disagree. We can beg to choose or we can choose to beg. In fact, those are the two groups that homeless people fall into. Those who beg to choose. Those who choose to beg.

Still BLUTANG · #15 03-20-2007, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christiangirl

I laughed so hard at that I fully believe I just woke up my roommate.

even though this is a serious topic, i'm glad i could bring laughter to someone's day.