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  #21  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 4:28 PM
LA21st LA21st is offline
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I used to do it more 5-6 years ago. Even when I politely say no, sometimes the panhandlers they lose their shit and start hurling insults. This is after, they "politely" ask for money.

I completely ignore anyone who barges into a coffee shop or restaurant and does this though. Those people are gigantic assholes, sorry. Same with the people who wait outside of ATM machines. Are they expecting people to give them a 20?

"Sorry, no cash", is the best way to go. Although, once in a blue moon, a pandhandler will respond with "lets go to a ATM". That is crazy.
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  #22  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 4:37 PM
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Originally Posted by LA21st View Post

"Sorry, no cash", is the best way to go. Although, once in a blue moon, a pandhandler will respond with "lets go to a ATM". That is crazy.
Ha yea, they are basically attempting strong armed robbery at that point.
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  #23  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 4:52 PM
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Lately I've been noticing men in their late 20s /early 30s standing on major intersections in the suburbs here. They look "scruffy" but certainly not disabled so I think they are scammers and they hold up signs but don't talk to you.
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  #24  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 4:54 PM
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I live in Philadelphia, so I often see them in Center City and occasionally on SEPTA (more so on the El than on the BSL). I also grew up here, so I've been exposed to them throughout my life.

While I do occasionally give money or buy food, I mostly don't give them anything. First of all, I'm 24. Most people my age don't carry cash to begin with. Having cash available in my wallet is a rarity for me. I'll tell them that I don't have cash on me. Otherwise, I'll avoid direct eye contact and keep it moving. I'm not afraid of garnering an aggressive reaction either, as I'm a 6'2", 230 pound man with a slightly muscular build. They would regret trying me.

Back when I was a student at Temple University, two encounters with homeless individuals significantly reduced my willingness to give out money:

1.) During the second semester of my junior year (Spring 2017), I spotted a man sweeping the sidewalks near 16th and Oxford. He appeared to be homeless, which was confirmed as I grew closer to him. As a native Philadelphian, I appreciate when people put in the effort to keep the city clean; therefore, I decided to buy him some food. At the time, I was working an $8.50/hr cashier gig, so I had very little money to give.

After seeing that 7-Eleven was having a 2 slices of pizza for $2 deal, I went in and bought him two slices. Once I presented him the food, he said "I wanted Chinese food, not this" in a disappointed voice. Furious, I walked away and went to class.

2.) During the first semester of my senior year (Fall 2017), I was walking on N. Carlisle Street, near Broad and Susquehanna. Out of nowhere, a homeless man approached me and asked me for money, informing me that he was HIV positive. I proceeded to tell him where he could receive a meal, but he insisted that I give him cash. As I began to walk south towards Diamond Street, I noticed that he was following me. In my mind, I was preparing for a fight; however, I did not want to get any of his bodily fluids on me. He eventually gave up, but my brain was on fight mode until I arrived at class.
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  #25  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 5:03 PM
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My default response to panhandlers is karate attack. Usually some wild air chops to immediately disorient them and then followed by a devastating LaRusso crane kick to the chin.
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  #26  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 5:44 PM
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Quote:
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Give them eye contact, say exactly "sorry no," and move on.

The only thing you owe them is a modicum of polite human interaction.
This. I never ignore them.
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  #27  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 5:49 PM
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I respond to them on an individual basis.
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  #28  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 6:02 PM
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I don't give out money. Will give out food though. Even in the Suburbs there are a few holding signs standing at an intersection.

Ill give them one of my extra Chicago Style TM hotdogs [ I wouldn't be cruel enough to give him a plain one ] and my fries if they look really needy.

I haven't done that in the city though. But if I felt that someone needed to eat, I would pop in a fast food place and backtrack to give it out if I really thought it was needed and I wasn't in a hurry for anything.

Back in College we had a homeless man live somewhere by the greek housing street area. We would always give him our extra aluminum beer cans often several hundreds at a time after a long night.
He did a pretty good job cleaning up the houses for cans. Instead of the garbage we just bagged up the cans and left them out back. He would take those and all of the others scattered around the outside. On a weekend from several houses he could take in several thousands of cans, not bad really. He worked hard to smash them with his feet away, from the homes, to make them easier to move large quantities at a time. He never asked for money, just aluminum cans.

Last edited by bnk; Oct 17, 2019 at 6:19 PM.
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  #29  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 6:29 PM
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I don’t give money to twitchy or barely-conscious addicts, nor to young able-bodied dudes who hang out all day in traffic at intersections or on bridges around here. Nor to basic street hustlers who always got some line of bullshit story for you.

I always give money to someone who I think might need it. Maybe they’ll use it to buy a sandwich or maybe they’ll use it to go buy a beer or a bottle of cheap ass wine. I don’t care either way. If they need a drink to help get them through whatever nasty twist of fate has brought them to where they are, then they need a drink. I don’t feel that it’s my place to judge them. I’m lucky to have my brain, my limbs, family and friends, and the means to give a few bucks to someone who’s somehow been reduced to begging his/her fellow humans for money on the street.
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  #30  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 7:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pj3000 View Post
I don’t give money to twitchy or barely-conscious addicts, nor to young able-bodied dudes who hang out all day in traffic at intersections or on bridges around here. Nor to basic street hustlers who always got some line of bullshit story for you.

I always give money to someone who I think might need it. Maybe they’ll use it to buy a sandwich or maybe they’ll use it to go buy a beer or a bottle of cheap ass wine. I don’t care either way. If they need a drink to help get them through whatever nasty twist of fate has brought them to where they are, then they need a drink. I don’t feel that it’s my place to judge them. I’m lucky to have my brain, my limbs, family and friends, and the means to give a few bucks to someone who’s somehow been reduced to begging his/her fellow humans for money on the street.
I feel the exact same way. So what if they use the money to buy a cheap beer or wine; maybe they need it to ease their pain. Once I give an individual money, it is theirs to do whatever they need/want to do with it.
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  #31  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 7:17 PM
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Sometimes if I've had a few to drink, I'll give leftover bar change if I run into someone on the way home. I got to have some fun, might as well let someone else enjoy their night with some booze too. I highly doubt my passive-aggressive "get a job" jab is going to be the turning point they need to actually seek out proper help.
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  #32  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 7:50 PM
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I don't care what they spend it on either. It's the way SOME approach people that puts me off and makes me wonder if they really need help in the first place.
You're not entitled to be ass--- just because life has hit you hard. That goes for anyone.
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  #33  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 8:12 PM
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A lot of them are hustlers who flat out reject structure and personal responsibility of working for a living. If you pay attention, they tend to seek out people they think are naive and can be manipulated.
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  #34  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 8:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JManc View Post
A lot of them are hustlers who flat out reject structure and personal responsibility of working for a living. If you pay attention, they tend to seek out people they think are naive and can be manipulated.
Yea, I was approached much more years ago when I was young and baby-faced. Now that I'm bald and bearded I'm usually ignored by the more aggressive panhandlers (and women).
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  #35  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 8:42 PM
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Ha yea, they are basically attempting strong armed robbery at that point.
One time while I had my car parked after walking around SoHo here in Pittsburgh, it was late at night. Some black dude came up to my car and was like hey man, I had my car parked a few blocks from here and I forgot some cash and need some cash to get my car out of the lot. I was like, no man I don't have cash. Well, I idiotically didn't have my doors locked and he just got into my passenger seat. I didnt want to be like dude, wtf get the fuck out because I didnt want to cause him to flip out and stab me or something.

So, I drove the dude to where his supposed car was, and of course it wasn't there. I was like, sorry man, you have to get out now, I have to leave. So, he proceeded to say, well can you just take me to an ATM because my truck got towed then I guess. I figured that this was the best way to get him out of my car. So, I drove to an ATM downtown, where I knew there were cops everywhere all the time, and I said hey man, the only way Im getting you money is if you come with me. Just so he would gtfo of my car. When we started to walk to the ATM, cops were there like usual and luckily he bolted.
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  #36  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 8:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JManc View Post
A lot of them are hustlers who flat out reject structure and personal responsibility of working for a living. If you pay attention, they tend to seek out people they think are naive and can be manipulated.
This is why a lot of "homeless" dudes hangout around the University of Pittsburgh here. They prey upon the students who most of the times didnt grow up in a city. They know the college kids will be bleeding heart types many times and or naive from the burbs or small towns and they get tons of cash from them.
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  #37  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 9:01 PM
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Yea, I've seen too much crap after living in the city neighborhoods for 16 years to be so gullible. It sucks in away, cause I'm sure some people really do need help. But they're the exceptions, in my experience.
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  #38  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 9:26 PM
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Sometimes I give, usually I say no (mostly true as I very rarely carry cash). I don't observe the "it only goes to substances/it only makes things worse" angle; it feels somehow managerial. Street charity is something decided in an instant based on serendipity or something about a specific exchange with another person. It's not this de-personalized sub-unit of a broad social phenomenon, or at least I prefer not to view it in that way.
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  #39  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 9:35 PM
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I probably get asked 3x a day since I work downtown and walk three miles home through the heart of the city. I have never given money and never will. I just say "no thanks" or ignore them.

To me, giving money to a homeless person to me is like feeding a stray dog. It is not helping. The stray will die in the winter if it doesn't get a home or shelter. Giving money to homeless is just exacerbating the problem.
Absolutely correct. Never, ever give them money. Ive bought food many times, but most reject food because its hard to buy crack with tacos or a sandwich
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  #40  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 9:38 PM
LA21st LA21st is offline
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Agreed.
Also, if you do say you have money, sometimes they will ask for more.
"Can you help me out with a dollar?"
"Sure."
"Can I have 5?"
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