Begging

Nothing more Berkeley than stepping over panhandlers on Telegraph on your way to class. :)
 
When I shop in Valdosta, GA you see the panhandlers on most corners near I-75. Funny thing is they have cigarettes, a dog, and I've seen them head to the motels nearby in the early evening. I've also seen the same ones on different corners, almost as if they all rotate corners corners with each other. This especially happens in the winter when it's warmer down here :)
 
Dancer373 said:
When I shop in Valdosta, GA you see the panhandlers on most corners near I-75. Funny thing is they have cigarettes, a dog, and I've seen them head to the motels nearby in the early evening. I've also seen the same ones on different corners, almost as if they all rotate corners corners with each other. This especially happens in the winter when it's warmer down here :)
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Just a different variety of the snowbird species! When I lived in Tucson, all types of itinerants would show up there in the winter. The itinerant preachers were the most bothersome, because their aim is to make a scene.
 
I worked the road as an LEO for 29 years. Most these folks are trying to get money for their next high, but there were a few hardships over the years that were genuine and I found myself paying out of my wallet for a motel room and a meal for a family more times than I would have liked to, but I always left with a smile.

It was also common for the Officers in the various jurisdictions to toss in and help families in need.
 
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Theduckguru said:
I worked the road as an LEO for 29 years. Most these folks are trying to get money for their next high, but there were a few hardships over the years that were genuine and I found myself paying out of my wallet for a motel room and a meal for a family more times than I would have liked to, but I always left with a smile.

It was also common for the Officers in the various jurisdictions to toss in and help families in need.
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Thanks for doing that.
 
Theduckguru said:
I worked the road as an LEO for 29 years. Most these folks are trying to get money for their next high, but there were a few hardships over the years that were genuine and I found myself paying out of my wallet for a motel room and a meal for a family more times than I would have liked to, but I always left with a smile.
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The jurisdiction where I worked had a program that enabled officers to sign for a hotel room for a one-night stay (or a weekend if it happened then) and they were to contact Social Services the next working day who would then make other arrangements. Because of abuses (many of the same "customers" repeatedly) they later kept a list of those who had used that resource in in the past and failed to follow through. Those people were then denied the hotel stay and left to their own devices.

The program seemed to work well and helped those who had a genuine problem while weeding out the repeating freeloaders.
 
Walt34 said:
The jurisdiction where I worked had a program that enabled officers to sign for a hotel room for a one-night stay (or a weekend if it happened then) and they were to contact Social Services the next working day who would then make other arrangements. Because of abuses (many of the same "customers" repeatedly) they later kept a list of those who had used that resource in in the past and failed to follow through. Those people were then denied the hotel stay and left to their own devices.

The program seemed to work well and helped those who had a genuine problem while weeding out the repeating freeloaders.
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We actually had some very good shelters, but their intake ended at 9pm.
 
Here the city has an ordinance:
City ordinance requires door-to-door solicitors to obtain a permit before conducting door-to-door sales defined as home solicitation transactions. Any persons going door to door for the purpose of soliciting sales or advertisements must conform to the following:
  • A company supervisor must register with the police department
  • A company representative must provide the police department with names of all employees who will be working in the city
  • Company identification must be visible by all persons conducting solicitation
  • No solicitation before noon on Sunday or after dark
  • No solicitation before 10:00 a.m. Monday thru Saturday or after dark
  • Solicitors will go only to the front door
  • Solicitors will promptly leave the premises if the resident indicates no interest in the items being sold
  • No solicitation whatsoever is allowed at a residence that displays a "no solicitation" sign
  • Permits may be obtained at the police department and are valid for 90 days. After the expiration, a permit renewal is required.
If a resident is concerned about a solicitor in their neighborhood, please give the police department a call at XXX.XXX.XXXX, option 2.

I often forget about this. Just the other day, a 20-something rang the bell and offered to pick up some Live Oak limbs that had been downed by the ice storm. It was more work than I wanted to do (turned out to be two pickup loads). I told him his price was too high and asked if he could do it for less. We agreed on a price. (I still have to get an arborist to clean up the wounds where the limbs broke).

I said something like, Well you probably don't make a living cleaning up after ice storms, do you? He told me he is an AV installer (showed me his company id and shirt with company logo) and told me that his boss didn't want company vehicles driven on the slick roads, and he was "off for the day", and would rather make a few $ than watch TV. I was OK with that explanation. But if I had remembered the ordinance, I would at least have told him about it.
 
gozer said:
I read an article a couple of years ago that was interviewing professional beggars in a large west coast city. One guy claimed to clear 80k per year in a good year for a few hours of begging a day. Morning and evening rush hour plus lunch break. He didn't have a drug problem. This was his full time job. He did it because it paid better than a minimum wage job and was easier.

Someday I imagine if you tell a beggar you only have a credit card, they will whip out their iPhone and use a credit card processing app to take your "donation".
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Sounds like an Early Retirement strategy.

Perhaps he'll be on this forum someday. Perhaps he already is? :cool:
 
So I am driving to the lake (skis in the car) temps are below zero and I see a guy walking 2 miles from town with a gas can on a cotton hoodie and cotton gloves. I think "holy bleep, this guy will be dead before he gets to town." Sooo I pull over and offer a ride to the gas station in town.

He's shaking like a leaf very thankful. And adds he has no money for gas. His pipes are frozen in his house .... So I give him 10 bucks and the ski gloves (my backups) off my hands. Drop him off at the gas station. Was feeling pretty good about it.

So talking to a local he says "oh, that's Joseph. He's always walking with that gas can. I've picked him up a few times. But not any more."

Fast forward a couple weeks ... I am driving to the lake, there he is walking with his gas can. I waved and drove right by.
 
tryan said:
So I am driving to the lake (skis in the car) temps are below zero and I see a guy walking 2 miles from town with a gas can on a cotton hoodie and cotton gloves. I think "holy bleep, this guy will be dead before he gets to town." Sooo I pull over and offer a ride to the gas station in town. He's shaking like a leaf very thankful. And adds he has no money for gas. His pipes are frozen in his house .... So I give him 10 bucks and the ski gloves (my backups) off my hands. Drop him off at the gas station. Was feeling pretty good about it. So talking to a local he says "oh, that's Joseph. He's always walking with that gas can. I've picked him up a few times. But not any more." Fast forward a couple weeks ... I am driving to the lake, there he is walking with his gas can. I waved and drove right by.
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Sounds like he is the classic individual who works harder avoiding work than just working to begin with.
 
tryan said:
So I am driving to the lake (skis in the car) temps are below zero and I see a guy walking 2 miles from town with a gas can on a cotton hoodie and cotton gloves. I think "holy bleep, this guy will be dead before he gets to town." Sooo I pull over and offer a ride to the gas station in town.

He's shaking like a leaf very thankful. And adds he has no money for gas. His pipes are frozen in his house .... So I give him 10 bucks and the ski gloves (my backups) off my hands. Drop him off at the gas station. Was feeling pretty good about it.

So talking to a local he says "oh, that's Joseph. He's always walking with that gas can. I've picked him up a few times. But not any more."

Fast forward a couple weeks ... I am driving to the lake, there he is walking with his gas can. I waved and drove right by.
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That is a great story, and I agree with Mulligan lugging a gas can, underdressed in the cold seems harder than getting a job. But I think some people just get a kick out of "beating the system".
 
gozer said:
I read an article a couple of years ago that was interviewing professional beggars in a large west coast city. One guy claimed to clear 80k per year in a good year for a few hours of begging a day. Morning and evening rush hour plus lunch break. He didn't have a drug problem. This was his full time job. He did it because it paid better than a minimum wage job and was easier.

Someday I imagine if you tell a beggar you only have a credit card, they will whip out their iPhone and use a credit card processing app to take your "donation".
Click to expand...

Have you ever read the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Man with the Twisted Lip?" The story was published in 1899. Some things never change.
 
clifp said:
That is a great story, and I agree with Mulligan lugging a gas can, underdressed in the cold seems harder than getting a job. But I think some people just get a kick out of "beating the system".
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He probably is thinking... "Well I got too much of my working capital sunk into this gas can, so there is no turning back in my career of being a bum."
 
All I could figure is Joseph goes from crisis to crisis ... runs out of heating oil so it's time to go into town and panhandle to fill the gas can with diesel fuel. My hint - which I missed when I talked to him - was that he said the store manager won't let him stay in the store long enough to warm up.
 
We even see them now in Bimarck, ND with the oil boom, but when the winds and snow hit, they sort of disappear.........otherwise there would be a frozen lump on the side of the road. I have seen some hardy individuals with frozen beards and eye lids. I keep threatening DW I should give this sort of money making venture a try!
 
Handouts

Being from Philadelphia every day you are faced with folks asking for money for something. It is very difficult to say no. But some are truly scams i.e. I need to get to the VA Hospital and need train money. Bottom line you just have to say NO. This couple looking for gas money sounds like a classic scam. The best advice I read is to give your money to the charity which you would like to support.
 
Was talking with my airbnb host in boulder the other day. It turns out his neighbor lost his $8/hour fast food job and is now begging (near CU) and bringing in $21/hour.

This is second-hand information but really makes me wonder.
 
photoguy said:
Was talking with my airbnb host in boulder the other day. It turns out his neighbor lost his $8/hour fast food job and is now begging (near CU) and bringing in $21/hour.

This is second-hand information but really makes me wonder.
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Tax free.
 
photoguy said:
Was talking with my airbnb host in boulder the other day. It turns out his neighbor lost his $8/hour fast food job and is now begging (near CU) and bringing in $21/hour.

This is second-hand information but really makes me wonder.
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marko said:
Tax free.
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But, seriously, would you ever, under any circumstances want to make your living this way? Thanks, but no thanks.

There are resources for almost every scenario where someone needs help. Far better to discourage panhandling by giving directly to the resource of your choice.
 
But, seriously, would you ever, under any circumstances want to make your living this way?
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I'm sure there's a personality type for that. Probably starts with an "E".
 
Best line I ever heard from a homeless smelly begger, as he aproached 3 programmer types on a city street. "Hey, I'm not going to lie, I want $10.00 to buy a pint of Jack." We were blown away by his honestly, he got his Jack or whatever.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
 
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