I'm actually surprised to hear this. I haven't lived in Atlanta since 95, but the panhandlers were notoriously aggressive, esp. in the Little Five Points/Midtown area. Often, I would just say, "Sorry, man," but if it was my husband who turned them down? He'd get verbally accosted as we walked away from the panhandler. I saw a t-shirt once that had in big print on the front "No, I don't have a quarter." I joked that I would get it for him if we stayed in Atlanta.



This happened to a friend of mine in college. A homeless guy wandered up to his front porch and asked for spare change for food. So my friend asks, "You need food?" The guy nods, and my friend goes inside the house, makes up a sandwich for him and brings it out to him. The homeless guy said, "that's not what I asked for" and walked away.

Welcome to Long Beach, where you get harassed left and right by panhandlers. I just usually say, sorry dude, no change and continue on with my business. It happens to me everyday so it's just routine.

On the other hand, if I'm out near a food place and I see a homeless person, I will buy them food if they just want $ for food. I rather do that than give them $ so they can spend it on crack.

they never want the food. ever.

Now and again I'll drop the change or buy someone a sandwich or coffee. Not usually, though. I'm much more likely to give in the winter (in places not SoCal). No one is sitting on that cold concrete for fun.

maybe a crack, peanut butter, and meth sandwich

"sure, do you have change for this $100"

I hate it when they ask

"what's the best nation in the world"

I won't usually give 'em any money unless I'm drunk or high and feeling generous. Instead, I usually give 'em a couple smokes, maybe hang and smoke one with 'em if they're friendly.

If I do feel generous, I could care less if they buy beer or crack or whatever. Hell, even homeless guys deserve to feel good for a little while.

I had to laugh when I was walking around DC and I saw some guys make a bum do push ups for money, ten for a dollar or somethin' like that. Evil and completly mean-hearted, but funny as hell too. I wouldn't do it, but I'd sure as shit laugh at it.

...it's like that guy said- they're homeless! What are they gonna do with the money- go out & get a CD rack or something?

fp

"Man, you were great in Parker Lewis Can't Lose."

Maybe food? A blanket? or other basic needs?

Dude...they're homeless. They didn't get that way by being responsible, and my staunch determination to keep them in line ain't gonna help.

Let 'em smoke a rock and feel good for a few seconds. Their lives are crap enough.

If you don't wanna give...don't, but if you really expect a bum to go start turning his life around because you toss him a couple bucks, you're barking up the wrong tree.

That's some pretty negative ideology. I agree that many bums will use it for drugs, but I'm sure some use the money for necessity or want to better themselves. I'm not in the position to discriminate between the two so I give it to organizations that can, as I said earlier. Go rent 'Dark Days.' It's a documentary about homeless people living in old NY subway tunnels. It may change your views.

In SB, there was a def spate of buying closed cell foam camping mats one fall.

Agreed. And I've also had the experience of giving a homeless person my leftover meal from a restaurant, thank me profusely, and sit down to eat it. Not all of them are druggies.

I was talking to a friend of mine that used to work for a homeless charity a couple of weeks ago and I was asking what happen to Glasgow's 'cardboard' city that used to be under the motorway fly-overs. There was a shanty town down there built out of rubbish - it's gone now. He said "they just all died or vanished". He personally found 13 bodies in 6 months. The whole experience fucked him up so much he had to quit. He said he would have cracked if he hadn't got out.

"do you take debit cards because if you don't then i got nothing for you, the same holds true for local businesses"

"Where were you when I was mowing my parent's lawn?"

right on. that's an excellent documentary that everyone should see.

i'm actually surpised [or am i] at how heartless many of the posts in this thread are, seeing that we have so many bleeding hearts on this board.

i almost always tell them that i don't have money.

(i almost never have money)

"Hello, panhandler"

I was too.

I usually just light em on fire

or

Beat the brakes of em and light their stuff on fire

or

If they be female, as them if I saw them backstage at the Grand Funk Concert.

"You wanna earn $14, THE HARD WAY ?

Anybody aware of the large conspiracy of hustlers posing as homeless people who spare change at freeway exits and shit? That shit is real and those fuckers could probably make my mortgage payment and then some with the scratch they pull in. Fuckers. They don'y pay taxes either. The only homeless folks i got love for are the mentally handicapped (many were released by Reagan in the early 80's) and of course the physically handicapped; the rest them folks just LAZY.

I believe it, but Manhattan at night was like running an obstacle course.

Steve

There is such a problem with this around here there have been a number of attempts to regulate them out of commission through panhandling permits for legitimate fundraising groups. I know at least one person has been picked up for loitering or some other crap related to panhandling.

I also have a problem with fundraising being interchangeable with panhandling, but that's another can of worms.