Someone walked up to me this past thursday begging for gas money for a brand new SUV she was driving at the gas station near brookshire and 85 which is a bad part of town and she fit the bill.
"do you have a few dollars I can have for gas?"
"no"
"do you have 50 cent?"
"no"
::thinking:: but i got a .40 for you in my wasteband if you get much closer

 

while I mostly agree, not all situations are the same. A situation this weekend, warranted my GF giving a young couple a 20 $ spot for gas. They did not solicit her, and really needed help. They wanted to re pay etc... and were so thankful they were tearful.

The only stipulations, was to help others in need, if they ever had the opportunity, and expect nothing in return.
We all have mothers, wifes, GF's, and daughters, lest we not forget.
Society and lamestream media, would have us buy into this everybody is a scam mindset, but that is not what made us the best the world has ever seen, and quitting now is the wrong thing to do.

Now having said all that, I aint giving no crackhead no money.[PERIOD]
I might give up a biscuit ever now and then, as they are sick people, but never any money, and if they want to get pushy about it........

 

while I mostly agree, not all situations are the same. A situation this weekend, warranted my GF giving a young couple a 20 $ spot for gas. They did not solicit her, and really needed help. They wanted to re pay etc... and were so thankful they were tearful.

The only stipulations, was to help others in need, if they ever had the opportunity, and expect nothing in return.
We all have mothers, wifes, GF's, and daughters, lest we not forget.
Society and lamestream media, would have us buy into this everybody is a scam mindset, but that is not what made us the best the world has ever seen, and quitting now is the wrong thing to do.

Now having said all that, I aint giving no crackhead no money.[PERIOD]
I might give up a biscuit ever now and then, as they are sick people, but never any money, and if they want to get pushy about it........

Great point. I helped a guy one time when I was younger. He was out of gas in an alley. He had a 1 gallon gas can and asked me if I could drive down the street and fill it for him. He said he'd stay with his car. I was happy to help him out. I came back with the can full of gas and he tried and tried to get my name and address so he could pay me back. I told him the best way to pay me back would be to help someone else out sometime. A few days later, I just happened to come across a "Letter to the Editor" in the local newspaper about a thankful driver out of gas that was wanting to publicly thank the stranger who assisted him. He named the street he was on and described the car he was driving. Made me feel good to know that I just helped someone's son, Dad, brother, etc.............

 

I have helped out a genuine homeless guy who I know his story, he is now back on his feet. But generally, not a good idea...

 

Seen this guy in St Louis I dont think he was pretending

 

How can you be going somewhere and not have money for gas? I'm sure there is the 10 percent that is legit but I hear the same line almost weekly.

 

good thread, not watched the vid or whatever on top, but i wanted to give my input
I work in winston, and there is a guy on the corner in front of my job that is there daily with his dog and a sign asking for money
i never gave much thought to it until, a few months back, i noticed a truck in the parking lot next to ours with a dog kennel in the back.
interesting.
Its not a super nice truck, not brand new or anything, but not beat to crap/rusty etc
At first I thought, "coincidence..."
But then I started to take note - he was there, truck was there. He wasnt there, truck wasnt there.

F that, man.
That is bogus.
Guys like the one pictured above me - sure, that seems legit, and you can usually tell the ones who genuinely are homeless/in need
But the ones that pay for a permit to stand on a street corner - no way. Wont get a dime of mine.

And its horrible when someone approaches you in a parking lot/gas station with that crap about 'i need this, i need that'
I've offered to give them rides to where they wanted to go and they turned around and walked away.
Bogus.

 

ok, watched the video....W. T. F.

 

OK sometimes it really can work out for you...... This is a true story (about me) that I have posted several other places a few times..... Hope you enjoy


My Trip to KC

First off let me preface this story that I swore to God that I would never return to this state by my own decision after the Army..... Basic, AIT, and Sapper School really ruined my opinion of the big MO. But, as many of you know that I now work for the Government again...... So, when I got the call for the MO detail, needless to say I was less than enthusiastic.

With that being said I arrived to 55 degree weather with wind and rain. Great here goes another fantastic trip to MO. To my surprise I wake up to a sunny 70 degrees and have a pretty good day at work with a few minor hitches. About four pm I'm done for the day at the office and return to my hotel room to do some editing on what I had been working on earlier. BTW, being a Platnum Member of Crown Plaza I'm staying in a suite you could play raquet ball in on the 27th floor of a great hotel in a very nice section of Kansas City.

I get my work done and head to the bar for a burger and a few beers. After figuring out that they were seven dollars a piece I remembered that I had passed a grocery store last night and decided it would be best for me to just head on down and grab some beer and work some more in my room rather than running up the HUGE bar tab that my mood was calling for at the time.

It's a short walk about two blocks to the place (I'm not sure of the name, but it's very similar to a Whole Foods on the east coast). As I'm walking a woman with a child asks for my attention..... (great here it goes!!!) If you know how much time I spend in D.C. you know my tolerance for bums is VERY LOW!!!!!! She has one very simple request.... She has flower and she has grease, she even has power in her apartment, but she needs a chicken. (At this point in the story I really think it's best to switch to first person narration) so here it goes.

Her: Excusme me Sir.....

Me: WHAT!

Her: I really need something to eat and I don't need cash, I don't need anything really..... I have power, flower and grease, but I need a chicken......

Me: What????

Her: I need a chicken.

Me: OK I'm going to the grocery store right now, wait here and I will get you one.

Side note: (If you NEED food and it's within my power to get it for you I WILL!! If you ask me for cash, beer, drugs or what have you... F off and pay your own way)

So I go into the store grab some Cokes for the morning(don't drink Coffee) grab some beer for the room and well...... I head over to the meat counter and look for a chicken for this woman.


MEAT COUNTER ARRIVAL

As I come up to the meat counter there is a woman going OFF on the guy tending it about a type of fish that the store is selling and saying that it is endangered and he should be ashamed!!!!!!!


(Back to first person)

Crazy lady: THAT FISH IS ENDANGERED AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE SELLING IT HERE.... (she really is freaking out about it)

Young Man: Mam I'm sure that if it was we would not be selling it and our store prides itself on being environmentally conscious... yadda, yadda, yadda

Other lady at the counter: Sir what can I help you with???

Me: I would like some Harp Seal (said very loudly) and one of those chickens.... (I'm really not in the mood for this at the moment and I'm being more insulting than funny at this point)

CRAZT LADY!!!! NOW LOOKS LIKE HER HEAD IS GOING TO COME OFF!!! I'm pretty sure she started bleeding from her eyes and at least one big twitch started..

Young man: Shoots me the you bastard look, and basically conveys that although, that was funny he can not laugh....

Other patrons: Same look as the Young man

Other lady at the counter: She bags up my chicken (sans the Harp Seal.... dammit....) and ask if I would like anything else????

Well, now I'm starting to really enjoy this little trip to the store..... and make another odd request.

Me: Well if you have any California Condor in the back I would love some of that......

Young man: (very quickly says) Well Sir, that IS endangered and we don't sell endangered animals here.

Crazy lady: Her head has now left her body and is spinning like a scene from the Exorcist.

Other patron's and Other lady at the counter: Laughing LOUDLY.

Me: Having fun at this point, but know if I crack a smile this woman is going to KILL me.

So, I book to the register and pay my bill. About the time that I'm done Crazy Lady comes out from the back with what appears to be a manager and is pointing at me. I make eye contact with him and he with me. It's all said right there without a word..... If you bring her over here this is going to get worse for you and I'm having fun now..... He wisely steps between us distracting Crazy and I make my exit.

About a block later I find the woman that had ask me for the chicken, as I approached with my bags her eyes lit up. I handed it to her and she thanked me, picked up her son and (I guess) went home to feed her family.

To that woman.... THANK YOU!!! Without your simple request I would have never gone to the meat counter to get the opportunity to have such a good time with CRAZY Lady!!!! I have not had that much fun buying someone dinner in a long time!! God bless you and eat well. To all you out there be charitable and you to might get your money's worth!!! Best ten bucks or so I have spent in a LONG TIME!!!

 

Yes, there are times when it is legit, but rarely. There are many stories on the street. I saw a similar article about a guy in New York many years ago. They overheard a panhandler going into a phone booth and ordering a limo to pick him up. When they asked about it, he said he was going to Atlantic City to gamble. The questioned his credibility and he produced receipts from previous visits and offered the phone number of his preferred Casino. They called and the Casino confirmed the identity of the individual also offering up that the usually stayed in the penthouse suite. The panhandler said he also made about $70-100k per year and went to AC 3-4 times a year.
I still give but very selectively. Maybe it's the guy who's standing in the rain, maybe the girl that's out in sub-freezing weather, situations that scammer's wouldn't put up with. We've also tested plenty, such as those that offer work for money. Come down a couple of street and rake my yard, nope they'd rather stay where they were. Hungry? How about a couple of burgers I just bought, nope, rather have cash. But, like the gas situation above, if they accept an alternative they're usually legit. I've seen panhandlers get out of new SUV's as a group. Those may be under some sort of undue influence of the driver/provider. There are those that are just looking for their next bottle of MD 20/20. Then there are those that are emotionally disturbed, that shouldn't be on the street, but the system either doesn't have the money or the legal power to keep them in. Watch out for headphones. I was once warned about a local, that if he had his headphones in, he was trying to drown out the voices. I would give him money for batteries. He was prone to confront people and yelling at them. I once saw him get in an verbal argument with a young buck and I wanted to tell the guy to just walk away, but I wasn't close enough.

 

Awesome story jlpskydive, made my day.

 

Some of you call it begging, I would call it working. There job is to sell you on them being poor and getting a buck from you. Kind of like a stripper their job is to get that dollar from you.

Call it what you want and talk negative about them, but at the end of the day they are all working to get their fix (either a new car, home, drugs, beer what ever it is they buy) just like yours when you go to work, you go there, do a job, get paid and go get your fix what ever it is. Mine Guns. Go figure.

 

There used to be a guy that would drive his car to exit 33 hide it on the side rd then beg at the exit.

 

Problem is you can't know for sure in most cases if it's legit or not. Some are clear one way or another. But not most. I've had several guys approach me at gas stations with some sort of sob story. It really makes you feel like a jerk not to help. But you also have that feeling that they're scammers.

 

There used to be a guy that would drive his car to exit 33 hide it on the side rd then beg at the exit.

I was just thinking aout that

In San Fran a few years ago, after a baseball game got done we were walking out and a guy was standing in front of the stadium with a sign that said,"Need money for alcohol and hookers". I couldnt help but laugh and I gave him a buck or two because of the originality. The Warf is full of interesting people anyway

 

 

I was just thinking aout that

In San Fran a few years ago, after a baseball game got done we were walking out and a guy was standing in front of the stadium with a sign that said,"Need money for alcohol and hookers". I couldnt help but laugh and I gave him a buck or two because of the originality. The Warf is full of interesting people anyway

Only in SanFran...

I remember my culture shock there very clearly. I won tickets to see Metallica at the Fillmore andit was my first timeout there. I noticed the green with white text signs (like standard DOT style highway signs...indicating that the gub'ment had paid for these things) all over the city saying "St. Francis was a beggar on the streets of Asici." basically implying that any one of the piss/puke soaked drunken bums you're trying to skirt could be the next person up for vote at the Vatacin for saint status. Fast forward through the Metallica show which I had to be in line for hours early and it didn't let out until about midnight, now I'm starving and don't know this nut job city. So I figure I'll do my good deed and offer a homeless guy some cash to show me where a good place to eat is at. He agrees, walks my buddy and I a few blocks to an all night pizza place. I give home a couple bucks and he says "aww man! Thanks! Now I can buy some more weed."

I believe I was what they call "flabbergasted."

 

I mightve said this before, but whatever, here goes...

I live in Winston, for those in Winston - you know where the Draft House is? Near that Hardees by Baptist? And theres that little Greek restaurant?
Ok, now you know where Im talking about...

I park at Greek place and walk to the Draft House on the corner. Talk for a few minutes with owner and head back to the Greek spot. Between the two is a little market, always some riff raff hanging around there.
As Im walking up there is a guy that just walked out of market, brown paper bag, cylinder shaped item in it.
Im a fast walker (and dirty talker ) and knew I'd catch the guy before I got back to the Greek spot. Sure enough, we're getting close to the parking lot and Im beside of him and he starts in

"Hey man, you buy me some food at Hardees?"

nah, no cash

"you got a credit card or debit card, pay for it like that"

nah

he then starts in how hes SO hungry and heading to Baptist for his failing liver and how he hates the hospital food.
I told him that if he hadnt had a beer in his hand, and instead a sandwich, or food of some sort, that I'd be more than happy to give him as much beverage as he wanted (or could carry - had a whole case of bottled water in my car).
He then started complaining about how I wouldnt buy him food.

I know this is a bit different than the 'typical' beggar, but it pissed me off
youre so hungry, but instead you buy a beer?
and then youre pressing me for food?

gosh it grinds my gears.

 

San Fran has the BEST bums. The bush man being my favorite. Their creativity usually costs me $10-20 a night.

And Chicago has the worse...pushy belligerent SOBs.

 

Y'all are all like "I ain't buyin no bum beer, cigs, or drugs!!" And I'm like "why not...it's what I'm spending it on anyway."

 

Hey guys. Obviously you can pretty much tell when someone needs legitimate help or not. The people standing on the street corner with the signs, or the guy standing in front of the drug store just across from the ABC store. Those folks aren't for real. We shouldn't let that sort of thing interfere with our good judgement when it comes to helping out someone that is truly in need.

I can barely remember this. I think I was five or six years old when this happened. Late 1960's. I realize that people shouldn't do this these days for safety reasons. But we got a knock on our door one day. A man, seemed very old to me, but I was only 5 or 6, was standing there and asking my Mom if she could fix him something to eat. Being the fine woman my mother was, she welcomed him into our house. I remember Mom fixing him some scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and poor man's gravy. He gobbled that food up like there was no tomorrow.

I recall that he was extremely appreciative and after Mom read him a little from the bible, he offered to do some chores. Mom turned him down on the offer, and he went on his way. Moral of the story: No matter how bad mankind has become, there is still some good out there........................ Dave

 

A lot of these folks have very polished presentations, after all, it's their living. I got scammed once, hopefully never again. I did have a guy in a casr approach me as I was filling up at a truck stop near I-95, denmanding money. Told him no, he drove away, then came right back and started to geet out of his car. He left when he saw what I was holding. Glad he did.

 

San Fran has the BEST bums. The bush man being my favorite. Their creativity usually costs me $10-20 a night.

And Chicago has the worse...pushy belligerent SOBs.

DC is a very close second..... Fat woman there outside of China-Town metro been pushing the "I'm Pregnant" story for about 15 years.....

 

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him,,,,,,,,,,,,, Its not my duty to sort them out. God has said to give to the needy, poor etc. he didn't say it was for you to decide who was deemed unworthy of help. Maybe some/most are scam artists, but maybe just a few of them aren't. Id like to think that most of us would help despite the slim chance of it going to what we perceive as the needy.

Your scammed by the Government daily. I don't think that .50 cents you may have been scammed out of by that so called fake bum is really going to set you back.

 

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him,,,,,,,,,,,,, Its not my duty to sort them out. God has said to give to the needy, poor etc. he didn't say it was for you to decide who was deemed unworthy of help. Maybe some/most are scam artists, but maybe just a few of them aren't. Id like to think that most of us would help despite the slim chance of it going to what we perceive as the needy.

Your scammed by the Government daily. I don't think that .50 cents you may have been scammed out of by that so called fake bum is really going to set you back.

Please see my post on page 1....... I agree, to a point.