But I try as much as possible to ask them if they are hungry and buy them something to eat.
The thing I'm not liking lately tho, is some of these guys are getting pretty pushy. In the same week I was with someone and they asked him for change and was all "Anything man... a penny, nickle.. whatever you have." Well, my friend didn't have any change, but saw a dime on the ground and pointed it out. The guy looked at my friend like he was a dick.
The same week (at the same place) a guy asked for money. My friend asked if he was hungry. The guy said yes, so there was a hot dog stand right next to them and my friend was like "I'll buy you a hot dog" the guy looked at him and was like "Can you make it McDonalds???" which was down the street.... My friend said no and the guy was pushing him to go get him McDonalds... My friend said no again and asked if he wanted the hot dog. The guy turned it down.
Mind you, these were both young guys, so whatever...
But I always try to keep it at food and never give money.
Yeah, some people whether homeless or not, are dicks.
You gotta judge for yourself. I've had that happen too where people are like "ahh come on that's all you got?" man, fuck that mess.
And if I lived in NY or another major city there's no way in hell I could give to everybody that needed it. So I can understand it like New Birth.
No doubt... I can't be trying to help everybody.. But there are a few you can just look in their eyes and see they are hungry.
But yeah.. When I had the shop right downtown I was getting hit up about 20 times plus a day. Now when you say sorry, you can't help them, a few shout shit at you. Like I wanna hear fuck you a few times a day... But whatever...
Sort of related and this is a true story. I was coolin' with my dude on the strip and he was telling me about all of these different homeless folks that he encounter on a day to day basis. One particular guy I wanna talk about is this cat who would always hang out in front of the Dunkin' Donuts near his job and beg for money. He told me dude had a very low speaking voice, not far from a whisper. Anyways, he used to hook him up with cash and some donuts. About 2 weeks later, he told me he had saw dude out in the 'burbs, looking fresh to def with a fly young lady. He didn't say nothing to him at that point in time. But when he saw him begging the very next day, he went the fuck off on him. He was about to put foot to ass, ya know? So I guess the moral of the story is, don't give to guys who hang out in front of Dunkin' Donuts....
no, but i do throw empty beer cans and bottles etc in my recyclables and let folls sort through it... gotta work for the chedder.
-rich
This is basically the US's safety net. It's cool and all, but so many of "these bums" are on the streets because they have been seriously fucked by the govt. Never mind all the Vietnam vets, Gulf I vets, and soon Gulf II vets, in Williamsburg there are a lot of Puerto Rican oldtimers who are messed up and live in people's basements and shit, no jobs, basically homeless. And what's their[/b] story? Some of these guys were intellectuals and radicals in the Puerto Rican independence movement in the 70s. Many of them[/b] were jailed by the govt and completely fucked with. Then if they[/b] eventually get out, they[/b] come back to a hood that has been ravaged by drugs, gangs and mafia, and the young kids think they[/b] are nuts for their views. Basically outcasts in their own world, no longer needed, but thanks for the fashion cues.
There are some amazingly humbling stories out there that really make you question US history, or at least the official version.
Sometimes I do. I've been using the "does this dude have nicer kicks than me?" philosphy lately. Seems to weed out a number of potential "business partners."
Straight up I had some dude with BRAND NEW Jordan's ask me for $$$ once. I had to call him out on it.
no, but i do throw empty beer cans and bottles etc in my recyclables and let folls sort through it... gotta work for the chedder.
-rich
This is basically the US's safety net. It's cool and all, but so many of "these bums" are on the streets because they have been seriously fucked by the govt. Never mind all the Vietnam vets, Gulf I vets, and soon Gulf II vets, in Williamsburg there are a lot of Puerto Rican oldtimers who are messed up and live in people's basements and shit, no jobs, basically homeless. And what's their[/b] story? Some of these guys were intellectuals and radicals in the Puerto Rican independence movement in the 70s. Many of them[/b] were jailed by the govt and completely fucked with. Then if they[/b] eventually get out, they[/b] come back to a hood that has been ravaged by drugs, gangs and mafia, and the young kids think they[/b] are nuts for their views. Basically outcasts in their own world, no longer needed, but thanks for the fashion cues.
There are some amazingly humbling stories out there that really make you question US history, or at least the official version.
I CANT STAND folls who look down on homeless people. Shit pisses me off more then just about anything. If i can spend 60 bucks in an evening on some DVDS (or a hundred and fifty! on a USED record) then its damn near my duty to give what i can to people less fortunate. Really, a buck here and their isnt even enough, imo. I try to kick it with "bums" sometimes too, even if its just smoking a cig with them and talking for 20 mins. The lack of human contact that they get, and the way that people refuse to even look at them is sad. Plus, alot of homeless people have some real interesting shit to say.
BUMFIGHTS really pisses me off. If i even so much as see someone watching and enjoying that shit, i hope i can have the restraint needed to avoiding kicking their fuckin ass.
See, THIS is exactly what I'm talking about!
My friend tried to show me that bumfights shit when it came out and I had to shut it off after the first 30 seconds.
there is a homeless dude on my block who controls pigeons. He points at any pigeon, and it flys to his hand. Then he will try to push the pigeon off, it will keep flying back to his hand no matter what. Then he points to where he wants the pigeon to fly, and off it goes. He then points at another pigeon and the same shit happens. NEXT LEVEL.
I assume in 90% of the time they'll spend it on drugs because most of these bums are on something.
I don't know what the situation is where you are - but most people on the street here are not on anything, namely their meds and this makes it hard for them to be a "normal" citizen within society. It's a life between a rock and a hard place; to be dulled out by meds and institutionalized or to be some sliver of yourself but live on the street. Please keep in mind that shelters are often unsafe - people get robbed and beaten up there.
You need to save that dollar or 2 and give it to an organization that can help them with their alcoholism, mental problems, drug abuse etc..
Giving it to them hurts them.
I also give to organizations.
Giving them a dollar here and there to buy a beer or some warm food/talking to them for a few mins isnt bad for them. If anythign it reminds them that the world isnt agaisnt them, that they are regular people too. And the whole angle that "they can only hurt themselves with money, let an arganization care for them" is kind of fucked up. The people are grown ups for the most part that have been given hardbreaks. You cant treat them all like children (granted some are loco and need to be treated like a kid to some extent)
About 2 weeks later, he told me he had saw dude out in the 'burbs, looking fresh to def with a fly young lady.
Yup, there are crews of these types who are posted up near Fashion Valley (upscale shopping in the heart of the city). They must pull hundreds of dollars a day off the shi-shi Saks ladies. A news program here showed one "beggar" getting into a brand new Honda and driving off at the end of the day.
I don't usually give money to the beggers, but I'll occassionally leave some food, drink or money beside those that look like they've lost hope, found curled up in a corner etc. I feel the ones that can walk around and devise strategies for making street change should be able to find some dough somewhere or possibly a job (exception made for the psychos)
I assume in 90% of the time they'll spend it on drugs because most of these bums are on something.
I don't know what the situation is where you are - but most people on the street here are not on anything, namely their meds and this makes it hard for them to be a "normal" citizen within society. It's a life between a rock and a hard place; to be dulled out by meds and institutionalized or to be some sliver of yourself but live on the street. Please keep in mind that shelters are often unsafe - people get robbed and beaten up there.
In Amsterdam most people who are begging need money for liquor or hard drugs. They are mostly suffering from mental illnesses too.
I give money to some of my homeless neighbors (some of whom have lived on my block longer than I have) fairly often, and I give away clothes all the time. Like Barry, who lives across the street. Very, very nice guy who draws incredible pictures all day. His story is that he has a bad leg, so he can't really get around much. When Reagan locked off govt. aid in large part, Barry bore the brunt of it.
The thing about my neighborhood is that I can literally throw clothes out my window and they'll be gone in less than an hour. (I also leave it in bags on the sidewalk, too, but if it's single items, it really is fun to throw it out the window.) I try to purge clothes that I don't wear any more--amazing how much you can get rid of.
I've played a number of benefit parties for the Coalition on Homelessness, too; always nice to be able to put your DJ talents to use for a good cause. And with many, many homeless in my neighborhood, this cause hits close to home.
Even when I don't have money to give, I try to look each person in the eye when I say, "No, sorry." I can't imagine how dehumanizing it must be to be treated as if you're invisible.
I will admit, though, that I always front on this one kid. I've given him money before, but I don't any more. He has a Maori moko facial tattoo, seems perfectly healthy and free from mental illness, and is very whiny. I mean, I have a lot of tattoos, but I didn't go and get my face inked to prevent me from ever getting a job. Yes, I'm a hypocrite.
I turn down requests for change more often than I give, I'm ashamed to say, especially lately because money is getting tight for me. I always feel like a more complete human being when I do decide to give someone a buck or two though. I'm going to fill my pockets up with change and give to everyone who asks today (which in Berkeley will be a lot). Thanks for the motivation, soulstrut.
Generally no because I see the same homeless people everyday. I don't want to be marked as someone that gives out money. I'll give a dollar here and there but usually not to people I see on a regular basis. I just don't want to me marked and harassed daily. I mean I go to a bank and I'm asked for a dollar, I go to the post office and I'm asked for a dollar, I go to BART or Muni and I'm asked for a dollar.
I turn down requests for change more often than I give, I'm ashamed to say, especially lately because money is getting tight for me. I always feel like a more complete human being when I do decide to give someone a buck or two though.
cosign. I don't/can't give to everyone that asks. I'd be late for everything. But people who say "I don't give on principle" piss me off, because the principle is that they don't want to deal.
i live in the "downtown" district of richmond, so i see the same people everyday. a couple fo them i am cool with, a couple i am not.
the ones i am cool with i always make sure to stop and talk with them. they are people and deserve to be treated as so.
a couple of them i have straight up almost gotten into fist fights with. these are motherfuckers out here lying about shit, coming up with some stupid ass schemes that i aint falling for.
some of them i see working at the produce company down the street in the morning then sitting on the corner boozing in the afternoon. now i aint knocking what you do in you spare time, i like to booze in the afternoon too. but if i see your ass working in the morning, best believe i aint giving you shit in the afternoon cuz you already blew all you money.
then there is a couple i am friends with. i always talk to them, and give them a little scrill every now and then. but more so i try and give them stuff they need. the lady is sick and is supposed to only eat boiled or baked foods, but i always catch her eating mcdonalds. i try and give her some spaghetti when i can, or something like that.
i need to purge my clothing. they could use some of that shit a lot more than my closet can.
but for real, if i gave every homeless person i saw a buck or two, i wouldnt have a buck or two for myself.
I don't give money to the homeless anymore for two reasons
1. My father[/b] - this is a man who was born with a type of palsy that left him unable to walk until he was 12, it also destroyed his hearing and left him a position where he could of been a beggar or leached off the system for the rest of his life and no one would question it. Instead he showed drive raised 2 families on & eventually off welfare and now has the wife, the car, the dog and the house
2. Gary in Old Town Pasadena[/b] - This man would be on the corner daily begging he too had a type of palsy that left him crippled; he would walk with a limp and his hands were always curled up. I was making just a bit over minimum wage for most of the time that I knew him and I would still spare some dough to buy him some food or just hit him off with a couple of bills. About a year after doing this on the regular I was driving through the street of 'dena and saw Gary walking down the street without a limp. I asked some people that knew about him what the deal was and they all told me he was the Kaiser Soze (sp?) of Pasadena. Its fuckers like him that make me not trust anyone out on the street asking for money. I'm sure that the majority of people begging are in real need, but it only takes a few to spoil it for all.
Oh and there was another street beggar in the same area that I would hit off with money on occasion, dude stopped showing up for a while, turned out he was on vacation in Australia.
if i gave money to everyone that asked, i'd be a broke motherfucker. I generally encounter about 5-10 of them a day, so call me jaded or cynical, but the gauntlet of dudes trying to seperate me from my money is getting old.
giving them themoney does not help their situation. Its not like they are saving up to get an apartment, get cleaned up and lead productive lives.
Them, they, these people, etc etc. This not a good look. It's what led to NoLa.
Very self-righteous of yourself.
I'm a self-righteous dude. Actually, I don't think that's self-righteous, it's more confrontational. Sometimes I get pissed off with the disconnect between the music that is fetishized on this site and the message behind that music. But I don't think that's a good look to talk about round here. Maybe I should channel a rap about it?
giving them themoney does not help their situation. Its not like they are saving up to get an apartment, get cleaned up and lead productive lives.
Them, they, these people, etc etc. This not a good look. It's what led to NoLa.
Very self-righteous of yourself.
I'm a self-righteous dude. Actually, I don't think that's self-righteous, it's more confrontational. Sometimes I get pissed off with the disconnect between the music that is fetishized on this site and the message behind that music. But I don't think that's a good look to talk about round here. Maybe I should channel a rap about it?
yeah but the best is that you turned around and used the same exact words as I did. Being confrontational towards me on that is stupid. I am an ex-employee of a non profit foundation that worked with the mentally ill homeless. When I used they or them I was refering to them. The mentally ill or chemical dependent homeless. Your confrontational attitude was just self serving and COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
It can be hard enough finding a job wearing a dress shirt.
Imagine rolling into JCPENNY in a vomit stained military jacket and plastic bags for shoes.
"do you need any salespeople"?
Shits just not that easy.
I understand what you are saying, but JC Penny isn't what I had in mind. There are some programs around DC where certain homeless people are integrated into very basic jobs, and many times helped with finding a place to stay temporarily. This is gonna be tricky due to many of the homeless having mental health issues. I was at a place recently where a homeless man was working (I've seen him sleeping on the street outside for a long time). I've got to admit that in the back of my mind, I still felt tension and hoped he'd been psychologically evaluated.
Obviously, no matter what a homeless person's case is, it takes ALOT to go from street to shelter or apartment. I am willing to give money to help someone who was recently affected by disaster. I've given money to organizations who feed and cloth the homeless during winter (so I know the money is going toward their needs), and I have myself walked in homeless charity events and ridden in soup vans. But too many homeless people here are regulars and are not just "down on their luck". There is a homeless man in my neighborhood who does crack and almost killed a motorist when he was high. (He is still on the street today). It's a fragile situation, I know.
We all hope that most dangerous people are moved off the street and those who can be helped are given responsiblities and a place to stay. But to this day no one (to my knowledge) is spearheading any operation that large, evident by the large homeless prescence.
Ive gone through tons of different phases. There some people who if you talk to, are incredibly interesting. Some are cons. some crazy. some drug addicted. some drunks. and some who prefer to be homeless.
I used to live by UCSB and the college town is filled with about 200 hundred or so homeless people. Therefor you would see the same people every day. And most of the time, they would be doing exactly the same thing as he day before. Buying a 40 at 7 in the morning and going to their spot and begging. Its not for me to judge their lives, but...
In NY its a tough judgement call. I give money to musicians or people who entertain in some way. Or people who i know or see. I dont give money to those poeple on the subway whose "apartment just burned down" or etc. Im pretty sure theyre cons. Or people who have nicer clothes than me. Or people who are really confrontational -- not saying they should kiss my ass, but dont expect me to.
Basically, I usually wind up giving out like two or three bucks every day. And over a year that adds up. The way I figure it, if a homeless guy can get 10 people an hour to give him a dollar, thats good money. I give out cigarettes a lot. I dont know...................................
yeah but the best is that you turned around and used the same exact words as I did. Being confrontational towards me on that is stupid. I am an ex-employee of a non profit foundation that worked with the mentally ill homeless. When I used they or them I was refering to them. The mentally ill or chemical dependent homeless. Your confrontational attitude was just self serving and COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
No, I too was refering to a specific group of people, some of whom are homeless, some not, but have had similar experiences. I wasn't talking about homeless in general, which I thought you were.
Counterproductive? What, now you DEFINITELY won't give them any money. Whatever.
This reminds of a story. There was this young man that would entry the classrooms at college and would ask for money in signs. He couldn't talk, just made some noises.
Then one day me and a couple of friends are at the horses racing track. A race is finishing so people would always go crazy. Next to us is this very guy, yelling his heart out "GO STRONGWIND, GO YOU FUCKER". I couldn't even get mad at him.
Counterproductive? What, now you DEFINITELY won't give them any money. Whatever.
dawg come on now.
Counterproductive to push that shit you were pusing. That "they them those people/led to NOLA" crap. That isnt going to help one thing. Especially on someone who works AGAINST homelessness.
Its not really your business, but I donate a lot to a local shelter for the mentally ill at the end of each year. SO yeah, I give money, and while im at it, I give more than you. Pay attention to what you read. and PICK YOUR BATTLES>
Comments
No doubt... I can't be trying to help everybody.. But there are a few you can just look in their eyes and see they are hungry.
But yeah.. When I had the shop right downtown I was getting hit up about 20 times plus a day. Now when you say sorry, you can't help them, a few shout shit at you. Like I wanna hear fuck you a few times a day... But whatever...
There are some that really do need help.
WHOA! NOT A GOOD LOOK!
Straight up I had some dude with BRAND NEW Jordan's ask me for $$$ once. I had to call him out on it.
nonce.
See, THIS is exactly what I'm talking about!
My friend tried to show me that bumfights shit when it came out and I had to shut it off after the first 30 seconds.
whoa.
I don't know what the situation is where you are - but most people on the street here are not on anything, namely their meds and this makes it hard for them to be a "normal" citizen within society. It's a life between a rock and a hard place; to be dulled out by meds and institutionalized or to be some sliver of yourself but live on the street. Please keep in mind that shelters are often unsafe - people get robbed and beaten up there.
I also give to organizations.
Giving them a dollar here and there to buy a beer or some warm food/talking to them for a few mins isnt bad for them. If anythign it reminds them that the world isnt agaisnt them, that they are regular people too. And the whole angle that "they can only hurt themselves with money, let an arganization care for them" is kind of fucked up. The people are grown ups for the most part that have been given hardbreaks. You cant treat them all like children (granted some are loco and need to be treated like a kid to some extent)
Yup, there are crews of these types who are posted up near Fashion Valley (upscale shopping in the heart of the city). They must pull hundreds of dollars a day off the shi-shi Saks ladies. A news program here showed one "beggar" getting into a brand new Honda and driving off at the end of the day.
The "kicks" rule is the one I apply.
RAERS THAT CAERS!
In Amsterdam most people who are begging need money for liquor or hard drugs. They are mostly suffering from mental illnesses too.
Imagine rolling into JCPENNY in a vomit stained military jacket and plastic bags for shoes.
"do you need any salespeople"?
Shits just not that easy.
The thing about my neighborhood is that I can literally throw clothes out my window and they'll be gone in less than an hour. (I also leave it in bags on the sidewalk, too, but if it's single items, it really is fun to throw it out the window.) I try to purge clothes that I don't wear any more--amazing how much you can get rid of.
I've played a number of benefit parties for the Coalition on Homelessness, too; always nice to be able to put your DJ talents to use for a good cause. And with many, many homeless in my neighborhood, this cause hits close to home.
Even when I don't have money to give, I try to look each person in the eye when I say, "No, sorry." I can't imagine how dehumanizing it must be to be treated as if you're invisible.
I will admit, though, that I always front on this one kid. I've given him money before, but I don't any more. He has a Maori moko facial tattoo, seems perfectly healthy and free from mental illness, and is very whiny. I mean, I have a lot of tattoos, but I didn't go and get my face inked to prevent me from ever getting a job. Yes, I'm a hypocrite.
cosign. I don't/can't give to everyone that asks. I'd be late for everything. But people who say "I don't give on principle" piss me off, because the principle is that they don't want to deal.
Very self-righteous of yourself.
i live in the "downtown" district of richmond, so i see the same people everyday. a couple fo them i am cool with, a couple i am not.
the ones i am cool with i always make sure to stop and talk with them. they are people and deserve to be treated as so.
a couple of them i have straight up almost gotten into fist fights with. these are motherfuckers out here lying about shit, coming up with some stupid ass schemes that i aint falling for.
some of them i see working at the produce company down the street in the morning then sitting on the corner boozing in the afternoon. now i aint knocking what you do in you spare time, i like to booze in the afternoon too. but if i see your ass working in the morning, best believe i aint giving you shit in the afternoon cuz you already blew all you money.
then there is a couple i am friends with. i always talk to them, and give them a little scrill every now and then. but more so i try and give them stuff they need. the lady is sick and is supposed to only eat boiled or baked foods, but i always catch her eating mcdonalds. i try and give her some spaghetti when i can, or something like that.
i need to purge my clothing. they could use some of that shit a lot more than my closet can.
but for real, if i gave every homeless person i saw a buck or two, i wouldnt have a buck or two for myself.
i get hit up numerous times a day where i live.
1. My father[/b] - this is a man who was born with a type of palsy that left him unable to walk until he was 12, it also destroyed his hearing and left him a position where he could of been a beggar or leached off the system for the rest of his life and no one would question it. Instead he showed drive raised 2 families on & eventually off welfare and now has the wife, the car, the dog and the house
2. Gary in Old Town Pasadena[/b] - This man would be on the corner daily begging he too had a type of palsy that left him crippled; he would walk with a limp and his hands were always curled up. I was making just a bit over minimum wage for most of the time that I knew him and I would still spare some dough to buy him some food or just hit him off with a couple of bills. About a year after doing this on the regular I was driving through the street of 'dena and saw Gary walking down the street without a limp. I asked some people that knew about him what the deal was and they all told me he was the Kaiser Soze (sp?) of Pasadena. Its fuckers like him that make me not trust anyone out on the street asking for money. I'm sure that the majority of people begging are in real need, but it only takes a few to spoil it for all.
Oh and there was another street beggar in the same area that I would hit off with money on occasion, dude stopped showing up for a while, turned out he was on vacation in Australia.
I'm a self-righteous dude. Actually, I don't think that's self-righteous, it's more confrontational. Sometimes I get pissed off with the disconnect between the music that is fetishized on this site and the message behind that music. But I don't think that's a good look to talk about round here. Maybe I should channel a rap about it?
yeah but the best is that you turned around and used the same exact words as I did. Being confrontational towards me on that is stupid. I am an ex-employee of a non profit foundation that worked with the mentally ill homeless. When I used they or them I was refering to them. The mentally ill or chemical dependent homeless. Your confrontational attitude was just self serving and COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
I understand what you are saying, but JC Penny isn't what I had in mind. There are some programs around DC where certain homeless people are integrated into very basic jobs, and many times helped with finding a place to stay temporarily. This is gonna be tricky due to many of the homeless having mental health issues. I was at a place recently where a homeless man was working (I've seen him sleeping on the street outside for a long time). I've got to admit that in the back of my mind, I still felt tension and hoped he'd been psychologically evaluated.
Obviously, no matter what a homeless person's case is, it takes ALOT to go from street to shelter or apartment. I am willing to give money to help someone who was recently affected by disaster. I've given money to organizations who feed and cloth the homeless during winter (so I know the money is going toward their needs), and I have myself walked in homeless charity events and ridden in soup vans. But too many homeless people here are regulars and are not just "down on their luck". There is a homeless man in my neighborhood who does crack and almost killed a motorist when he was high. (He is still on the street today). It's a fragile situation, I know.
We all hope that most dangerous people are moved off the street and those who can be helped are given responsiblities and a place to stay. But to this day no one (to my knowledge) is spearheading any operation that large, evident by the large homeless prescence.
I used to live by UCSB and the college town is filled with about 200 hundred or so homeless people. Therefor you would see the same people every day. And most of the time, they would be doing exactly the same thing as he day before. Buying a 40 at 7 in the morning and going to their spot and begging. Its not for me to judge their lives, but...
In NY its a tough judgement call. I give money to musicians or people who entertain in some way. Or people who i know or see. I dont give money to those poeple on the subway whose "apartment just burned down" or etc. Im pretty sure theyre cons. Or people who have nicer clothes than me. Or people who are really confrontational -- not saying they should kiss my ass, but dont expect me to.
Basically, I usually wind up giving out like two or three bucks every day. And over a year that adds up. The way I figure it, if a homeless guy can get 10 people an hour to give him a dollar, thats good money. I give out cigarettes a lot. I dont know...................................
No, I too was refering to a specific group of people, some of whom are homeless, some not, but have had similar experiences. I wasn't talking about homeless in general, which I thought you were.
Counterproductive? What, now you DEFINITELY won't give them any money. Whatever.
Then one day me and a couple of friends are at the horses racing track. A race is finishing so people would always go crazy. Next to us is this very guy, yelling his heart out "GO STRONGWIND, GO YOU FUCKER". I couldn't even get mad at him.
dawg come on now.
Counterproductive to push that shit you were pusing. That "they them those people/led to NOLA" crap. That isnt going to help one thing. Especially on someone who works AGAINST homelessness.
Its not really your business, but I donate a lot to a local shelter for the mentally ill at the end of each year. SO yeah, I give money, and while im at it, I give more than you. Pay attention to what you read. and PICK YOUR BATTLES>