Ex-cop: Don't give money to panhandlers

Wow.

 

A few years ago I walked out of a bagel shop and this guy started giving me a story about how homeless were treated so bad in that town and he only needed a few more bucks and he could get a bus ticket. He was going to move to San Diego because he heard it was better there.

I gave him $5 and went on my way. A month later I see the same guy and he gives me the same story, but I told him I didn't have any cash and went on. I think I ran into the guy four of five times while I lived there and he always had the same story, this was his last night in that horrible town, he just needed a few bucks for a bus ticket, I finally called him on it once and he told me they raised the price of a bus ticket so that's why he'd been stuck there for six months.

 

The worst part for me was when I was still in newspapers. The downtown offices are always surrounded by panhandlers and they love to seek out folks coming out by themselves late at night. One place I worked, we had a regular guy, Willie or something like that. Willie always needed bus money home. As a staff, we gave Willie enough money to make it to Hawaii and back. But he never left town. He never hurt anyone, and never appeared drunk when he was asking for money, so we kept trying to help out Willie.

I've known people who always carried gift certificates to fast-food restaurants to hand out to such folks. Maybe that's the best solution.

 

Walking out of my paper late one night, a guy comes up to me in the paper's parking lot. He explains that he needs money for a cab fare to the train station because he had come up to visit his brother in prison.

I didn't want to give anything, but we were alone and it's late at night. So I figure I'll give him $5. Wouldn't you know it, all I had was a $20. So, I gave it to the guy, just so he would go away.

A little while later, we hear around town that there's a scam going on in which people pretended to beg to get drug money. I felt a little foolish, but I figured, I rather lose the $20 than get mugged.

 

I like a guy who will stick to his story even when called on it.

 

Side note...

I once worked with a guy who asked me right before his shift ended if I could loan him gas money and he'd pay me back the next day. I gave him $10.

Turns out it was his last day and he hadn't told anybody. It's been 20+ years, but I'll still kick his ass if I ever see him again.

 

Well, they aren't pretending to beg. They really are begging. And you have to realize that if you give someone money for food, or gas or bus fare or diapers, the odds are about 95 percent that it is going to booze or drugs.

 

It's easy, Rags.

Just send out an email looking like it's from a bank updating its records, ask for their password and SSN.

Tip: Use the computer at the public library.

 

There are three Kroger grocery stores in Ann Arbor (a fourth recently closed). This summer, a panhandler outside one of them didn't like no for an answer, so he clocked the guy.

The kicker? Of the three Krogers, that's the one the students go to. It's small and dumpy, and college students usually don't have much money with them, right? The other two are huge and upscale. That's where the money is, dummies.

 

I read a story that completely changed my mind on this subject. The story mentioned some of the panhandlers have different signs for different people. They see a mother? Out comes the "I need diaper money" sign. They see a young, college-looking kid? Out comes the "need beer money" sign. A white dude in a pick-up? "Vet needs money."

The best thing to do is to give money to charities that specifically help the homeless.