Don't Feed The Homeless

@Calnus Homeless people, if they do abuse drugs or alcohol typically do it to keep warm or supress appetite.

It's extremely unfortunate and painfully true.

New York is a prime example. It's been awhile but I'm remembering something along the lines of a famous musician playing in a busy public area incognito. Had his case open for donations. Wall to wall people walking by and ignoring the music and him completely.

Nobody stopped to think. Nobody stopped to admire music or culture. Nobody cared.

We are all guilty of this in some way or another. But once in awhile walking in someone elses shoes or stopping to admire life is a wise idea.

Life is short.

how dare they inconvenience us momentarily with wreckage of their lives?!?!?!

>:

maybe I misunderstood what you were saying when you said the drugs and alcohol they were on made them unpredictable and possibly violent... were you speaking to your specific encounter?

when you followed up with the next example of the same ones being sloshed and high all the time were you referring to the same group?

If you were I apologize as I thought you were speaking in general terms...

In defense of that... I don't like the guys music to begin with...

Do I feed the compassionate fire or the jackass fire? Oh, let's do both.

First off, I can only speak for where I've lived, which is hardly a comprehensive survey of the United States.

So, let's start with the negatives. Several of the panhandlers and harassing people I had the misfortune of running across in my first years of college were unfortunately well-known to the locals. These guys deliberately hung around the university campus because they were preying on bleeding heart kids who hadn't yet been informed that they had comfortable homes in rather nice neighborhoods. They were obnoxious and clearly had some kind of mental illness and given that I worked near where they lived, I got to suffer them while bussing to work in the evening.

I've also had a lot of conversations with a variety of homeless people from virtually every walk of life. I've met 20-year-olds who spent a couple nights in a shelter because their girlfriend kicked them out, former professionals in their 50s who lost everything and are living on a friend's couch, junkies and alkies of every age, and people who are more comfortable in the system than out of it. I've met quite a few men who would happily explain how they bounce from shelter to shelter, sometimes carrying a dizzying amount of random crap (saw one guy with something like 100 books), occasionally moving in with their "girlfriend" when their time was up. They found a dodge that kept them fed and warm without having to do much of anything, though similarly not being able to do much of anything, either (they weren't attending NFL games or buying iPhones -- on that note, they all had gov't.-issue phones with about 200 minutes a month and no bells-and-whistles).

So, yes, for the sad people who need to denigrate everyone slightly different to them, a certain proportion of those who are homeless are not worthy of pity.

The face of homelessness is not what most people imagine, though. I doubt anyone, not even the most bleeding heart, thinks that the woman with the neatly-coifed hair and slightly threadbare clothes dropping off her resume at a downtown advertising firm is actually homeless. She lives on her sister's couch, which might seem like a home to some people, but anyone is welcome to try it and explain how dispossessed you wind up feeling. The younger-than-he-looks guy outside a local restaurant holding up a sign and smiling at passing cars is also homeless, in spite of being showered, cleanly dressed, and clearly employed. The quiet guy in the back corner of the library reading an engineering textbook is trying desperately to figure out some way to get out of a situation he never planned for.

Yeah, there are plenty of homeless who are disheveled, unkempt, or downright filthy. There are plenty who hustle for a dollar to buy booze (the Brit who offered to buy someone food instead of handing them a pound was right, by the way -- they were getting fed somewhere else, the money was for intoxicants) or pills or pot. I've seen them sleeping in front of stores, in bus shelters, and on benches downtown. I've seen them pushing shopping carts full of scrap metal to the buyers on the south side. I've seen the shanty camp that is right beside my favorite bike trail but quietly hidden from the public (and, to my knowledge, they cause no distress to their apartment-dwelling neighbors). I've seen schizophrenics wander down the street screaming to themselves (then again, I've seen Christian preachers do the same thing). I've had at least one idiot try to sneak into my building behind me until he saw murder in my eyes. One of the reasons I own a bike is because I got tired of being hassled by panhandlers and other indigents while walking to work -- and I worked for the university, so, again, I distrust anyone clever enough to know to hang around naive college kids.

Basically, I've seen a very broad spectrum of homeless, dispossessed, and indigent people. Almost none of them bother me, though some of them are deliberately irritating. I've never had a single one even hint at making a threatening gesture, and I am far from an intimidating person at 5'8" tall with glasses. They're simply not threatening people unless you're also threatened by darkies and Mexicans and young people and basically anyone that is different, which is kind of insane given most violence happens among family members.

I have been threatened and even have been the victim of an attempted mugging, though. I've had stupid men ranging from teenage to middle age try to hassle me. And it's these people, who are criminals, who somehow get mistaken for the homeless. They really are two separate groups 99% of the time.

At least in my city, though, we have a large network of homeless shelters and attached kitchens. There is a kitchen downtown that is open to anyone who walks in, so if I was cheap and had no dignity, I could go down there and never pay for food again. I have not seen an open-air food truck like this article describes, but I've definitely seen people line up at various kitchens and shelters. At least in my city, most of them are fairly upbeat (as much as one can be, anyhow) because they're getting fed and socializing with other people.

Maybe Los Angeles is different. Maybe where I live is the weird place. Our homeless problem was a lot worse about 10-20 years ago before some reformers came in and completely rebuilt the shelter and food system. While there are still very few people who would want to live next door to a homeless shelter, for instance, the areas around them are no longer full of semi-condemned flophouses for junkies to get high in. And credit where credit is due: the flapships of these reforms have been major church organizations like the Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists.

I think you've confused me with someone else. I didn't say anything about them being dangerous or violent.

OK, yeah, possibly. We have what we call "squatters" who live illegally in places they don't own (disused factories, condemned buildings) It is essentially a giant drug den, and they gotta get the money for drugs.

They make up a fair percentage of the NFA (no fixed abode) population, but I think when you guys refer to "the homeless" you are referring to we call "tramps" or vagrants.

And yes, most of them are solitary beings and fit the description you suggest above.

Yup I'm mixing you up with Schmule now lol...

Whenever I've seen a homeless person, I've never said, "hey would you like me to go get you food" I just get some food and bring it to them. Whether they want it or not is their choice. There's no room for debate with food vs money.

You're hungry or not. If not, I'll happily eat it myself.

NP. I need an avatar, lol.

i would adopt a homeless person if i could name em

What if they're Jewish?! Kosher food!

On the flipside if I were living on the street, knowing what I know of the general population's attitude toward homeless people, I'd be wary about accepting food from people. I'd rather have money so I can buy food myself that I know has not been tampered with, so to speak. But that's just my way of thinking, which is also why I'm not a homeless person.

all joking aside my brother and his cuntofabitch girlfriend are currently homeless for good reason while id like my brother to be human again i honestly hope that *** is raped repeatedly and lit on fire

Sounds like a personal issue to me. If that were ever the case when I tried to give food to someone, I guess they'll enjoy a night of hunger.

something tells me this post won't be here in a few minutes, lol.

This all day.

I'll never give money. But I'll give you food, blankets or something useful should I happen to come across you and the need looked adequate.

I gave money away ONE time and believe it or not it was about a month or so ago. I stopped for gas on the way home from work with a friend of mine.

A guy approached us as we was coming back to the car. He was all shaky and teary eyed and said this: "I'm so sorry to ask this I really am. Do either of you have any spare money or change? I'm so ashamed and embarrassed to ask you guys. I'm on really hard times and I'm hungry."

I consider myself to be an extremely good judge of character. He looked so nervous and upset. Not the wigged out druggy nervous. It was more like the social anxiety type of nervousness. He asked so nicely and was so humble that he walked away with 20$.

Every time I stop at that gas station I actually wonder what happened to him for a brief moment.

The cynic in me thinks I was duped into buying the guy an entire case of beer. But the optimist in me hopes that he found his way and returns the favor to someone else someday.

If only kindness was contagious.

When I see the title to this post I can't help but sing it in my head to the tune of "Don't Fear The Reaper"

I speak from experience. I had a family member fight a 25 year battle (and loose) with drug addiction and depression (mental illness). It was just in their nature to be self destructive. No amount of the limitless help from either charity or family was able to shake them out of it. They died a few years ago from an overdose, and while we were all sad, none of us were shocked.

They didn't want help. They loved living the drug life too much to give it up.

you can lead a horse to water....

When they have funny signs I have to give them cash.



Seriously to have a good sense of humor and be in such a situation is uplifting.

Well, you shouldn't give money to them no matter how humorous the sign is. They're mostly just freeloaders.

lol bacon.

I was in vegas on business earlier this year, & I suck for not taking a picture, but a dude had a sign that read "$20 to kick me in the nuts, you get your money back if I drop" I was drunk and laughing heartily, then he shouted "serious bro, come try!" I lol'd about that all the way back to the Rio.

That's really disheartening. That really sums it up though. There's nothing we can do. The issue is so broad and varies from person to person. The ability resides in one's self. The only thing we can do is show compassion and care where (if) able.

Nobody can help you but yourself in the end. We can only offer a nudge in the right direction.

I have an aunt that has a drug addiction and is severely depressed too... not doing herself any favors either... she wants help and it is available to her but she wants it on her terms too which just isn't going to happen... she's also not homeless yet though either...

I still don't how your single experience dealing with a single persons depression and addiction qualifies you to speak on the whole of homelessness or how it even relates to all homeless people wanting to live in this way rather than get their life together... Do youhonestly think all homeless people are druggies that want to just do drugs all the time and not give up the homeless lifstyle?

They're has been people who take advantage... they caught one guy walking back to his SUV one time lol...

I guess I shouldn't be surprised though that if you find one person who abuses something you think its the whole group unless its a group you like lol...

I wonder what he did with the money he got... it doesn't say if it went to the show or he donated it...

I also like this comment from the article,

I have to ask. Because it seems like you want to dismiss and argue with everyone regardless of what is said.

What exactly are you seeking by telling everyone they are wrong for their opinions? You mentioned that you weren't trying to be a beacon of hope for the homeless but it actually is kinda painfully obvious at this point lol.

I'm just trying to figure out what you are arguing for or trying to achieve. Not trying to troll or flame. Just a little confused by your motive or objective.

Wow, can't argue with such rigorous scientific findings.

I scrolled down like 3 clicks and saw the Fox network. Closed and did not read lol.

People are making baseless assumptions off of one experience in their lives and all of a sudden its the truth that governs the world to them... the point is that homeless people are just as good and just as shitty as everyone else... nothing more nothing less... but since they're homeless appearantly that means their drug use is somehow worse and their existance is somehow just more distasteful at first site... Hell even in Nausi's story he didn't even mention if the person was homeless... only that he didn't want to give up the druggie life... but from that assumes that everyone has the same help available to them and the same support structure...

Also, I never said I was or wasn't trying to be a beacon of light for them... what I was saying is that I'm not trying to paint them as the best people in the world... only that they are people... good or bad...

Sitting here throwing everyone in a single box and putting them off into a corner marked undesirable is just *** up...

Edit: Also, I've only argued with people that have said something about homeless being drunks ad druggies and somehow more agressive than the rest of the population... making baseless assumptions... not everyone in the thread lol...