Don't Feed The Homeless

As Homeless Line Up for Food, Los Angeles Weighs Restrictions

I personally don't mind the homeless people, it gives a city character. They aren't bothering anyone...I swear people should have a heart especially during the holiday season.

*** that.

sounds like you guys really have your ***together over there....

starting to sound like those people saying don't feed the birds or they'll keep coming back around... Stay classy!

Put em to work for that food!!
http://www.bumvertising.com/

Out of their face on smack, standing outside cashpoints and takeaways late at night in droves demanding money, then getting pissy and, or violent when you refuse is the opposite of "not bothering anyone"

never forget, you could be a firing & a traumatic event away from being that guy.

You have never lived in a metropolitan area, or are just repeating what your bigoted grandfather said.

The vast majority of homeless people, in study after study, are reclusive and passive due to social disorders. It's generally a small portion that are more than alcoholics. And most of those are not violent either.

Oh hey that sounds like a fantastic idea. Let's not feed the homeless in public spaces. Instead we can take it to their hou.... oh wait.

Dumb-***.

It's actually a very small minority. Most criminal activity by homeless people are annoyances. Stuff like loitering, petty theft (which actually includes stealing from garbage cans that are not presented for pickup), jumping turnstiles, etc.

In 2010, there were more violent crimes reported AGAINST homeless people than by them.

True story. On a night out with my girlfriend, outside a kebab shop I was approached by four of them. Fairly young, drunk, but coherent. Was asked for a pound (a buck, basically) "to get some chips"

I said "I'm not giving you money, I will go into the shop right now, buy you each a kebab, a bag of chips and a can of Coke." - would amount to around £10

"Will you just give us the money instead?" said the ringleader.

"Tell you what, you can either have the pound you asked for between you, or you can take me up on my generous offer of a full meal each?"

(I may have not phrased it exactly like that, I'd had a few myself, but that was the gist and I remember I was incredibly polite to people I would normally just tell to **** off.)

"Can't we have the food and the pound?"

"No, either or."

"........ give us the pound then"

That's what you're dealing with!!!

So... you had an experience where some homeless people asked you for some money and you were an *** and they still didn't kick your *** and take your money...

Isn't that what homeless shelters are for? Feeding the homeless and providing shelter for those who are less fortunate?

Wouldn't it be better for said homeless to stay at these shelters, and possibly go to Goodwill where they offer assistance to help set your life straight.

For the mentally deficient, hospitals and wards...

That is the most "civilized" way to deal with the homeless. Good economic policies and such to prevent homeless, blah blah blah.

He had an experience where they lied about the reason they wanted the money and turned down an extremely generous offer because they would rather have 1 pound than 10x the value in food. Whether they were after drugs or just posing as homeless to get money(which is a growing trend, apparently) is questionable, but neither is particularly good intent.


Helping people who fell on hard times is admirable, but honestly have to side with the homeowners on this one. They've negotiated prices for their homes in a neighborhood that wasn't overrun with homeless people. They are having their feeling of safety taken away, and there's a very clear cause.

I wonder if everyone in this thread would be saying the same thing if homeless Dan was sitting in their bushes with questionable intent. You can trumpet your cause all you want, but unless you've been in that situation I don't think it's fair to say they aren't a problem. Even if only 5% of homeless people are threatening in any way, those 5% are still mixed in with the drove being attracted to the neighborhood and those 5% are still creating problems.

I know if there were homeless people all over my neighborhood suddenly, my first impression would be to proceed with caution, not to reference statistics about how many of them are dangerous.

I only had one incident in my lifetime where a homeless individual became violent. I was walking out of a liquor store I told her I didn't have change she smacked the Rockstar out of my hand.

EDIT:I mean she was clearly mentally ill. Yelling obscenities to the top of her lungs in the street.

Anyhow! That's an example of the minority, most just go about their way if you say no. Heck most are grateful if you give them pocket change and reply God Bless you.

Not enough capacity in metropolitan cities. Come Thanksgiving, you're going to have a line two blocks long with the inside of the shelter full. EDIT: Some families can't afford a proper meal Thanksgiving so they'll head to shelters which adds to the crowd.

Can relate to this.
Homeless people I dealt with rather have money to probably buy booze and cigs, which I will not give someone money to go buy something I dont buy myself. I will buy food, or non-alcoholic drinks for them but they just want the money instead.

They were probably just drunks rather than homeless. I very much doubt homless would be out on a night out as theres lots of police around and drunk people who would probably just kick the ***out of them.

I am talking about London. It may be very different over there, but here, late at night, drug fueled homeless people roam in packs looking for the next hit. I know two people who have been accosted and assaulted by homeless drug addicts when they refused to hand over money.

We aren't talking the "lovable tramp" type of vets with one leg and a shaggy beard. Most are teens to late twenties and certainly don't add "character" to areas such as Leyton or Westminster at 2.00 in the morning.

Of course they don't show up on your precious "statistics" - very difficult to track down someone who is never in the same place for more than a couple of nights.

PS, you didn't know my Grandfather, but if you're implying that one assumes the traits of theirs, I'm guessing yours was a real know-it-all ***?

If I somehow ever lost my new job. Ended it with my wife. Cut off contact with family and friends. Went down right batshit crazy, Something like this would be my plan lol:

http://www.wikihow.com/Live-in-Your-Car

Amazing article. Only drawback is you need a decent car without problems lol. Hell if I was single I would almost do this just for the sheer savings per month lol.

I agree with almost everything but the bolded is still naive. I lived in a very bad neighborhood (ya, don't go apartment shopping on the internet before you move across the country) for 11 months. We DID have homeless people living in the untended courtyard of our building which i walked past everyday. They were neither threatening or dangerous. Simply, they have a good reason to not be a problem near where they are squatting.

Have you ever been to a homeless shelter? Sadly enough they don't have room or food for everyone... It isn't a viable solution because the programs don't have the capcity to meet the demand...

You think hospitals and wards just pick people up from the streets and take care of em for nothing? Oh hey... you're homeless and you're suffering from this mental debilitation? Well here's some medicine and and come with me... let's make you better! If only it happened that way lol... We can't even manage to treat our veterans with decent care but yeah... we're going to make sure the homeless have all those opportunities...

Why did you put civilized in quotations?

I think its funny that you think the programs are in place to a point that it could do all the things you talk about to deal with these people in a "civilized" manner lol...

I wish all those programs were up and running to the extent you speak of... but it's more of the it's not my problem keep em the hell away from me and make it someone elses problem lol...

Possibly, in some cases, but when they are in sleeping bags I'm guessing they are staying for the night!

You have people who kill each other over soccer matches... You have to look at the population as a whole, not just one corner of London. And my grandfather taught me to rely on the best information available before making knee-jerk reactions of blanket statements.

I don't care how you weight this, banning the practice of feeding homeless in public spaces is just some ole bullsh!t. I can understand keeping them away from private property and all that, but if a charitable organization wants to provide free food for those who are less fortunate then let them do so. I mean seriously, it's feeding people funded by charity.

fixed

I live in Chicago... You can walk out on the street in the city and pretty much find a homeless person on some corner or another... theres even places where you can find them gathered and they kinda set up camp... It's done nothing to decrease our property values and I don't fear for my life when I walk past them... you know why? Because they're *** people!!!! like you or me they are human beings... you have just as much chance running into a person that has no home that's going to be an asshol or a danger to you than a person that has a home...

This percieved notion that the homeless are something other than a person and that they are more dangerous than you or I is ludicrous...

Edit: don't wanna give em money? say no and be on your merry way... even in the guys story they didn't get violent... hell I've met annoying people that are homeless just like I've met annoying people that aren't homeless... get over it... city streets are also public places... or are we the ones that tell people whether their existance is such a bother that they can't even be allowed to be near us?

If all else failed you could always commit a crime to purposely be caught. At least in jail you are fed, clothed, and supervised with bare minimum health care lol. People keep passing you by and nobody helping you? Nothing like falling back on their hard eared tax dollars.

I like to ask homeless guys for dollars before they have a chance to say anything, really throws em' off.

one time I had been walking for an hour or two, this dude asked me for a cigarette, I complied, & sat down on a concrete stoop to chat with the fellow. he told me his name was so&sosomethingortheother the 3rd, but I could call him "animal" he then proceeded to lite the filter end of my newport, & smoke the entire thing while regaling me with a tale about how eddy was killed last night, & those sommamabitchin' cops had him locked up all day because they thought it was him, but him & eddy were just in a fist fight over the last beer, & he loved eddy & would never kill him & on & on & on, well about this time he'd smoked the entire filter & was into tobacco, when he looked me in the eye, looked at the end of the smoke I'd bummed him, & said, "you smoke ***cigarettes, bro" I nodded, & told him to enjoy the rest of his evening.

O animal, joo so crazy.

You joke like that doesn't happen. (@Calnus)