Street beggars?

[mel b3]

I used to work in a pretty busy town centre , and I got to see a few beggars .
One beggar would sit in the same place with his dog every day . I always stopped and had a natter and asked if he was doing OK ( cash wise) . If I was heading to the fish and chip shop for lunch , I'd buy fish and chips for him , or a baked potato or sandwich etc , and something for his dog. One afternoon I stopped to have a natter , and asked if the collecting was going well , he said " not too bad , I made £130 quid in Wolverhampton this morning before the police moved me on , and I've made £80 here so far , but I'll be going back for a couple of hours in Wolverhampton later" . At the time I was earning £50 a day , and I never bought the xxxx a single thing ever again.

A funny one that sticks in my head , was an old lad . He looked very smart , and asked me if I could spare 50p for his bus fare home . He explained that it was his birthday , and he'd met up with his old army pals , some of whom he hadn't seen since they were demobbed , and he'd got a bit drunk , and spent his bus fare home. Knowing the feeling only too well of blowing every penny in my pocket when I've been on the lash with the lads , I gave him a fiver , and said get yourself a taxi . I thought nothing more of it , until a week or so later , when the same smartly dressed old gent , walked up to me and asked me for 50p , as it was his birthday yada yada yada .

 

[Len the dog]

Reading the stories I have arrived at the conclusion that suckers easily outnumber beggars. It’s a shame for the genuinely hard up, because of all the scammers I have encountered I give F all to anyone.

 

[Jamsie]

Reading the stories I have arrived at the conclusion that suckers easily outnumber beggars. It’s a shame for the genuinely hard up, because of all the scammers I have encountered I give F all to anyone.

I feel the same way.

Jamsie

 

[bluesako]

me 2

 

[enfieldspares]

I used to get clients accosted outside the front of Gare du Nord railway station in Paris when taking them to catch the Eurostar train. Always young Roma women with "false petitions" and the initial question of "Do you speak English?"

It was a hot Paris August day and a team of these women arrive and start accosting my clients. "Do you speak English?" they ask. "Yes," says I, "Do YOU also understand English?" There was a smile of anticipation of money being offered to them with a hopeful reply of "Yes!"

"Well in that case you'll understand this won't you. F**k Off!"

 

[Rhodesianjess]

Waiting to pick one of my daughter's up from the railway station last week, standing outside rolling a cigarette before her train arrived. Approached by a chap who asked for a fag. Upon the reply NO, he asked me why not?
Cheeky gentleman,he was better dressed than me, obviously not short of a Bob or two!
I won't detail my reply to him but I bet he doesn't ask me again if he sees me. Can't believe it, I'd rather go without than beg. Can't believe he wanted me to help subsidise his habit. I support mine,do likewise.

 

[rem284]

Well, I used to be a beggar. I used to fill my day in on the street and sending begging letters. I then won the lottery big time. Someone said "what about the beggars and the begging letters". I replied "awk I think I wil keep sending the letters"

Sorry, couldn't help myself

 

[VSS]

There are plenty of chancers out there, but there are also some desperately needy people. Sometimes we just don't realise or appreciate how fortunate we are not to be reduced to those conditions ourselves.

"There but for the grace of God....."

 

[Bo Diddley]

We could all find ourselves sucking fumes under the highway pass. It's probably just a couple of silly mistakes for some of these unfortunates. In Norwich, I sometimes watch them for some time trying to work out if they are genuine or not, it's difficult and I find I'm buying fewer Whopper meals as the years drift by. My long-standing school friend had a younger brother that begged in Norwich for two years, he used to get dressed up in shabby clothes and sit with his little scruffy dog by Jarrolds, he conned people out of plenty of loose change, and his family disowned him as you may expect, but the happy ending is that he changed his path in life, ditched the drugs, and has set up a small engine repair workshop somewhere on the south coast and is doing good, the irony is that his stepson has turned out to be of a similar mould, and he's pulling his hair out over it all . Try and walk in another man's shoes for a day!

 

[VSS]

. It's probably just a couple of silly mistakes for some of these unfortunates.

Or grief, depression, mental health issues, redundancy, failed marriage - the sort of things that could happen to any one of us at any time, regardless of how robust and secure we think we are.

Try and walk in another man's shoes for a day!

A couple of academics from North Wales, incognito, took to living rough on the streets for a few weeks, in the name of research. Their experience was certainly an eye-opener.

 

[mel b3]

There are plenty of chancers out there, but there are also some desperately needy people. Sometimes we just don't realise or appreciate how fortunate we are not to be reduced to those conditions ourselves.

"There but for the grace of God....."

This is the problem. It's hard to tell the difference between someone in desperate need , and someone that's just out to rip you off.
I like to think that I'm a decent human being , that will go above and beyond , to help anyone in need , but , as time has gone by , I've been ripped off over and over again , and these days I very rarely give anything to anyone that I don't know.
My children , have been brought up to help others in need , but even they have started to walk away from beggars .
You can't blame people for not helping , the ones that deserve blame are the shameless con artists that rip off kind hearted and generous people.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Or grief, depression, mental health issues, redundancy, failed marriage - the sort of things that could happen to any one of us at any time, regardless of how robust and secure we think we are.


A couple of academics from North Wales, incognito, took to living rough on the streets for a few weeks, in the name of research. Their experience was certainly an eye-opener.

Quite right Sir! Yes there are a lot of chancers out there who give the genuinely needy ones a bad name! And of course sometimes it is hard to work out which is which and who deserves a little help, even if it is just a kind word and something to drink (A cup of tea or a soft drink etc).
Sometimes where the genuine homeless and hungry are concerned maybe we should think about trying to walk a mile or two in their shoes.
For those who refuse to offer anything to the needy that is their choice which is fine by me but I will carry on and help whoever I believe is genuinely in need.
As has been said "There but for the grace of God go I"!

 

[paul o']

Some know what I do for a job ! and I do meet some folk that just need a cupper and some time spent for a chat that don't have much to look forward to in life or end of life !and some see it as a blessing to pop off I kid you not . So when I see guys and woman on crutches begging at the traffic lights on the 406 making a god show hobbling along with one leg wrapped in a dirty bandage only to walk normal back to the front of the Q when the lights change to green and the start the whole poor me save me painful walk again it makes my blood boil.
I won't give cash to beggars but I will buy them a brew and a banjo if I can see there in a muddle and needing .