by Jack
You’ve seen them at the shopping center entrances and signal lights at the freeway on ramps, the sign reads, “Anything helps”, “Disabled Vet” “Need gas money” or “Homeless, need food”. It used to be “Will work for food”, but too many offers of work ruined that gig.
Last week my son was on his way to the post office and he had just pulled into the lot when he saw a disheveled, down and out looking couple in their 30’s huddled in conversation. He had seen them in the area for the last few weeks begging at the intersection or in front of steps of the post office. Maybe it was his cop’s instinct, but for some reason my son sat there for a moment and watched them from his pick up truck, totally unnoticed by the couple. The woman eventually placed something in the bushes against the post office and then they both walked away to their begging corners.
His cop instincts were alerted, so my son walks over to this bush and retrieves a small black purse. He opened it and inside was a hype kit with three syringes and a bent spoon used to melt rocks of cocaine or heroin for injection. He yelled at the couple,”Hey, I think you forgot something” and he held up the black purse. The woman quick-timed it back with an alarmed look on her face. Her partner looked downright hostile, he obviously knew what was in the purse. My son surmised they had hid it so if they were busted they would not get caught with it on their person, hype kits are illegal.
Before any verbal or physical confrontation could take place my son identified himself as a police officer (although he was off duty) and he told them he wasn’t going to bust them, but he never wanted to see them hanging around the post office begging again, or they would get busted. He found out a little more about these people and this part of the story is worth repeating. They lived in an apartment nearby on welfare and they had been in town for about a year. They were from North Carolina and came to California for the welfare. Both were into street drugs, whatever they could score and they used their begging money to support their habits. They said they didn’t have any kids at home, but my son’s cop instincts said otherwise and he said he will be looking into this possibility.
This is not an unusual story. Last year my son had a run in with another street beggar after a petty theft arrest who said he was part of a group of 6 men and women between their late 40’s and mid 50’s that shared a home. They averaged about $80-$100 a day begging in front of a shopping center exit and they would take turns, like shifts. They would beg just long enough to raise rent, booze and food money. They had a car because they had to drive almost 15 miles from their home to the begging areas, and the money was used mostly for booze. They were all alcoholics. This particular man was “off shift” when he ventured into the mall and tried to steal a pair of sunglasses and security busted him.
Nobody has to go hungry here and that means there’s no need to beg for spare change at some parking lot or off ramp. There’s an abundance of tax funded shelter with kitchens and private food kitchens and private homeless shelters.
Our little town of Chico has many homeless care facilities! For example there is the Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, Torres Shelter, The Sabbath House, The Esplanade House, Northern Valley Catholic Social Service. Fiveco Food Bank, Remedy Life Church, Emergency Assistance-Butte County Welfare, THP on Broadway, Chico, Homeless Shelter 1301 Broadway and others.
I think the term homeless is often abused or misused. These homeless people are mostly bums, followed by substance abusers. These types are homeless by their own life choices, not by some misfortune of the economy or mental disability. They will always be among us, because there are some people would rather live off the labor of others.
No amount of money or help will ever change them, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying or being compassionate for those in need. However, we should be thoughtful when we give away our goods, services and money away to help these folks.
You should never give to the street beggars, never! By doing so you’re a codependent that is supporting their vices. You are often supporting cons and too often you are supporting an illegal drug pusher. You can do better! Give to a charity or give them a hot meal, but don’t fork over your spare change to the parking lot guy just so you can feel good! If you do that you’re not helping…you’re really hurting and making problems worse for everyone.
I will and have given them food but never ever money.
Quentin you’ve been provided with “all the proof you need” on Post Scripts a number of times. We have to be right up there as your #1 information source!
There are many, many examples of this behavior going on as a lifestyle choice. The problem exists in nearly every city in the nation.
http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-new-push-to-get-homeless-off-t-111010,0,2511136.story
http://voices.yahoo.com/how-handle-panhandling-chicago-493622.html?cat=16
http://www.turnto23.com/news/28455505/detail.html
Enabling the least of these among us, possible drug/alcohol users, schitzophrenics, or con artists, without knowledge of circumstance or background and without offering counceling or medical assistance is not a “CHRISTIAN” thing.
Pray with him for an improved life situation, pray for his soul, offer assistance in getting him to a shelter, buy him a meal, offer to get him to a clinic for evaluation or offer him a job (if you are able)…these would be examples of the Christian thing to do.
Handing him a few bucks so you can feel good about yourself when you have no idea what he will do with the money or what his circumstances are is both irresponsible and lazy, not to mention a little nuts.
This is a problem with few solutions if people will not support them in making different choices and finding more productive and satisfying ways to meet their own needs.
Every time I turn around I am reminded of how poorly our educational system is and how family values have been replaced by street values to produce this terrible societal condition. The very least we can do is to refuse to enable the enablers!
Great post Jack!
Toby, I noticed this young seedy looking tramp type working the exit over at Home’ Depot and his sign said “Hungry” so went and bought him a coffee and a hamburger. I pulled up next to him and he seemed surprised that I wasn’t handing him money and he took the bag. But, he obviously wasn’t all that happy. He did manage a weak… thanks. As I drove off I saw him put the bag down out of the way and drink the coffee as held his sign…not too hungry I guess. Oh well.
Quentin the CHRISTIAN THING? What would that be? The Bible says if you will not work then neither shall you eat.
I bet occutards idea of the “Christian Thing” involves railroad tracks.
Id like to suggest a corollary to your admonition about giving money to the street bums.
How about not responding to any more of Quentins posts? His entire motivation comes from an unhealthy need for attention. He doesnt get it on his own blog, and he gave up on the occupation when he stopped getting it there. Let him go back to school, where he can enjoy getting wedgies and having his head dunked in the commode. That would be a real win-win solution
He will always be our little occutard even if he couldn’t hang with the real ones. I gotta ask was he too occutarded or not occutarded enough (I find that highly unlikely)? I am betting, his not being allowed to join in the occutard games has something to do with him getting another occutard arrested. LOL I will stop here, this was going in a direction that would have got a “snip”.
Ah, regional differences in law enforcement.
Down here … nobody bothers peaceable addicts. (I have to say, only a newbie would exert himself so.) Wasting cop time? … when, if the addicted haven’t been violent, they won’t be jailed … and there are no rehab facilities for them … rousting them just don’t make no sense … unless that’s how you get your jollies … in which case, you need to get into some other line of work.
You hoohahs just haven’t got enough to do, that’s what.
***
And now, we will send Jack off to read up on the science of addiction, and see if he can’t muster some Christmas compassion.
Libby you might consider sitting in on a few Al-Anon meetings to brush up on the folly of enabling the addicted.
But the subject was panhandling and I agree that ignoring them is the best solution. If enough of us did that they would move on…if enough of us did it in the entire country they might look for another line of “work”.
Libby, I said my son was checking into the possibility these people had children at home. Turns out they did. 3 little kids living with two addicts who are never home and when they are they are out of it and not supervising. Drug paraphernalia was also found in the apartment..this is child endangerment. Now what have you got to say?
So if the police just ignore the “peaceable addicts” that would be better? Seems to be those “peaceable addicts” could very well be “peaceable dealers” who deal to children. I guess if kids get killed by trains at occutard protests or die from drugs it doesn’t really matter to liberals.
And so what was done with the little children? Put into happy, healthy, long-term foster care?
I don’t think so. You tell me? Is that how it went?
No. The poor little beggars were traumatized by a passel of well-meaning, unresourced, jack-booted, thugs … and then turned back onto the mercies of their traumatized, most-decidedly-unresourced parents.
Ain’t that how it went?
LIBBY: I’m checking into that right now, not sure I can publish it without getting somebody in trouble. This stuff is supposed to be very confidential. However, I can tell you that passed experience says that Child Protective Services probably paid them a visit. If conditions were dangerous yes the children would be removed. What else would you do? You have to get them out of physical danger and then you place them in a safe environment, not ideal, but what options are there? In most cases the parents are told to get their act together or face the consequences. They are usually offered drug rehab and then there are follow up visits to make sure the kids are being fed and such…
By the way Libby, you’re not showing much respect for me or my family. My son is a police officer and you know that! He’s not a jack-booted thug and I wasn’t either when I was a cop. He is a caring guy who has saved lives, prevented crimes and placed his life on the line more than once for people like yourself. Merry Christmas.
No, Jack, I question your son’s actions. You and the rest of your family do not come into it.
As you posted it: he was off-duty, they were begging, which is not illegal. For him to go looking for grounds betrays … well, you already know how I feel about that sort of thing.
And you and I both know, all that come of it was some, even more, tramatized children.
Libby, my son saw them toss something in the bushes next to the post office. He’s a cop, being curious is why they are good at their job. The begging part had nothing to do with it. Having CPS intervene to insure the health and safety of the children is required by law, it’s not even an option.