Run in with a vagrant

I was in Chicago in September. There were some panhandlers there, but not even close to the number you'd find in SF. Anyway, I was with a colleague who is about 5'8", very slender, with a really long, hippie-like hair-do. Don't know what it was, but the panhandlers invariably asked him for money and not me. He (almost) invariably handed something over. Guess these people get a feel for who's more likely to cough up. Glad I'm ugly and unapproachable. :)
 
i can attest that vegas is simply full of street folks.

last week about a quarter after five am i had one get between me and my truck as i was walking out of a 7 11 on boulder.

i pointed my finger at him and loundly stated "stop! move aside! i have nothing for you!"

he backed away and i got in the truck.

my riding buddy told me the guy had come right up to the window while i was in the store and wanted money from him. he had told the guy to get away.

there have been and i suppose there will be times again when i reach in my pocket and toss one some change.

but sometimes it just smells wrong and i go all alert.
 
The bad thing about this is that some of these people are simply people that are down on their luck or really people that need some form of mental help.

That being said,when it was disclosed in the news media about ten years ago that almost half of the homeless people in D.C. were walking around with active Tuberculosis and breathing it on the 'nice people' that were trying to help them with a little money here and there,I began to form a much wider self perimeter from this group of people.

For those of you who do not know about Tuberculosis,all someone that has active Tuberculosis has to do is breathe on you and you have it and you can take it right back to your wife and kids,parents and friends.

And it is brutal on small children and sick or old folks.

A TOTAL BUMMER.
 
FA said:"The one that annoys me no end is panhandlers who approach you while you're pumping gas. You're pretty much a captive audience, got your hands full. You're forced to be out of your vehicle, and they're out of the manangement's realm of control.

Self-serve gas stations these days have become the "new hangout" for transients, vagrants, panhandlers. Management does nothing to discourage them."

Last time that happened to me - I just pointed the fuel nozzel at him and said - "I smoke and I"VE GOT A LIGHTER!"

He left! "Terroristic threat?" - I don't think so. But, I've been wrong before.
cr
 
When they approach me I just put on a thick Eastern Euro accent put on a really dour facial expression and say "No Speak da English", that usually does the trick.

p.s. good job OP
 
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The one that annoys me no end is panhandlers who approach you while you're pumping gas. You're pretty much a captive audience, got your hands full. You're forced to be out of your vehicle, and they're out of the manangement's realm of control.

Self-serve gas stations these days have become the "new hangout" for transients, vagrants, panhandlers. Management does nothing to discourage them.
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+1

There are whole swaths of shopping districts that I avoid because of this trend. I just don't patronize places that have homeless ppl milling around. Period. Which means in south Atlanta, I drive four or five miles out of the city (literally) to do most of my shopping, whether it be for petro, beer, groceries, or ammo.

The other tactic that panhandlers here favor is to hang out at a major intersection, like where a freeway lets off onto a major highway. At that time, there are dozens, if not a hundred or more, cars lined up to await the turning of the traffic light. While the cars are stationary, the beggers go from window to window, when there is no where to go to avoid the contact. I detest this one the most. With all the carjackings that happen here, it is really not advisable to get into the habit of allowing people to approach the driver's side door.

Sometimes avoiding eye contact, using a firm tone, and strong body language is enough to deter any further contact with these people. Yet, I consider every exchange with them to be an "interview" during which time they're trying to decide whether I am an easy mark. I do all that I need to to help them make up their mind, including going out of my way to avoid them and aggressively using my vehicle to make them keep their distance when I can't, if it means that I don't have to use my firearm.
 
Walking down 8th street a guy walked up to my girlfriend and punched her in the face. No reason. Pretty clear he was homeless from the situation.
I was NOT there.

Pepper spray is with me, most of the time. The way things are going, I have to say,

"But for the Grace of God, that could be me."

A LOT of people that should be in mental institutions are released by the current system.

Of the resources in San Francisco, about 40% of the crime is homeless on homeless. Most of it never makes it to trial, since the injured party doesn't want to be in court, terrified due to prior experience. Also, the witness credibility is a serious problem as well.

With a 48% overall conviction rate, you can imagine what the homeless conviction rate is.
 
Quinn, I cannot speak for the OP... But for me I would use the knife to cut 'em wide and deep! They need not have a "weapon" to justify lethal force.
Brent
 
its true that they don't, but unless you can absolutly elaborate (probably spelled wrong) why you felt your life was threatened then you are now listed as the suspect and the bum as the victim on the report. don't get me wrong i am all for defending yourself. but the courts do not find that just cause a homeless guy charges you that it justifies lethal force.
 
Marked Security Vehicle

Put the Company Ball Cap on, stop at intersection, look them right in the eye! Never had one come up to me.
 
thats fine just as you understand that you stand a good chance of facing charges for gutting someone with only the knowledge that he was "charging" you.
 
He wasn't simply "charging me"... It is more like this "I was being accosted/assaulted physically and feared that my inaction would result in grave injury or death to me or those I am expected to protect from such attacks..."
Brent
 
Quinn- I don't have to justify that MY life was in danger. I was with elderly family members that could have easily been victimized by this scum. I absolutely would have stabbed that man had he gotten physically violent with anyone. I didn't know if he had any weapons, did he display one no, but that doesn't mean he didn't have one. I carry concealed, just because I don't wave my gun around doesn't mean it's not sitting on my hip under a jacket. I make no assumptions when it comes to dealing with people like that. If you have a problem with that, that's fine. And I can't really picture the DA sympathizing with a violent hobo, but that's just me.


And the bottom line is, I didn't stab him, ultimately nothing happened, if you read the whole post you'd know the cops didn't have a problem with any of it, so where were you going with this.....
 
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I don't expect everyone to agree with how I handled it. But I did what I felt I needed to. Was it the best way? Who can say, but in the end it was resolved without injury on either side. Many would be pleased with those results
 
It was YOUR situation...no one else here was with you,and knowing how this city has become,I think you did the right thing by at least covering yourself and the others with you.

And for some to realize,some of those called vagrants here ARE ARMED...I have seen it myself,not all that far from the shooting range.
 
don't take me wrong i am not saying you did anything wrong. in my work i have seen similar cases and seen would-be victims become defendants because of liberal prosecutors and juries. i am a firm believer that a show of force will stop a lot of violent confrontations. just nned to be able to explain why a would be physical confrontation turned into lethal force thats all. it also depends on how much press an incident gets. believe it or not the local media can force the courts hand. its not right, but it happens.
 
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