Suspicious panhandler in the parking lot
- Thread starter dakota.potts
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^I agree with this.
I have lived in and visited places where you will get hassled by numerous aggressive panhandlers every trip down the sidewalk or to town. The people that live there just keep walking. that's how they survive and cope.
If you engage every worthless freak you come by you will not last.
I do think everyone needs a plain if the aggressor crosses the line and touches you or blocks your movement. A plain besides calling 911 or yelling "help", a plain that takes responsibility for your own survival and protection. what ever that might be gun, knife, ninja umbrella, ...
A lot of drama in this thread IMO.
This is a PanHandler who is trying to get some money by selling something. He reminded the 18 year old girl he 'isn't going to hurt you' because of his daily experience is people are (rightly) afraid of him. Especially a young girl.
He spends his days selling worthless crap to make money to eat and perhaps buy drugs. (who knows). I doubt he carries a GLOCK.
He has probably been warned before about approaching (scaring) people in various parking lots.
The girl did everything right. She was right to be concerned and she was right to ask for an escort to the safety of her car.
What concerns me is how pathetic our Country has become when you can't even go shopping at Wally World without suiting up for a zombie war.
(Tongue in cheek alert). After watching the movie PURGE I'am thinking a once-a-year house cleaning of our streets, parking lots, parks and under the freeway overpasses would do a lot of good.
Lesson learned: Always be prepared for any situation.
This is a PanHandler who is trying to get some money by selling something. He reminded the 18 year old girl he 'isn't going to hurt you' because of his daily experience is people are (rightly) afraid of him. Especially a young girl.
He spends his days selling worthless crap to make money to eat and perhaps buy drugs. (who knows). I doubt he carries a GLOCK.
He has probably been warned before about approaching (scaring) people in various parking lots.
The girl did everything right. She was right to be concerned and she was right to ask for an escort to the safety of her car.
What concerns me is how pathetic our Country has become when you can't even go shopping at Wally World without suiting up for a zombie war.
(Tongue in cheek alert). After watching the movie PURGE I'am thinking a once-a-year house cleaning of our streets, parking lots, parks and under the freeway overpasses would do a lot of good.
Lesson learned: Always be prepared for any situation.
kilimanjaro
New member
He's selling nothing. His offer of a trinket or craft is a ploy to get within your personal space. Unless he's got a boxful of goods to sell, then he's shamming.
He's approaching young girls because he wants one of them. He's speaking reassuring phrases such as "I'm not going to hurt you.", so he can continue to get within your personal space.
Most women alone avoid bums and panhandlers. Every bum and panhandler knows this and will approach a male or pair of males first. They feel more secure and are more likely to give out a dollar or two.
This panhandler was aggressive and certainly one to be avoided.
He's approaching young girls because he wants one of them. He's speaking reassuring phrases such as "I'm not going to hurt you.", so he can continue to get within your personal space.
Most women alone avoid bums and panhandlers. Every bum and panhandler knows this and will approach a male or pair of males first. They feel more secure and are more likely to give out a dollar or two.
This panhandler was aggressive and certainly one to be avoided.
Just a normal pan handler but given the opportunity anyone could do bad things. Glad it worked out for her this time but she needs some kind of plan and some training to go with it. If the right person comes along she's at their mercy until the let her go or other things happen.
Jammer Six
New member
The opposite conclusions would still be wild guesses. To really explore the concept of wild guesses, take a look at the post below yours.
In more than half a century of helping panhandlers or telling them no, I've never had trouble. I've had trouble with carjackers and dope dealers, but not panhandlers.
While no amount of experience with panhandlers means they're all safe, there is a difference between a guy who choses to beg and a guy who choses to do armed robbery.
Most of society is two paychecks away from the street.
In response to dayman:
One panhandler in Honolulu used to stand at an intersection near the grocery store where my ex would shop. He was harmless, but a scammer. My ex would shoot the bull with him when stopped at a red light. One day, when it was raining, she offered to loan him an umbrella. He declined, because he said people would give him more money if he looked pathetic.
A panhandler in Pagosa Springs, CO approached a friend and me. My friend felt bad for not giving him money, but he and I both knew two nice, Christian gentlemen who had offered this man construction or landscaping jobs, which he had declined.
In Thailand, adult panhandlers force small children to beg for them, a la Fagin. I would buy the kids some food, but would not give them money, as I felt success would only cause the adults to find more kids to exploit.
So, your intentions are good, but my experience leads me to believe you are only enabling scammers and con artists.
Otherwise, instead of asking for handouts, they would be asking for a hand up (such as a job).
One panhandler in Honolulu used to stand at an intersection near the grocery store where my ex would shop. He was harmless, but a scammer. My ex would shoot the bull with him when stopped at a red light. One day, when it was raining, she offered to loan him an umbrella. He declined, because he said people would give him more money if he looked pathetic.
A panhandler in Pagosa Springs, CO approached a friend and me. My friend felt bad for not giving him money, but he and I both knew two nice, Christian gentlemen who had offered this man construction or landscaping jobs, which he had declined.
In Thailand, adult panhandlers force small children to beg for them, a la Fagin. I would buy the kids some food, but would not give them money, as I felt success would only cause the adults to find more kids to exploit.
So, your intentions are good, but my experience leads me to believe you are only enabling scammers and con artists.
Otherwise, instead of asking for handouts, they would be asking for a hand up (such as a job).
After her first response of "no thank you", he is no longer a salesperson but an assailant subject to arrest and imprisonment. Keep that in mind when you want to approach someone to sell them something. Just as to a rapist "NO" means "NO", anything else then is a criminal act. Assault, battery, reckless endangerment you name it, it WILL be used against you.
Jim
SGTLUMPY got it right. I visit Waco, TX often and there are A LOT of homeless there. Several years ago I decided that if someone was obviously walking toward me (not passing me walking to or from the restaurant or store entrance) but someone who has made eye contact or whose body language indicates that they have keyed in on me; I will in no uncertain terms tell the them that they are close enough and to stop, look for an escape route and get ready to draw if needed. I have had to do it several times. So you might hurt someone's feelings who were harmless, boohoo for them.
Yes they would be. And much more safe and sane.
This guy, no matter what his intentions that none of us know, scared this 18 y/o girl enough for her to go find a cop to walk her back to her car. Scared her enough to text her boyfriend to tell him something scared her.
Apparently she didn't want him in her space. If you're trying to suggest that she over-reacted and should have allowed into her space a homeless guy saying "I won't hurt you" that seems really misdirected.
If something like that happened to your daughter, how would you teach her to react?
I don't care if the guy's an axe murder or a Salvation Army bell ringer. I don't want them in my space. And I'm prepared to verbally command them to not approach.
Sgt Lumpy
Jammer Six
New member
In Washington state, these statements have no merit.
Both assault and battery have extremely specific definitions, and continuing to talk to you after you've said "no" doesn't meet them.
Usually an armed robber would not choose a wal-mart parking lot to rob someone with cameras and a steady steam of witness.
I don't give beggars money but I have talked to a few. Some of them had interesting stories, some where worthless trash, some were crazy.
-One guy that used to beg in a town I lived in grew up there worked 2 jobs and one day his wife stepped out in front of a bus and it killed her he lost his marbles and ended up on the streets
(I heard the story from people that grew up with him).
-A couple I talked to were skizo crazy too crazy to apply for help so they were just stuck in an endless survival cycle of begging and surviving.
-A couple were savage alcoholics trying to stay drunk.
Just because someone is homeless or a beggar doesn't mean they are a savage zombie that needs to be held at gun point. Keep walking and ignore them, Just part of life in the city.
I don't give beggars money but I have talked to a few. Some of them had interesting stories, some where worthless trash, some were crazy.
-One guy that used to beg in a town I lived in grew up there worked 2 jobs and one day his wife stepped out in front of a bus and it killed her he lost his marbles and ended up on the streets
(I heard the story from people that grew up with him).
-A couple I talked to were skizo crazy too crazy to apply for help so they were just stuck in an endless survival cycle of begging and surviving.
-A couple were savage alcoholics trying to stay drunk.
Just because someone is homeless or a beggar doesn't mean they are a savage zombie that needs to be held at gun point. Keep walking and ignore them, Just part of life in the city.
Jammer Six
New member
Not to mention the opposite: get rude enough with a panhandler and you might turn a non-event into a shooting.
In my book, there's no issue here.
What did you teach your daughter?
In my book, there's no issue here.
My daughter is in her early thirties, and I taught her how to react many, many years ago. I taught her to be kind, to be polite, to give money if she felt like it and that there was almost never anything there to fear.
What did you teach your daughter?
allaroundhunter
New member
So jammer, if this happened to your daughter you would have told her that she overreacted and should not have wasted the officer's time?
Jammer Six
New member
No. I would have told her whatever she did was fine, because she was there and I wasn't.
If she asked the cop for help, that was fine.
If she gave the guy money, that was fine.
And if he's laying dead with a full magazine in him, that's fine, too.
I have no idea where you got your words, but I have my suspicions.
I'm thinking some of you need to start giving the women around you a little more credit. They've survived this long.
If she asked the cop for help, that was fine.
If she gave the guy money, that was fine.
And if he's laying dead with a full magazine in him, that's fine, too.
I have no idea where you got your words, but I have my suspicions.
I'm thinking some of you need to start giving the women around you a little more credit. They've survived this long.
That a person, no matter what gender, no matter how dressed, that approaches and says "Miss I won't hurt you" is someone to rapidly get away from.
That's what I'd teach my daughter, son, mom, dad, self, anyone.
In what universe is "Miss, I won't hurt you" an acceptable statement for any stranger to say to someone?
Sgt Lumpy
Let me chime in again. I have an 18 yr old daughter. If she was walking in store and told man no, that means no. If he persisted, I gave my daughter a lesson to pull her pistol out and aim it at man and tell him again to leave. Here in Texas an 18 yr older doesn't have a right to carry conceiled until 21 but in the real world I believe when a person is mature enough and smart enough and a young lady at that, who's gonna procesucute a young lady for having a pistol for self defense? What you gonna charge them with- unlawful carry? A young lady acting in a mature way just defending her personal space. There's no way if I were the responding to this call that I would cite the young lady. Just tell her she did a good job and tell man that people have their space and they don't want it violated and tell him he's lucky she didn't shoot him. Right/wrong. Just my beliefs. We do things different in these little towns where I live. I guess she could also be charged with Deadly conduct, again here where I live it ain't gonna happen. Lets face it, Our world is so screwed and getting worse. You do bad things and its considered good and good things considered bad. Judicial system is a joke and people have bleeding hearts for all the wrong reasons. Just do right and don't harp on people trying to take care of their self
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