Comments on: Warning: Don’t Laugh At This Man!

By: brainymama

brainymama — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:35:51 +0000

Good points, Darch.

I couldn’t help wondering how much money these guys rake in every day while citizens who contribute to society by working hard just to make ends meet carry the weight of the tax burden.

Granted, many of these people have mental problems or have probably been incarcerated at some point (which is all the more reason to keep them off the street!) However, like Dr. Pinderhughes, I believe that a majority of these people could benefit society and learn valuable work skills instead of threatening people on the streets if they were willing to do so. Look at all the mentally challenged people who work as baggers at the grocery store. The ones I know seem happy to have a job, take pride in their work, and are grateful for a small measure of independence.

In order to address the causes of homelessness, we must look at the deeper issues and get inside the heads of these people. There is a certain type of mindset that contributes to this problem and unless these people are willing to change (and unfortunately many of them are not) this issue isn’t going to go away anytime soon.

It would be interesting to find out if people who choose homelessness as a way of life do so as a way of rejecting the affluence and materialism of our culture. Homelessness has its own culture, its own heirarchy, and its own set of rules. A friend of mine witnessed this behind a 7-11 in San Fran where all the homeless men gathered together bartering and trading their “finds” that day.

By: sassyquilter

sassyquilter — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:46:37 +0000

This is easy for me to say because I’m not homeless, but I see this type of “entertainment” as aggressive panhandling, which is illegal, I think. Why does the city of San Francisco allow these people to intimidate tourists? I went to San Francisco when I was 20 and a similar situation happened to me. A guy was just standing on a crate holding a boom box, not moving. When we passed, he shook the crate which made us jump. He made it known that it wasn’t to make us laugh but to see his tip jar. I, of course, was so unnerved that the whole day I was worried about encountering more people like him and I actually hold this memory more than any other I experienced at Fisherman’s Wharf. Why does the city of San Francisco allow this?

We went to Utah last week and when we stopped in Grand Junction, there were signs posted at popular panhandling sites (at the end of the exit ramp) urging people NOT to give them money, saying that it does not fix any problems for these people. Below this message were the logos of several prominent businesses and organizations, including the City of Grand Junction. At least they are trying to stop people from feeling somehow responsible for giving people their extra change. It may sound naive on my part, but there are many programs that can help these people, but the panhandlers have to take steps to contact the organization, which in itself is a gesture of truly showing commitment to better themselves.

By: Tracey

Tracey — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:14:55 +0000

This is a very hard issue for me to sort out! Many times when I see a homeless person standing on the side of the road (like at a stop light) I try not to look at them, thinking if I don’t see them, then they don’t see me! Do I give money? Money that might be used for the wrong things (drugs or alcohol), or is it truly being used to sustain them with food. As I sit and wrestle with this at the light, it turns green and off I go, feeling guilty that I didn’t help! It is uncomfortable to deal with and explain to my children when they see this. I don’t know what the answer is, am I just as naive as other people about this issue, or am I just choosing to ignore it?