Sorry for making a new post .. but this would certainly not fit anywhere else ..
I was finally allowed to take the train to Chicago with friends (I'm like 30 minutes away from the city) after begging my parents. We went to Michigan Avenue for most of the time but went to Clark street cause I wanted to go to Urban Outfitters. We ended up walking past Lincoln Park Zoo to get there... it was probably like a 5 mile walk which I wasn't planning on at all. We completley left all of the security-filled areas and ended up running into a lot of beggars.
Now... I know it's a personal choice to give money to the homeless but what is everyone's views on this? My friend gave the guy a dollar and he started like touching her shoulder and I just got really freaked out. I mean if I go back and get approached ever I'd like to help but physical contact? Am I just overreacting? I dunno if this is normal or what not. You're not taught much about this in the suburbs, heh.
------------------- "if you let them make you; they'll make
you paper mache; at a distance you're
strong; until the wind comes; then you
crumble and blow away"
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This is a tough one! Personally, I try to not give money to beggars. I hate to sound jaded or uncaring, but most of the time, the money you give a beggar is going to go for alcohol/drugs. Now, have I ever given cash to strangers? Yes. Just this summer a man was walking down our street while Olivia and I were out in the front yard. She was playing in her little pool because it was a very hot day. The man passed by and asked if he could have a drink out of the hose. I said yes, of course, and we made small talk. He told me how he had a flat tire and was walking to the store to get a can of "fix-a-flat" He said he didn't have any money, when I offered him the can from our car, he told me it was the wrong kind of nozzle. So, I gave him a couple dollars to get the kind of can he needed. I am such a sucker!!!!! When I told my husband about my "good deed" for the day, he laughed and said a man had approached him in our yard with the EXACT same story. Now I see that man all over the place and I always wanna say "hey, give me my five dollars back!" But, I have also given money to people holding cardboard signs by the side of the road. Generally, I don't give though. I try to give to the poor by volunteering at church soup kitchens, or giving money straight to a charity etc. It was definetly scarry that the beggar was touching your friend. Please be careful! Keep yourself safe. If you feel uneasy in any situation, it is for a reason! Listen to that little voice that tells you "this isn't right!"
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I haven't given to beggars in a long time. Most of the time, I, like Severus, either give to a charity or volunteer my time.
But, here's a fun story about my first encounter with beggars. I'm from a tiny rural town in Michigan and we don't have beggars hanging around or anything so on my first trip to NYC (I think I was about 14 and my sister was 9), we were shocked to see all of the beggars. We felt really bad that we were staying in a nice hotel and they were sleeping outside and were probably hungry, so we took most of the money that we had brought to buy souvenirs and stuff and found a store and bought a bunch of bread and lunch meat. We made a ton of sandwiches and wrapped them up and put them in shopping bags and as we walked down the street, we gave the beggars sandwiches. Our mom thought it was pretty funny, but also nice too, so she gave us some money to make up for what we spent. Oh, and when a worker at the hotel asked what we were going to do with the sandwiches, we told him and when we got back, he gave us a box of cookies, so that was good too!
But that was the only time I've done anything like that
____________________________________________
One out of every three Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of two of your best friends. If they are OK, then it must be you.
They show you how detergents take out bloodstains. I think if you've got a T-shirt with bloodstains all over it, maybe your laundry isn't your biggest problem.
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I barely see beggars, as I'm such in a tiny town and only seem them when I go into Providence or Boston. I also think it might go to booze or something, but give them a quarter.
*Helen is the Goddess of Wisdom*
1/3 Elder of Bowden Family Tree
Twin to Moriah
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Severus- I totally understand about the drugs. The man whom my friend gave a dollar to had very bloodshot eyes and was talking in a sense that made me believe that he was high.
In Chicago there's this like tunnel road thing (wow, you can tell I don't drive yet lol) where a lot of homeless people sleep. It's so sad going through there seeing families sleeping under thin blankets.
Oh, and the man who wanted a dollar had a Burberry scarf on under a Triple Five Soul jacket. Now I don't believe he bought these (probably given to him or found laying around) but you can sell those and then buy something cheaper. But that's just me being weird...
------------------- "if you let them make you; they'll make
you paper mache; at a distance you're
strong; until the wind comes; then you
crumble and blow away"
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Yeah, I wouldn't trust him if he put a hand on her shoulder. You never know what he is thinking or his intentions. He could just be high and trying to get more money, then again he could be thinking other bad things which you wouldn't want, I'm sure. I tend to stay clear of them. But if I see them I give them my pocket change.
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This is going to sound politically incorrect, but I don’t care. Here we get a lot of natives begging, and they’re very aggressive. They’ll swarm you in a group of 10 asking you for money, giving you their sob stories, compliment your clothes as though you should feel guilty having them... one even stopped in front of my car clutching her heart as though having a heart attack to make me stop to ask for money. Anyways, I used to have to drive downtown to pick up the payroll, and I’d always get harassed by this group, so I started sending Jay. They’d harass him too - so one day he went dressed like a total slob, parked around the block, and when they came up to him HE asked THEM if they had a couple extra bucks for him! They all looked at each other TOTALLY confused and then at him “No man! I’m sorry, we don’t!” I was laughing for a half an hour when he told me this! We have the payroll delivered now.
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There are many people like that here, but not too many beg. There are MANY people palying music for money. a few on every corner. I once saw someone smoking a stick. I thought it was drigs, but he threw it away, and it was defianetly a stick.
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I refuse to help people, who refuse to help themselves. Up here in Canada we hardly have any beggers. They stick to the city. But our saftey net is so secure, that anyone that is a Canadian citizen, can get help through a variety of ways, all they have to do is get off their butts. I am fine for donating to charities that help the "needy", but I would point out a local safehouse, before I opened my pocket book.
"Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through. . ."-Fred and George(CoS)
