Treat them how you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes. Learn their names and be cordial with them. They will be less likely to commit a crime against you if you are on a first name basis with you. It’s harder to victimize an acquaintance than it is a stranger. If you choose to donate anything to them, I would not give them money. More than likely they will just spend it on booze or drugs if they have a chemical dependency.
What’s wrong with carrying a gun?
[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
Being friendly is nice and all but its not like homeless are that way after a lifetime of productive, smart choices. And it is not like they aren’t desperate with nothing to lose. I guess you could bribe them and be the bitch of Pavlovs Dogs. Doesn’t sound right though.
A friend of mine is a nurse in downtown Houston, St. Joseph. She says its surprising how many after hour bum attacks send people to the ER. The same guys sitting on a corner with a dog and a sob story sign, wishing you god bless over a quarter in a crowd will jump you with his buddies for your wallet, watch, shoes and jewelry when no one is looking, like late at night.
Fuck those guys. You aren’t homeless and desperate for being a “good person”. If you want to help them, donate to shelters and rehab programs, not a heroine habit.[/quote]
I will bet that a good number of those victims went out with the intent of fucking with the homeless and got their asses kicked.
A lot like old men who offer rides to nice young women who get robbed. When the truth comes out he was trying to stiff a hooker and she pulled a knife
Victims are rarely innocent[/quote]
I would bet two cans of beans against a bag of beef jerky a senior financial analyst at Shell corporate who stepped out for a cigarette while working late did not go bum baiting. [/quote]
Why not? Is he above committing crime for some reason?[/quote]
Extremely less likely, at least not a street crime.
A poor, down and out junkie with nothing to lose is far more likely to see a week of heroin in a watch than a white collar dude is to randomly attack a bum for a stinky ass jacket.
Simple common sense and not racial in any way. We aren’t talking about skin color and the equality arguments don’t apply.
Desperation + addiction = higher probability of criminality. And you know it.
[quote]gonepostal wrote:
What’s wrong with carrying a gun?[/quote]
Nothing, unless you are a convicted of a violent felony.
[quote]clinton131 wrote:
Treat them how you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes. Learn their names and be cordial with them. They will be less likely to commit a crime against you if you are on a first name basis with you. It’s harder to victimize an acquaintance than it is a stranger. If you choose to donate anything to them, I would not give them money. More than likely they will just spend it on booze or drugs if they have a chemical dependency.[/quote]
Or they might spend the money on a prepaid cell phone so they have contact info for job applications
Might save the cash for a motel room to clean themselves properly and rest up for job interview
I give money
If they decide on drugs oh well
Plenty of places in cities will serve three meals a day so a homeless person can potentially eat 12 meals a day if they want…in my area I know it to be true because in high school our football team would drive to 3 places and get meals before during and after 2 a days
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
When I was bartending in DC, I usually walked to Ben’s Chili Bowl or the Diner - both several block walks at 3AM through a sketchy neighborhood. I always gave them homeless guys money (usually a dollar) and bullshitted with them for a bit. Sometimes I brought them food back out. I learned their names and they learned mine. Yes some of them were strung out on drugs and some of them were mentally ill, but most of them were just down and out. I never had any trouble with anyone.
To be fair, I believe ANYONE is capable of a crime of opportunity when they are desperate. [/quote]
Same here, sans the bartending part.
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
Being friendly is nice and all but its not like homeless are that way after a lifetime of productive, smart choices. And it is not like they aren’t desperate with nothing to lose. I guess you could bribe them and be the bitch of Pavlovs Dogs. Doesn’t sound right though.
A friend of mine is a nurse in downtown Houston, St. Joseph. She says its surprising how many after hour bum attacks send people to the ER. The same guys sitting on a corner with a dog and a sob story sign, wishing you god bless over a quarter in a crowd will jump you with his buddies for your wallet, watch, shoes and jewelry when no one is looking, like late at night.
Fuck those guys. You aren’t homeless and desperate for being a “good person”. If you want to help them, donate to shelters and rehab programs, not a heroine habit.[/quote]
Many of them are veterans, dude. How and why a person ends up being homeless is not a black and white, one size fits all story. It also has nothing at all with how “good” they are. And while some bad choices are certainly the root cause, circumstance and bad luck are also large factors as well.
If YOU were born black, in South East Washington DC with a crack head mother who had a string of boyfriends who physically and sexually abused you and never had the chance to get out of a “survival mindset” do you think you’d be the CEO of a securities company today? How would that make you a “bad person”?
Not all of us had a silver spoon, HG
[/quote]
While the sob story is a real tear jerker, three desperate, most likely junky dudes with nothing to lose hanging out your back door when you come home alone late at night shouldn’t be regarded as quirky neighborhood pets you put food on the back porch for.
Regardless of back stories, it is just not smart. When shit gets really bad, you’re an easy mark. It’s not like these guys exercise foresight and avoid burning bridges.
The occassional “down and out” would most likely be at the shelter anyways, genuinly trying to get back on his feet.
Just like everybody in prison is innocent, I’m sure all bums just hit a streak of bad luck. And accidentally smoked crack.
Silver spoon aside, some people simply are better than others, across socio-economic divides.
Fuck it, bums for president.
OP, just put all your shit on your back porch next time you get home. It’s cool, the bums will watch it for you.
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
Fuck it, bums for president.
OP, just put all your shit on your back porch next time you get home. It’s cool, the bums will watch it for you.[/quote]
Probably better than shooting them on sight like you want…or do
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
Not all of us had a silver spoon, HG
[/quote]
Funny, I’ve told him the exact same thing several times.[/quote]
Like it changes the OP scenario on bit.
Or detracts from my vision, effort, risk and success. There are people I grew up with who can’t or won’t do what I do even though they have the same general story.
What ifs are what they are but had I been born poor I do think I would’ve “come up”. It’s simply my nature. It’s not like MBA programs are easy, especially not top tier programs. Neither is entrepreneurship. Drugs are rampant in the 'burbs. I use them. But I’m not hiding from life with them, key mental difference.
Sexual abuse happens every where, divorce, alcoholism…
A “silver spoon” equals growing up in a comfortable house. I went to public school, had a job, made the effort to get in to college et cetera. It’s not like I’m a Hilton with a trust fund. Just grew up in a house with a pool instead of a bungalow.
The “silver spoon” bullshit is not only irrelevant to the OP but grossly mis-applied to my own success. If it makes one feel better to discredit my effort and the balls only an entrepreneur could understand though, so be it.
[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
Fuck it, bums for president.
OP, just put all your shit on your back porch next time you get home. It’s cool, the bums will watch it for you.[/quote]
Probably better than shooting them on sight like you want…or do[/quote]
More like ignore them, don’t contribute to their addiction and sometimes donate to the Houston food bank as a tax write off. Or toys for tots. Shit that actually makes a difference for people who choose to.
[quote]Christine wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
Maybe treat them like any other human being? If you want to get to know them, do so. If not, ignore them just like anybody else you come across. If you live in a rough area, walking around at night will dangerous no matter what, so you may want to think about carrying around mace or a taser.[/quote]
This. Talk to them.
Once, I was backing out of a parking spot and felt a bump. Another woman was backing out at the same time and we hit each other. Out of nowhere I hear , “Chris, Chris, Chris… I saw it all! She hit you!”
Turns out it was one of our local homeless guys who I was friendly with and had just bought dinner for a few weeks earlier. Honestly, have no idea who was at fault, but her insurance paid.
[/quote]
The most surprising thing about this story is that, out of two women drivers, only ONE of them was at fault.
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
Fuck it, bums for president.
OP, just put all your shit on your back porch next time you get home. It’s cool, the bums will watch it for you.[/quote]
Probably better than shooting them on sight like you want…or do[/quote]
More like ignore them, don’t contribute to their addiction and sometimes donate to the Houston food bank as a tax write off. Or toys for tots. Shit that actually makes a difference for people who choose to.[/quote]
What not just say that to begin with rather than making your first post about beating the shit out of them?
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
What ifs are what they are but had I been born poor I do think I would’ve “come up”. It’s simply my nature. [/quote]
Man-oh-man, do you not get it.
Wow.[/quote]
Get what? Three down and out, desperate dudes with nothing to lose should be treated like cute little puppies?
Or are you suggesting nobody born poor moves forward and up?
Or than giving a buck to a junkie to selfishly feel good about oneself is some how a moral high road to contributing to organizations systematically fighting poverty?
Which tangent are we on?
Or is it that being born in the burbs means you automatically shoe in to college, graduate programs, jobs and then entrepreneurship, all without an ounce of risk or effort? No self doubt to overcome, struggles to hurdle?
Where are we going?
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
Not all of us had a silver spoon, HG
[/quote]
Funny, I’ve told him the exact same thing several times.[/quote]
Like it changes the OP scenario on bit.
Or detracts from my vision, effort, risk and success. There are people I grew up with who can’t or won’t do what I do even though they have the same general story.
What ifs are what they are but had I been born poor I do think I would’ve “come up”. It’s simply my nature. It’s not like MBA programs are easy, especially not top tier programs. Neither is entrepreneurship.[/quote]
Wow, you’re ignorant.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
It’s not like I’m a Hilton with a trust fund. Just grew up in a house with a pool…
[/quote]
This is my most favorite line of what you wrote.[/quote]
Cool. As long as you realize pools and trust funds aren’t synonymous.
[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
Being friendly is nice and all but its not like homeless are that way after a lifetime of productive, smart choices. And it is not like they aren’t desperate with nothing to lose. I guess you could bribe them and be the bitch of Pavlovs Dogs. Doesn’t sound right though.
A friend of mine is a nurse in downtown Houston, St. Joseph. She says its surprising how many after hour bum attacks send people to the ER. The same guys sitting on a corner with a dog and a sob story sign, wishing you god bless over a quarter in a crowd will jump you with his buddies for your wallet, watch, shoes and jewelry when no one is looking, like late at night.
Fuck those guys. You aren’t homeless and desperate for being a “good person”. If you want to help them, donate to shelters and rehab programs, not a heroine habit.[/quote]
I will bet that a good number of those victims went out with the intent of fucking with the homeless and got their asses kicked.
A lot like old men who offer rides to nice young women who get robbed. When the truth comes out he was trying to stiff a hooker and she pulled a knife
Victims are rarely innocent[/quote]
I would bet two cans of beans against a bag of beef jerky a senior financial analyst at Shell corporate who stepped out for a cigarette while working late did not go bum baiting. [/quote]
Why not? Is he above committing crime for some reason?[/quote]
If he works for an oil company chances are he has already committed a bunch.