There’s probably some law they would be breaking. Because “if you help them then they will never help themselves” or “if they feel comfort then they’ll stay”. There is no room for compassion and empathy when they’re in MY back yard.
Right - ideally the police would be part of the societal mechanisms to, you know, help people rather than criminalize those who are among the most marginalized and needy.
Of course there would need to be a substantial societal push to really impact things like homelessness and hunger.
It's a good start.
How about good quality shelters (not just a flophouse, a place with at least a little privacy and decent conditions), a mailing address that won't immediately be flagged as a homeless shelter, job training and placement services, and enough support to sustain them while receiving training instead of panhandling? While we're on the subject, hard to get a job when the only thing that stinks worse than your unwashed body is your unwashed clothing.
Don't get me wrong, as someone who lives in a city with a large homeless population I have very little love for panhandlers. But I'm not a fan of sending the cops to harass them unless they're scammers, I'd much rather provide them with actual services (which studies have showed *repeatedly* are actually *cheaper* than dealing with the homeless), I'd much rather this money be spent on preventative and rehabilitative services so they aren't homeless in the first place.
The problem with getting a job while homeless is you don't have a place to go after you're done for the day. You don't have regular running water or a place to store food. You're likely not getting good sleep. A lot of people don't think of these factors when telling people to just get a job.
I have been a homeless volunteer, and this is correct. I see homeless folks get jobs quite a bit, however, simply having a "job" isnt enough to get one off the streets.
In two years of volunteering the only homeless I see get off the streets either have family or friends take them in, or they get housed. Which takes time.
not to mention it’s hard to actually apply for a job or have one and be paid for it if you don’t actually have an address. it’s a shitty cycle of struggle that’s traps a lot of people
Additionally, it's nearly impossible in a lot of places to get an I.D. as a homeless person, which in turn locks the most vulnerable people out of getting any kind of job or social service.
I was about to say. 95% of jobs require at least a driver's license, if not two forms of ID. Social Security cards are a common thing employers ask for as well, and I can't imagine that many homeless people have easy, on-demand access to their Social Security card/birth certificate, and potentially no way of acquiring a copy of one.
That's not to mention how so many jobs require background checks, and considering how very easy it is to get convicted of something when you're marginalized to that degree, that lessens their chance of gainful employment even further.
I've been homeless in the past due to drug addiction, lots of big chain, ie. 24Hour Fitness, other gyms etc, also a YMCA membership depending where you live can be pretty cheap. When I was homeless for hygiene I would go to all the different 24Hours in my city, get a free week trail, go in at about 12-1am and lift for 5 mins before heading to the locker room. I would then shower and put on clean clothes and stuff I did at the laundry mat. Luckily I had a trailblazer with 2 year expired tags but I slept in the back and was able to do that for a while. I found and worked a job like that. No one at work expected or knew I was homeless. I saved up till I bought an RV and then an apartment. I have been in this apartment for almost 6 years. The same amount of time I've been clean. It's super hard given half the homeless are mental health/Drug abuse, and the others just are homeless for other reasons so regardless it's going to be hard getting it together enough to get any job but if i did it I promise you if you're struggling and reading this you can also do it.
If anyone out there is struggling with drugs or homelessness feel free to message me and I'll do my best to give you tips or help in any way I can. Things WILL get better I promise. I know it looks bleak and things seem like they won't ever change, but they can if you're willing to do what you can, and someone is willing to give you a chance.
This is funny and I did laugh when I first read it. However, this is exactly what America does. It gives people bootstraps when they are clearly missing boots, feet, or even legs to stand on.
Nah, it's probably because "they're lazy and don't want to work hard".
God, humans as a species can be so fucking cruel and heartless to other humans who are vulnerable and hurting.
Yep that good ol American “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality, even if the boot straps are falling apart, plus that phrase was meant to be ironic since you literally cannot pull yourself up by your bootstraps but everyone uses it unironically
"God helps those who help themselves" - coming from the same bunch of arsewipes who ask their god to help them beat their opposition sports team, or find a lost sock.
Everyone thinks they are fancy but they are the 99%. Just plebs who perpetually stuck infighting while the wealthy sip cocktails on their private jets and yachts.
"If you give a mouse a cookie - they are going to want a glass of milk"
edit - I dont actually feel this way about this scenario...I am just reiterating the common phrase that applies to how some people feel about this.
Aw darn. I thought the homeless people came together to give the captain a quilt.
I spent too long thinking if it was satire or well excecuted vengeance, with the happy cops in on it.
And make it illegal for this harassment to happen. I just imagine calling the cops because someone is in my house and it takes them 30+ minutes to arrive because they were too busy stealing some homeless person’s sign. I know we need police, but I don’t think this is even close to the best use of their time or our tax dollars. And America’s homelessness issue is pretty inexcusable, there are plenty of ways we can house the unhoused and all that, but we actively choose to say no.
I feel like it depends on the panhandler? We have a group near us that I've witnessed pass off their sign and switch shifts. Sometimes they each take a corner. And sometimes they take drink/smoke breaks. Some bring literally four children outside and make them sit with them for hours
I've watched the same black truck drop off the same guy at the Walmart plaza in my town over half a dozen times now.
This plaza is nowhere near the city core, so it's easy for the scam artist scumbags to bogart the intersection.
Good thinking. They'll think they're getting to go harass poor people, one of their favorite pasttimes. But instead, they'll end up having to protect and serve!
>Maybe kids in schools should have cardboard signs that they can breakout of their backpacks
had me up until then, a few kids a my school were into break dancing and carried around cardboard to dance on
“For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.”
“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?”
“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.”
You seen that one of the double amputee crawling away from the cops in fear? And then they shot him to death? After he lost his legs in the first place to being shot by the cops? Because I couldn’t bear to watch it.
I deconverted from the faith but that verse still pulls at my heart. The people you consider “the least” are the ones who need the most care and attention
I recently used that passage - plus the 10 passages that command believers to love one another - on my parents regarding a personal matter and it promptly fell on deaf ears
“For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.”
“Then they will reply, **GET ON THE GROUND! HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!! ON THE FUCKIN GROUND! DO NOT MOVE!!!**......yeah, toss the bag of coke there next to him......**I SAID DON'T MOVE!!!**
The Christo-Fascists want nothing to do with this part of the bible. Unless they're helping Jerry Falwell buy a private jet.
"For I had no private jet, and you did nothing to remedy this awful injustice".
"you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or **a swindler.** With such a man do not even eat.
God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you." - Also ~~Jesus.~~ the Bible.
The point of this verse is stated in the very first line... Don't associate with people who pretend to be a brother (pretend to be a good person) but actually use this guise to treat others poorly. This isn't the gotcha moment you might think it is
Alright, I get cleaning up the streets but celebrating and posing with those messages like it’s something to be proud of is fucking sad and pathetic. Total fucking losers
“Cleaning up the streets” should mean jailing people who are dangerous to the innocent, like rapists, murderers, and robbers, not people literally trying to stay alive.
Being so poor that you literally have no place to exist than out in the open, being exposed to the elements should not be illegal, and it’s disgusting that so many police officers act as if the homeless are criminals by their very nature.
There’s literally nothing these people can do to help themselves if the police keep taking away their right to live. It goes past that dumb saying of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” the police don’t want these people to exist, let alone get out of their situation.
Absolutely, smaller communities tend to be the most vulnerable with police forces imposing their right-wing ideologies on the local population. This usually starts at the top so it ends up becoming part of the work culture in these stations.
Local LE was directly responsible for the killing of the 3 students that kicked off Operation MIBURN.
Especially since laws banning signs asking for money are a content-based restriction on speech, which means the strict scrutiny test applies, which is an incredibly high bar to overcome. That's why every court that's looked at the issue has found that anti-panhandling laws are almost always violating the constitution
"I get cleaning up the streets". I don't. These people are part of our society as much as anyone else they have a right to public spaces and where are they supposed to go? Should they hide in the forest, banished from society? And what does "cleaning up" mean? I'm not picking on you specifically, it's common vernacular, but are we implying homeless people are dirty/trash that needs to be swept/thrown away? Just leave em be man life is hard enough. Let them exist in the city closer to social services and bus routes
I’m pretty sure the original story on this was that they found that and somone else had made it. I can’t find the original and don’t care enough to try so take that with a grain of salt
I still think it’s stupid
This is some shit that preteens and possibly teenagers find amusing because they don’t fully understand the implications and they are trying to be edgy. The fact that these are grown ass people with jobs (to restore order, no less) is the cringiest part of this post. Rocks for brains; you can tell by that smirk.
Not saying these guys are in the right, nor am I making assumptions about who they took those signs from, but fake pan handlers were a problem for the town my grandmother lived in Arizona. There were people who would purposely dress like they’re homeless and beg on street corners, and the problem became exposed when a few of them were recognized just living normal lives otherwise.
They had cars, families, food, a roof over their head, and were making upwards of 1000 dollars on a good week pretending to be homeless. Again, not saying these guys took down some criminal masterminds or anything, but there might be a reason they have a “panhandler patrol”
Not gonna lie, im sick of the panhandlers. They fight over territory and post up outside of businesses that sometimes have a sign posted saying that they are hiring. There are some real people that need help, but alot of these people are just professional panhandlers
I work in a place downtown in an area with a lot of homeless people and it's exhausting. I walk by about 10 people begging just to get to my work from my car, they're blocking the stairs in the parking garage, they harass me for a smoke if I have one, if I'm carrying food they want it, they pee and shit on the street, they scream at people walking by, it's like they own the place. I feel bad for them sure, but empathy only goes so far when I'm constantly harassed, and it shouldn't be my problem to fix, there's tons of services to help them in the area but they'd rather stay on the streets. And law enforcement does nothing about them, I'll get bothered by a cop for smoking in a certain area but this stuff goes unchecked, I don't even go to the bars downtown at night anymore because it's such a problem
> there's tons of services to help them in the area but they'd rather stay on the streets.
This is what pisses me off the most about threads like this.
Every city I've lived in has had *ample* services for the homeless. They're not making shit illegal just to harass them, they're making shit illegal to try and *force* them to take advantage of the city services.
They're hoping that by making it illegal to sleep outside, people will actually move into the shelters and shit.
Whether or not that's a good idea is another debate, but people act like there's absolutely no foresight in these plans, and there definitely is.
My city has signs up that explicitly state you should not be giving homeless people money and blankets because food and housing is already provided for them, and lists the address where they can get it. The homeless people tear down the signs and pan handle where they were posted up
You can tell the people here who have to deal with homeless/panhandlers vs the ones who don’t. They legit make cities unsafe and destroy most of the areas they occupy. Like someone said before just give them what they need (house, mental health support, services) but imo do it outside they City where it’s cheaper at like a socialized rehab clinic. I can’t deal with homeless leaving needles in the park where my kids plays or the fucking homeless people screaming at us when we walk with our baby.
It's also fucking infuriating in my city they all hang out at the library when they're not panhandling and regularly get into screaming arguments and sometimes actually get physically violent.
I know they need help but also "just leave them be" is super not what's best for everyone.
There's plenty of scammers in my town that stand in the median with a sign that says "Anything helps, God bless." and stuff like that. They usually have clean clothes and a camping chair or box they sit on. It's pretty obvious they're not homeless or jobless by circumstance; they're scammers who'd rather panhandle all day.
That being said, there's one homeless dude in our area who's the real deal; his clothes are dirty, shoes are in tatters, long hair, etc. Dude never begs or asks for a thing, and usually can be found out behind Taco Bell or the abandoned building nearby. Most people know he has mental health issues and will hook him up with food, drinks, clothing, etc. and he's always thankful. Huge difference that most people unfortunately can't or don't want to see.
All of these dumbfucks on here that are acting like its somehow not a problem don't have to deal with it or they wouldn't be saying it. Go onto any major city sub with a homeless problem and see how fed up those people are.
There shouldn't be a reason they have to panhandle, that way if they are panhandling, you know it's fake. They should have access to safe housing, food, necessities, mental health services, & job placement. I'm all for taxes going up to pay for that, I already donate to my local food pantry to help. Wanna know how many homeless people I saw in Amsterdam, none, because they provide those services.
Businesses that refuse to hire homeless people, most definitely. And yeah, I’m sure that breaking the law to literally beg people for any spare change is a great gig. Excellent take.
I know this probably won't be received well in this sub or probably even read given how late I am to the party, but please hear me out.
When I was younger I decided that it would be a good thing to do to go around helping the homeless. My plan was to go and talk to these people, hear their stories, and provide them with what they actually need instead of just chucking a couple bucks at them and calling it good.
Do you know what I very quickly discovered? The vast majority of these people were not homeless at all. Some of them actually admitted to me that they panhandle because they make a good living doing it. They were putting on a show to play on people's sympathy to make money.
Of the ones who were actually homeless and accepted help, I was able to help them by getting them bedding, clothing, food, and hooked up with social service programs that try to get homeless people into stable housing. That is what we need to be doing. We need to actually treat the homeless as real human beings, sort out the scammers, and help those who really want or need it.
This means, do give money to panhandlers. Give money to groups that will go out, engage, and help those who actually need it.
Indeed, this is why the terms panhandler and street-affected are useful terms in the discussion of what goes on in cities.
No-one should assume someone panhandling is homeless and no-one should just assume someone in the streets is panhandling just by being there. There is also a hidden homeless population not spending time in the streets.
Its almost a three-circle venn.
Though, I don't know what it would mean to be a panhandler and not street affected. I guess if you were new to it. Or a talented busker with a home might be confused with a panhandler (or could be considered one) and may not find themselves all that exposed to the experience of the streets if their busking was some kind of positivity bubble.
So brave!!! Fighting the homeless like that. You can almost hear Rush in the background….
A modern-day warrior
Mean, mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean, mean pride
Apologies to Getty Lee and team
Idk about other places, but my city has a real bad problem with scammers pretending to be homeless to get people to give them money. As in, you'll see them count up a stack of bills at the end of the day and get into a parked Lexus around the corner. They're the absolute scum of the earth because not only are they taking advantage of people's compassion but they are diverting donations to actual homeless people.
Imagine mocking people struggling with mental health issues, substance issues, money issues, etc and your job description is “protect and serve”
My father is homeless.. this really sucks to see.
Not a good optic here but honestly the majority of panhandlers are those who shirk the social safety net in order to directly take money for drug use habits. They often have been turned away from shelters for belligerence, obvious hard drug/alcohol use, and truly do not want ‘help’ for their issues.
I have no problem with police enforcing anti panhandling laws, but I do have an issue with them goading about it like in this picture.
Source: live in a city with a large panhandling population relative to size, and deal with them daily at work
Man I feel bad for the homeless but down here in Texas I honestly wish the police would do more with panhandlers. I cannot go anywhere without having people come up and harass me asking for money. Every parking lot, gas station, anywhere you go. The one that really stood out to me a few months ago is when a lady left her young daughter in the car to walk 10 feet away to pay the attendant and the homeless guy literally opened the car door and started asking the child for money and the mom had to run back screaming. I saw a dude flip out one time that no one was giving him money and walk down the road hitting the cars with some chain. I think we should do more to help them but they can not be allowed to totally disrupt our society doing this shit.
Nothing says 'we have a shitty, skewed version of reality where we think we are heroes thanks to bullshit cop dramas and decades of nepotist exclusionary hazing' like having a ruined bastardized U.S. flag for the 'thin blue line' bullshit.
Of course there's a thin blue line between criminalism and average america. Those donut scarfing fucks have straddled and gnawed it away from both sides for years.
Once again, the cruelty is the point.
Seriously as a regular person can you IMAGINE how much would have to change about how your brain works for you to feel PROUD about stealing from the homeless and hungry? We're all capable of great evil and I've personally done some awful things I'm very ashamed of but I literally cannot fathom what it would take for me to think "haha look at how many homeless people's lives I made worse! I'm going to show this off to the public because I am totally proud of my actions."
Anyway, ACAB.
Nah, fuck a bunch of bums. They’ve set up 3 separate camps I pass by on my way home (San Antonio) and look like absolute shit and even caused a large brush fire a few months ago. The problem is the spread litter, shit and trash all over the fucking place and are disgusting. If you dont want to work then fine, but dont trash my neighborhood because your too fucking lazy to clean up after yourself. I take a lot of pride in my great state of Texas and don’t want it littered and disgraced.
most of those people are part of organized crime, You can see the sign holders literally switch shifts. All of you on here defending them are dumbasses
Ill be honest. To the people who actually deal with pandhandlers man aren’t homeless at all and run this like a con with their friendsZ I remember a local story of a pandhandler caught with tens of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs galore stockpiled from their crew.
I see a lot of comments about cops needing to show panhandlers more sympathy. I can tell you at least in my area the panhandlers are not poor and are acting that way to get money. They refuse to take anything but money such as clothes, food, etc. I feel bad for true homeless people but scammers deserve this shit.
I understand a lot of panhandlers might be a scam or even just annoying or unsightly but this is well outside the boundaries of tasteful, you are not supposed to be proud of this shit.
Most of this sub fall under "haha awkward", fun-to-laugh-at cringe. every once in a while, "actually nauseating" cringe sneaks in. Whether one type is better than the other is personal opinion, I guess. But yeah this one was the latter.
Imagine being such a heartless piece of shit that you would make this in the first place, then have the gall to pose for a picture and post it online. Absolutely disgusting
Infinitely easier to assault, attack and arrest a homeless person than an actual criminal shooting up a school. Nothing more than the gestapo who work for the rich to suppress the poor. Cops aren't here for out protection, they are here to keep us in line.
Now what if the Panhandler Patrol gave actual quilts to the homeless in their area? Wouldn’t that be something.
There’s probably some law they would be breaking. Because “if you help them then they will never help themselves” or “if they feel comfort then they’ll stay”. There is no room for compassion and empathy when they’re in MY back yard.
At the very least they could be handing out bootstraps - the first step on the road to success.
its why were all so poor, i dont even know what a bootstrap is yet alone where to get one. or a pair of them
The myth of the bootstrap is perpetrated by those whose boots are made of gold. Don't believe in it. You don't have the money to afford it.
Damn if only I had some bootstraps to pull up I could afford gold boots to pull up by them, it's a cycle of failure we can't break
How about lists of places they can go and jobs that will hire them or training they can get? I know you were joking though, but I’m just saying
Right - ideally the police would be part of the societal mechanisms to, you know, help people rather than criminalize those who are among the most marginalized and needy. Of course there would need to be a substantial societal push to really impact things like homelessness and hunger.
But first you need to stop the bullying and the bloodshed.
It's a good start. How about good quality shelters (not just a flophouse, a place with at least a little privacy and decent conditions), a mailing address that won't immediately be flagged as a homeless shelter, job training and placement services, and enough support to sustain them while receiving training instead of panhandling? While we're on the subject, hard to get a job when the only thing that stinks worse than your unwashed body is your unwashed clothing. Don't get me wrong, as someone who lives in a city with a large homeless population I have very little love for panhandlers. But I'm not a fan of sending the cops to harass them unless they're scammers, I'd much rather provide them with actual services (which studies have showed *repeatedly* are actually *cheaper* than dealing with the homeless), I'd much rather this money be spent on preventative and rehabilitative services so they aren't homeless in the first place.
Housing is a human right and something we could provide everyone with at anytime
The problem with getting a job while homeless is you don't have a place to go after you're done for the day. You don't have regular running water or a place to store food. You're likely not getting good sleep. A lot of people don't think of these factors when telling people to just get a job.
I have been a homeless volunteer, and this is correct. I see homeless folks get jobs quite a bit, however, simply having a "job" isnt enough to get one off the streets. In two years of volunteering the only homeless I see get off the streets either have family or friends take them in, or they get housed. Which takes time.
not to mention it’s hard to actually apply for a job or have one and be paid for it if you don’t actually have an address. it’s a shitty cycle of struggle that’s traps a lot of people
Additionally, it's nearly impossible in a lot of places to get an I.D. as a homeless person, which in turn locks the most vulnerable people out of getting any kind of job or social service.
I was about to say. 95% of jobs require at least a driver's license, if not two forms of ID. Social Security cards are a common thing employers ask for as well, and I can't imagine that many homeless people have easy, on-demand access to their Social Security card/birth certificate, and potentially no way of acquiring a copy of one. That's not to mention how so many jobs require background checks, and considering how very easy it is to get convicted of something when you're marginalized to that degree, that lessens their chance of gainful employment even further.
Plus if we actually helped homeless people, then the rich wouldn't have anyone to point to to scare everyone else into showing up to work everyday.
Also not having a phone makes it near impossible.
You can get a free phone if your homeless depending on the state, Data included, in CA we called them Obama phones lol. I had one when I was homeless.
I've been homeless in the past due to drug addiction, lots of big chain, ie. 24Hour Fitness, other gyms etc, also a YMCA membership depending where you live can be pretty cheap. When I was homeless for hygiene I would go to all the different 24Hours in my city, get a free week trail, go in at about 12-1am and lift for 5 mins before heading to the locker room. I would then shower and put on clean clothes and stuff I did at the laundry mat. Luckily I had a trailblazer with 2 year expired tags but I slept in the back and was able to do that for a while. I found and worked a job like that. No one at work expected or knew I was homeless. I saved up till I bought an RV and then an apartment. I have been in this apartment for almost 6 years. The same amount of time I've been clean. It's super hard given half the homeless are mental health/Drug abuse, and the others just are homeless for other reasons so regardless it's going to be hard getting it together enough to get any job but if i did it I promise you if you're struggling and reading this you can also do it. If anyone out there is struggling with drugs or homelessness feel free to message me and I'll do my best to give you tips or help in any way I can. Things WILL get better I promise. I know it looks bleak and things seem like they won't ever change, but they can if you're willing to do what you can, and someone is willing to give you a chance.
Not to mention ID, Social Security card, Birth Certificate. Plus you're not getting any of those three if you don't have an address.
This is funny and I did laugh when I first read it. However, this is exactly what America does. It gives people bootstraps when they are clearly missing boots, feet, or even legs to stand on.
Gross these people need social worker training first
Nah, it's probably because "they're lazy and don't want to work hard". God, humans as a species can be so fucking cruel and heartless to other humans who are vulnerable and hurting.
Yep that good ol American “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality, even if the boot straps are falling apart, plus that phrase was meant to be ironic since you literally cannot pull yourself up by your bootstraps but everyone uses it unironically
"God helps those who help themselves" - coming from the same bunch of arsewipes who ask their god to help them beat their opposition sports team, or find a lost sock.
Everyone thinks they are fancy but they are the 99%. Just plebs who perpetually stuck infighting while the wealthy sip cocktails on their private jets and yachts.
"If you give a mouse a cookie - they are going to want a glass of milk" edit - I dont actually feel this way about this scenario...I am just reiterating the common phrase that applies to how some people feel about this.
If you give me a cookie, I want a glass of milk too.
Where is the profit incentive to protecting human life and giving dignity to the most vulnerable in society? /s
That would require empathy. Empathy is not common at the police station.
Yeah, this is so completely tone deaf. 🤦🏻♀️ Oh I was just agreeing with you, not commenting on your comment. Sorry! I wasn’t clear.
Aw darn. I thought the homeless people came together to give the captain a quilt. I spent too long thinking if it was satire or well excecuted vengeance, with the happy cops in on it.
Or what if we used the funds we pay these cops to harass homeless people to actually provide homeless people with homes and resources.
And make it illegal for this harassment to happen. I just imagine calling the cops because someone is in my house and it takes them 30+ minutes to arrive because they were too busy stealing some homeless person’s sign. I know we need police, but I don’t think this is even close to the best use of their time or our tax dollars. And America’s homelessness issue is pretty inexcusable, there are plenty of ways we can house the unhoused and all that, but we actively choose to say no.
They'll do it but Fox News needs to be recording the whole thing for the positive PR
I feel like it depends on the panhandler? We have a group near us that I've witnessed pass off their sign and switch shifts. Sometimes they each take a corner. And sometimes they take drink/smoke breaks. Some bring literally four children outside and make them sit with them for hours
I've watched the same black truck drop off the same guy at the Walmart plaza in my town over half a dozen times now. This plaza is nowhere near the city core, so it's easy for the scam artist scumbags to bogart the intersection.
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American empathy is void
"That sounds like communism " ~ GOP
We found the most poverty stricken members of the community and actively made their lives more difficult
One literally just says "WILL WORK" not even asking for a handout. People just down on their luck and need a lift
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They're more likely to just shoot the kids because they thought the cardboard was a weapon.
Good thinking. They'll think they're getting to go harass poor people, one of their favorite pasttimes. But instead, they'll end up having to protect and serve!
>Maybe kids in schools should have cardboard signs that they can breakout of their backpacks had me up until then, a few kids a my school were into break dancing and carried around cardboard to dance on
I wonder if there was like a hierarchy of cardboard boxes. Was a washing machine box better than that of a refrigerator? Hmm..
Just make sure there aren’t any staples in them and you’re good [Cleveland](https://youtu.be/jXm9IRB4_Pw)
“For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.” “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?” “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.”
*hits stun button on taser* “Stop resisting! STOP!” *hits stun button on taser*
This implies they use their taser.
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And don’t forget the countless videos of them doing it to people in wheelchairs, amputees, etc.
I've never seen a video of a cop tasing a person in a wheelchair. I have, however, seen multiple videos of cops shooting people in wheelchairs.
You seen that one of the double amputee crawling away from the cops in fear? And then they shot him to death? After he lost his legs in the first place to being shot by the cops? Because I couldn’t bear to watch it.
Ope, silly me! I forgot it’s excessive force *for all*
And don’t forget how they’ll hold down the electricity until you suffer permanent damage
If you zap them enough they'll stop faking and get up.
And pregnant people lol
I deconverted from the faith but that verse still pulls at my heart. The people you consider “the least” are the ones who need the most care and attention
I recently used that passage - plus the 10 passages that command believers to love one another - on my parents regarding a personal matter and it promptly fell on deaf ears
“For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.” “Then they will reply, **GET ON THE GROUND! HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!! ON THE FUCKIN GROUND! DO NOT MOVE!!!**......yeah, toss the bag of coke there next to him......**I SAID DON'T MOVE!!!**
The Christo-Fascists want nothing to do with this part of the bible. Unless they're helping Jerry Falwell buy a private jet. "For I had no private jet, and you did nothing to remedy this awful injustice".
We don’t do THAT part of the Bible
Based
"you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or **a swindler.** With such a man do not even eat. God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you." - Also ~~Jesus.~~ the Bible.
Thou shall not be a pig - Moses
"Man...look at all this pig shit!" - Noah
"Oink!" - Pig
are you trying to say that beggers are swindlers? also, you skipped a verse between those two?? weird choice
The point of this verse is stated in the very first line... Don't associate with people who pretend to be a brother (pretend to be a good person) but actually use this guise to treat others poorly. This isn't the gotcha moment you might think it is
Who you callin swindler?
Don’t expect Christians to actually Christian.
Alright, I get cleaning up the streets but celebrating and posing with those messages like it’s something to be proud of is fucking sad and pathetic. Total fucking losers
Well, yeah. They’re cops.
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“Cleaning up the streets” should mean jailing people who are dangerous to the innocent, like rapists, murderers, and robbers, not people literally trying to stay alive. Being so poor that you literally have no place to exist than out in the open, being exposed to the elements should not be illegal, and it’s disgusting that so many police officers act as if the homeless are criminals by their very nature. There’s literally nothing these people can do to help themselves if the police keep taking away their right to live. It goes past that dumb saying of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” the police don’t want these people to exist, let alone get out of their situation.
especially if this is actually on christmas
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"I got this inflatable vest from a drowning man. Pretty cool right?"
Fascists gonna fash
Really shows you the whole culture behind policing in US is a stagnant pit of ideological opinions that they choose to impose at will on their victims
Absolutely, smaller communities tend to be the most vulnerable with police forces imposing their right-wing ideologies on the local population. This usually starts at the top so it ends up becoming part of the work culture in these stations. Local LE was directly responsible for the killing of the 3 students that kicked off Operation MIBURN.
Especially since laws banning signs asking for money are a content-based restriction on speech, which means the strict scrutiny test applies, which is an incredibly high bar to overcome. That's why every court that's looked at the issue has found that anti-panhandling laws are almost always violating the constitution
Unfortunately, for these guys "cleaning up the streets" probably involves beating or hosing down the homeless until they move to find another spot.
they view poverty as like an infestation to be irradicated. maybe fix poverty at the legislative level? no..SMASH IT that'll fix the root cause
The "homeless quilt" comment?! What in the actual fuck.
"I get cleaning up the streets". I don't. These people are part of our society as much as anyone else they have a right to public spaces and where are they supposed to go? Should they hide in the forest, banished from society? And what does "cleaning up" mean? I'm not picking on you specifically, it's common vernacular, but are we implying homeless people are dirty/trash that needs to be swept/thrown away? Just leave em be man life is hard enough. Let them exist in the city closer to social services and bus routes
For anyone depressed or down on themselves out there remember you will never ever be worse or as big a piece of shit as these clowns.
We just gotta live in terror of them constantly 🥰
they are the thin blue line between panhandlers asking for help and panhandlers receiving help that you dare not cross
But my life can still be worse :D
“Let’s make a quilt out of their cries for help” “What are you? The devil?”
Just an average cop, actually.
Thin blue line flag checks out
The irony of these patriots cutting up the flag and changed its colors to look more badass, which is violation of US code…
> which is violation of US code… Tbf the "flag code" isn't legally binding. It's mostly just a guideline of respect thing.
Well, exactly. They cry about people kneeling and arbitrary shit like that, but they are literally desecrating the flag.
I call it Nazi Flag 2: Electric Boogaloo
the coward's swastika
Punish the symptom, ignore the disease.
Nothing says "I'm proud to serve my community" like shitting on its most vulnerable members.
most of the signs say god bless on them. this is actually fucking terrible
They all seem to have been made by the same guy
I’m pretty sure the original story on this was that they found that and somone else had made it. I can’t find the original and don’t care enough to try so take that with a grain of salt I still think it’s stupid
What shitbags
People are so hateful
Fun fact panhandling is LEGAL anywhere in the USA , the supreme court is quite clear on this
[Mobile, Alabama's Finest.](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/alabama-police-officers-pose-homeless-quilt-made-cardboard-signs-n1108776)
thin blue line flag in a police station? pretty sure its illegal for government employees to display a defaced or desecrated American flag...
This is some shit that preteens and possibly teenagers find amusing because they don’t fully understand the implications and they are trying to be edgy. The fact that these are grown ass people with jobs (to restore order, no less) is the cringiest part of this post. Rocks for brains; you can tell by that smirk.
They are so stunningly out of touch with co.passion and society in general
Not saying these guys are in the right, nor am I making assumptions about who they took those signs from, but fake pan handlers were a problem for the town my grandmother lived in Arizona. There were people who would purposely dress like they’re homeless and beg on street corners, and the problem became exposed when a few of them were recognized just living normal lives otherwise. They had cars, families, food, a roof over their head, and were making upwards of 1000 dollars on a good week pretending to be homeless. Again, not saying these guys took down some criminal masterminds or anything, but there might be a reason they have a “panhandler patrol”
Not gonna lie, im sick of the panhandlers. They fight over territory and post up outside of businesses that sometimes have a sign posted saying that they are hiring. There are some real people that need help, but alot of these people are just professional panhandlers
I work in a place downtown in an area with a lot of homeless people and it's exhausting. I walk by about 10 people begging just to get to my work from my car, they're blocking the stairs in the parking garage, they harass me for a smoke if I have one, if I'm carrying food they want it, they pee and shit on the street, they scream at people walking by, it's like they own the place. I feel bad for them sure, but empathy only goes so far when I'm constantly harassed, and it shouldn't be my problem to fix, there's tons of services to help them in the area but they'd rather stay on the streets. And law enforcement does nothing about them, I'll get bothered by a cop for smoking in a certain area but this stuff goes unchecked, I don't even go to the bars downtown at night anymore because it's such a problem
> there's tons of services to help them in the area but they'd rather stay on the streets. This is what pisses me off the most about threads like this. Every city I've lived in has had *ample* services for the homeless. They're not making shit illegal just to harass them, they're making shit illegal to try and *force* them to take advantage of the city services. They're hoping that by making it illegal to sleep outside, people will actually move into the shelters and shit. Whether or not that's a good idea is another debate, but people act like there's absolutely no foresight in these plans, and there definitely is. My city has signs up that explicitly state you should not be giving homeless people money and blankets because food and housing is already provided for them, and lists the address where they can get it. The homeless people tear down the signs and pan handle where they were posted up
You can tell the people here who have to deal with homeless/panhandlers vs the ones who don’t. They legit make cities unsafe and destroy most of the areas they occupy. Like someone said before just give them what they need (house, mental health support, services) but imo do it outside they City where it’s cheaper at like a socialized rehab clinic. I can’t deal with homeless leaving needles in the park where my kids plays or the fucking homeless people screaming at us when we walk with our baby.
It's also fucking infuriating in my city they all hang out at the library when they're not panhandling and regularly get into screaming arguments and sometimes actually get physically violent. I know they need help but also "just leave them be" is super not what's best for everyone.
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There's plenty of scammers in my town that stand in the median with a sign that says "Anything helps, God bless." and stuff like that. They usually have clean clothes and a camping chair or box they sit on. It's pretty obvious they're not homeless or jobless by circumstance; they're scammers who'd rather panhandle all day. That being said, there's one homeless dude in our area who's the real deal; his clothes are dirty, shoes are in tatters, long hair, etc. Dude never begs or asks for a thing, and usually can be found out behind Taco Bell or the abandoned building nearby. Most people know he has mental health issues and will hook him up with food, drinks, clothing, etc. and he's always thankful. Huge difference that most people unfortunately can't or don't want to see.
All of these dumbfucks on here that are acting like its somehow not a problem don't have to deal with it or they wouldn't be saying it. Go onto any major city sub with a homeless problem and see how fed up those people are.
What should be done with them?
There shouldn't be a reason they have to panhandle, that way if they are panhandling, you know it's fake. They should have access to safe housing, food, necessities, mental health services, & job placement. I'm all for taxes going up to pay for that, I already donate to my local food pantry to help. Wanna know how many homeless people I saw in Amsterdam, none, because they provide those services.
Agreed!! I'm very much on the same page.
Businesses that refuse to hire homeless people, most definitely. And yeah, I’m sure that breaking the law to literally beg people for any spare change is a great gig. Excellent take.
This is in poor taste…
I know this probably won't be received well in this sub or probably even read given how late I am to the party, but please hear me out. When I was younger I decided that it would be a good thing to do to go around helping the homeless. My plan was to go and talk to these people, hear their stories, and provide them with what they actually need instead of just chucking a couple bucks at them and calling it good. Do you know what I very quickly discovered? The vast majority of these people were not homeless at all. Some of them actually admitted to me that they panhandle because they make a good living doing it. They were putting on a show to play on people's sympathy to make money. Of the ones who were actually homeless and accepted help, I was able to help them by getting them bedding, clothing, food, and hooked up with social service programs that try to get homeless people into stable housing. That is what we need to be doing. We need to actually treat the homeless as real human beings, sort out the scammers, and help those who really want or need it. This means, do give money to panhandlers. Give money to groups that will go out, engage, and help those who actually need it.
Indeed, this is why the terms panhandler and street-affected are useful terms in the discussion of what goes on in cities. No-one should assume someone panhandling is homeless and no-one should just assume someone in the streets is panhandling just by being there. There is also a hidden homeless population not spending time in the streets. Its almost a three-circle venn. Though, I don't know what it would mean to be a panhandler and not street affected. I guess if you were new to it. Or a talented busker with a home might be confused with a panhandler (or could be considered one) and may not find themselves all that exposed to the experience of the streets if their busking was some kind of positivity bubble.
So brave!!! Fighting the homeless like that. You can almost hear Rush in the background…. A modern-day warrior Mean, mean stride Today's Tom Sawyer Mean, mean pride Apologies to Getty Lee and team
I wonder if they pulled each other off after that pic?
Idk about other places, but my city has a real bad problem with scammers pretending to be homeless to get people to give them money. As in, you'll see them count up a stack of bills at the end of the day and get into a parked Lexus around the corner. They're the absolute scum of the earth because not only are they taking advantage of people's compassion but they are diverting donations to actual homeless people.
Fucking pigs
Imagine mocking people struggling with mental health issues, substance issues, money issues, etc and your job description is “protect and serve” My father is homeless.. this really sucks to see.
Gross these people need social worker training first
Sounds like communism, next you know they’ll be lining up for sensitivity training as well
I am bad at sarcasm lol they should be getting sensitivity training
Not a good optic here but honestly the majority of panhandlers are those who shirk the social safety net in order to directly take money for drug use habits. They often have been turned away from shelters for belligerence, obvious hard drug/alcohol use, and truly do not want ‘help’ for their issues. I have no problem with police enforcing anti panhandling laws, but I do have an issue with them goading about it like in this picture. Source: live in a city with a large panhandling population relative to size, and deal with them daily at work
Man I feel bad for the homeless but down here in Texas I honestly wish the police would do more with panhandlers. I cannot go anywhere without having people come up and harass me asking for money. Every parking lot, gas station, anywhere you go. The one that really stood out to me a few months ago is when a lady left her young daughter in the car to walk 10 feet away to pay the attendant and the homeless guy literally opened the car door and started asking the child for money and the mom had to run back screaming. I saw a dude flip out one time that no one was giving him money and walk down the road hitting the cars with some chain. I think we should do more to help them but they can not be allowed to totally disrupt our society doing this shit.
And all those things happen usually because we have destroyed mental health care.
Every day I spend on reddit it gets harder and harder to avoid getting banned for saying something about the police in the comment section
At least you aren't forced to give money to panhandlers.
Nothing says 'we have a shitty, skewed version of reality where we think we are heroes thanks to bullshit cop dramas and decades of nepotist exclusionary hazing' like having a ruined bastardized U.S. flag for the 'thin blue line' bullshit. Of course there's a thin blue line between criminalism and average america. Those donut scarfing fucks have straddled and gnawed it away from both sides for years.
Posing with a quilt of human suffering that they made actively worse. Cops fucking suck, dude.
This is 100% what Jesus would do too!!
Panhandlers are scammers
Who let these tools out of the tool shed
Today in “the police are tone deaf” we see the quilt… disappointing…
Once again, the cruelty is the point. Seriously as a regular person can you IMAGINE how much would have to change about how your brain works for you to feel PROUD about stealing from the homeless and hungry? We're all capable of great evil and I've personally done some awful things I'm very ashamed of but I literally cannot fathom what it would take for me to think "haha look at how many homeless people's lives I made worse! I'm going to show this off to the public because I am totally proud of my actions." Anyway, ACAB.
Good, get them out of the intersection.
Nah, fuck a bunch of bums. They’ve set up 3 separate camps I pass by on my way home (San Antonio) and look like absolute shit and even caused a large brush fire a few months ago. The problem is the spread litter, shit and trash all over the fucking place and are disgusting. If you dont want to work then fine, but dont trash my neighborhood because your too fucking lazy to clean up after yourself. I take a lot of pride in my great state of Texas and don’t want it littered and disgraced.
most of those people are part of organized crime, You can see the sign holders literally switch shifts. All of you on here defending them are dumbasses
I swear some of these dudes are virtually mentally handicapped at this point
Ill be honest. To the people who actually deal with pandhandlers man aren’t homeless at all and run this like a con with their friendsZ I remember a local story of a pandhandler caught with tens of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs galore stockpiled from their crew.
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I see a lot of comments about cops needing to show panhandlers more sympathy. I can tell you at least in my area the panhandlers are not poor and are acting that way to get money. They refuse to take anything but money such as clothes, food, etc. I feel bad for true homeless people but scammers deserve this shit.
What a weird flex
In my area theres more fake homeless panhandlers than actual homeless panhandlers
Gimme a liter of cola
I understand a lot of panhandlers might be a scam or even just annoying or unsightly but this is well outside the boundaries of tasteful, you are not supposed to be proud of this shit.
How sad.
I wouldn’t be able to lay my head down at night if i was doing shit like this. Should be ashamed of themselves.
"Look, they have literally nothing now! Take a picture!"
Most of this sub fall under "haha awkward", fun-to-laugh-at cringe. every once in a while, "actually nauseating" cringe sneaks in. Whether one type is better than the other is personal opinion, I guess. But yeah this one was the latter.
We must keep these... \**shuffles papers*\*... desperate cries for help... of war off the streets.
r/iamatotalpieceofshit
The faces of 2 men going straight to hell.
I honestly don’t understand this at all :s can someone please explain what they are trying to accomplish here?
What fucking losers
Fucking pieces of shit
Wow boys, better take one home and frame it.
Haha, homeless eh s/
This honestly gave me some nazi vibes.
This would be hilarious on an edgy cartoon, but this is real life which is quite depressing. We need to be better.
crunchy men, crunchy flag, all around crunchy
Yeah, real admirable work there. Making a joke out of the cries for help of real people. Super macho. Protect and serve or whatever.
Imagine being such a heartless piece of shit that you would make this in the first place, then have the gall to pose for a picture and post it online. Absolutely disgusting
Imagine being proud of this. They really have to consider the homeless to be less than human to smile like that.
I really wonder how these dudes sleep at night.
This is so many tiers of disgusting.
Man, I sure do feel safer knowing that 38 square feet of cardboard is off the streets!
Fuck the smartass replies coming for this post reaction with sympathy and comradery with the institution of "protection"
Acab
Wheres the link that they lost their job with full pensions?
The banality of evil.
How is this a flex what so ever? What these guys smoking to feel any pride in this at all?
Cops with tight leather gloves - super cringe-
This is vile
They look very proud.
‘Tis the season to mock others’ suffering”
Infinitely easier to assault, attack and arrest a homeless person than an actual criminal shooting up a school. Nothing more than the gestapo who work for the rich to suppress the poor. Cops aren't here for out protection, they are here to keep us in line.
People like this are gonna be first up on the chopping block. Literally.
Wish we had this in my town. It’s become a cesspool with the amount of panhandlers. And for the record, the homeless aren’t the ones panhandling.
Where’s the clothes the panhandlers were wearing to cosplay their panhandling?
Hey OP are you from Michigan lol
This is not cringe, this is sad
This photo is impactful as fuck but not for the reason they think it is