People walking in traffic for money

[Roadrunner75]

If it wasn't for panhandling along the road, this guy wouldn't have gotten rediscovered:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams_(voice-over_artist)

[bugo]

At least it's not political. I have seen a political argument with big signs near one suburb's downtown. The people running it were extremists (not telling which party).

Geez, I wonder which party this was?

[bugo]

In downtown Montreal you had best keep your windows shut, otherwise the beggars will shove their change cup in your face.

If this ever happened to me I'd knock the change cup out of his hand and keep whatever change fell into my car.

[SP Cook]

Old guy mode on.

- I used to do some work with the State Veterans' Home.  Almost every state has one.  Veterans can stay, for free, if they have no place else to go.  So I don't fall for the "homeless vet" signs. 

- Also don't fall for the "hungry" scam.  I have a friend.  His dad abandoned the family when he was 3.  His mom died when he was 17.  Hid out from the do-gooders at welfare and finished HS living on his own.  Went to a local college, living in the dorms and living in his car during breaks.  Worked at Arby's.  Ask him for change, and he will give you an Arby's application.  Today he is a successful lawyer.  Yep.  Get a job and go to work.

- I don't care for the firemen in the road.  Yes, in some places it is volunteer, but even so they, at least around here, get equipment from the county.  NO excuse for any paid fireman (or worse yet, cop) to ever beg for money.  Unethical.  And get out of the road.

- Anybody ever seen the "well dressed black men" deal.  They hit this area every few years.  Six to eight large black guys.  Very clean cut.  All wear the same thing.  Black dress pants, white short sleve dress shirt, black plain tie, dayglo highway safety vest.  Put up a sign like a construction sign reading "contribution area".  Cover a four way intersection standing the road with buckets that read "Jesus Loves You".  The implication is that it is a religious group.  It isn't.  It is what these guys do for a living.  Travel the country, stay for a week or two in a general area until the cops make them move on.

- I don't care for little kid sports teams hitting me up, either.  If it is a school deal, then that is covered by taxes.  If not, then, well, that is a lifestyle choice mom and dad need to pay for.  Especial dishonorable mention to what I call cheerleaders for nothing.  Girls (mostly) that are on some deal where they play cheerleaders, but are unafiliated with a sports team.  Umm, if you have no fans to "lead" and have no team to "cheer" for, you are not a cheerleader.  You have a hobby.  Mom and dad need to pay for it.

- Right near my exit there is an auto parts store.  Most such stores loan tools.  Scam is some guy parks and pretends to work on a POS car, and sets out wife and kids to beg at the intersection for money for parts.  Usual scam is trying to get to some far off place for a funeral.  Umm. didn't you notice the car was a POS before you left home?  Greyhound is ready when you are.  (Actually, of course, the people live just up the road).

[bugo]

My grandfather was a Church of Christ minister, and every so often he would be called to go down to the church because somebody was traveling through and didn't have any money.  He would follow them to a gas station and fill up their tanks using church funds.  Moral of the story: if you're broke and out of gas, stop at a Church of Christ.

[cpzilliacus]

- I used to do some work with the State Veterans' Home.  Almost every state has one.  Veterans can stay, for free, if they have no place else to go.  So I don't fall for the "homeless vet" signs.

I am very skeptical of such claims. 

- Also don't fall for the "hungry" scam.  I have a friend.  His dad abandoned the family when he was 3.  His mom died when he was 17.  Hid out from the do-gooders at welfare and finished HS living on his own.  Went to a local college, living in the dorms and living in his car during breaks.  Worked at Arby's.  Ask him for change, and he will give you an Arby's application.  Today he is a successful lawyer.  Yep.  Get a job and go to work.

I have offered to go with them to a nearby McDonald's to deal with hunger.  Always rejected.  One told me he could not eat McDonald's food!

- I don't care for the firemen in the road.  Yes, in some places it is volunteer, but even so they, at least around here, get equipment from the county.  NO excuse for any paid fireman (or worse yet, cop) to ever beg for money.  Unethical.  And get out of the road.

No problem with firefighters, who are sometimes raising money for their volunteer fire/rescue company, though here in Maryland, usually for "Fill the Boot."

Law enforcement officers must not engage in such activities.

- Anybody ever seen the "well dressed black men" deal.  They hit this area every few years.  Six to eight large black guys.  Very clean cut.  All wear the same thing.  Black dress pants, white short sleve dress shirt, black plain tie, dayglo highway safety vest.  Put up a sign like a construction sign reading "contribution area".  Cover a four way intersection standing the road with buckets that read "Jesus Loves You".  The implication is that it is a religious group.  It isn't.  It is what these guys do for a living.  Travel the country, stay for a week or two in a general area until the cops make them move on.

Male members of the Nation of Islam (always wearing bow-ties) do hand-out stuff and solicit, but only from motorists that appear to be African-American.

- I don't care for little kid sports teams hitting me up, either.  If it is a school deal, then that is covered by taxes.  If not, then, well, that is a lifestyle choice mom and dad need to pay for.  Especial dishonorable mention to what I call cheerleaders for nothing.  Girls (mostly) that are on some deal where they play cheerleaders, but are unafiliated with a sports team.  Umm, if you have no fans to "lead" and have no team to "cheer" for, you are not a cheerleader.  You have a hobby.  Mom and dad need to pay for it.

When the District of Columbia public schools let out for the summer in June, suddenly individuals purportedly playing for an assortment of amateur sports teams (usually basketball) appear at various busy D.C. intersections (U.S. 50 (New York Avenue, N.E) and Alt. U.S. 1 (Bladensburg Road, N.E.) is a perennial favorite) soliciting money for a supposed team trip to a far-away place like Orlando, Florida or Los Angeles, California.

No sale.

- Right near my exit there is an auto parts store.  Most such stores loan tools.  Scam is some guy parks and pretends to work on a POS car, and sets out wife and kids to beg at the intersection for money for parts.  Usual scam is trying to get to some far off place for a funeral.  Umm. didn't you notice the car was a POS before you left home?  Greyhound is ready when you are.  (Actually, of course, the people live just up the road).

Had a guy come up to me at a D.C. intersection claiming that his truck tractor had been booted by D.C. authorities for non-payment of automated speed limit enforcement tickets and he needed money for a bus ticket to Atlanta, Georgia.

An "A" for inventiveness, but total nonsense. 

D.C. only "boots"  vehicles for unpaid parking tickets, and besides, those boots cannot be installed on a large, heavy commercial vehicle because they do not fit.

[jbnv]

My position is, if I give you money for your charity, what you do with it is on your conscience. I did my moral duty. My beef is that I don't like people approaching me out of the blue or being solicited.

[theline]

In my city, South Bend, a city ordinance was passed to outlaw solicitations in the street. This was brought about after some car-pedestrian accidents. It's really a pleasure not to be hassled, and everyone is safer. We still have the "homeless" guys holding up signs beside busy intersections to solicit work and/or donations. I quote "homeless" because one of the local TV news shows followed some of the well-known solicitors and discovered that they weren't homeless at all. On the other hand, none was living high on the hog either.

I was stuck in traffic once on Stony Island Avenue in Chicago. We were approached by one of the entrepreneurs selling bottled water. Since it was a miserably hot day, we brought two bottles. We didn't begrudge him the profit he made on his service.

[Mr_Northside]

There's frequently a guy selling flowers at the intersection of PA-65 and the McKees Rocks Bridge & Brighton Heights Blvd, often in between lanes of traffic.  There used to be another one that utilized the PA-28 / 31st St. Bridge intersection, also on the mountable curb separating directions.

[Pete from Boston]

My position is, if I give you money for your charity, what you do with it is on your conscience. I did my moral duty. My beef is that I don't like people approaching me out of the blue or being solicited.

My position is, you have to either have credibility or be able to offer me a way to look further into your group for me to give you money.  I'm responsible for what my money contributes to, so no, I'm not going to give you money on the street because you say you do good. 

When approached with those oblique "Do you have a minute for starving children?" pitches, I often say "Yes, but I'm not going to give you money today."  They usually get deflated and dismiss me from the interaction right then.  They need to expect to get money out of you to justify the time spent, which is unrealistic but it's how their job performance is rated. 

[Laura]

From what I've seen in my corner of Maryland, people will solicit at left turns at intersections and along busy downtown sidewalks.

I will usually give them something, usually in this order:

1. conversation
2. food
3. money

I've made many acquaintances over the years with people who are down on their luck because I take the time to talk to them, give them snacks, and some change. I generally don't like giving at intersections because there is only time for food or money and no conversation; in those cases, I might scrounge up something to give (some water, a granola bar, part of my lunch, some nickels).

I really love when I have the time to talk to people, though. If someone is legitimately homeless, they will appreciate feeling human most of all with conversation. They also have stories they want to share, good and bad. When I'm in a city setting, I try to fill my bag with softer granola bars, fruit (like bananas), leftovers that still taste delicious cold, etc. that could hold a person over for a couple of hours. Also, in the winter, hats, gloves, and socks (socks most of all).

[agentsteel53]

The people running it were extremists (not telling which party). However, they were on the side of the road, and not in the middle.

the middle was likely occupied by the centrists.