Beggars

tenchi-fan · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:13

I was walking through Dublin and the amount of beggars was absolutely sickening.

In an indoor carpark, this scruffpot kept saying "I don't mean to be rude, but have you any change for a B&B. It's my second night on the street. I mean, I don't mean to be rude. I just need some money for a b&b. I mean I don't mean to b........" Kept repeating the same thing over and over.

Walking down Grafton street, some pathetic man wailing "PLEASE GIVE ME MONEY FOR FOOD." I don't know if he was actually crying or if it was just his tactic for obtaining money.

Another woman with a baby of about 12 months, "can you spare some change for the baby."

Then I overhead one beggar asking the other to move from his spot across from the Luas station. Two bums with polystyrene cups arguing over the best spot for begging?!

I mean, I passed about 12 beggars while walking the length of Dublin from Parnell Street to Grafton Street.

Now, I don't blame the beggars. I blame the stupid idiots who give them money. If you want stray dogs around your house, you should feed them. If you want panhandlers littering the street, you should give them money for heroin... you won't be doing them any favours! In fact, most women and kids on the street were probably sent out by their alcoholic husbands/fathers, and by giving them money you are just ensuring they are sent out for even longer house.

My proposal: arrest people who give loose change to beggars. Begging is against the law. And as a comparison, so is dealing drugs.

At the end of the day, you can't blame the beggar. It's the supplier who is responsible, whether it is a supplier of drugs or loose change.
Beggars are sick people, too weak to pull themselves out of the gutter. And an easy supply of small change or drugs is all that's needed to keep them on the streets.

To give them money is completely irresponsible. To give a beggar £1 might give you a warm, fuzzy feeling but have you really helped anyone? Or are you just giving money for some one to feed their habit, or drown their sorrows?

Andr3w · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:16

there are lots of beggers around huddersfield, there is one man who must have been there years now, everytime i see him he is either asking for money, or drinking bottles of spirits

ScarySquirrel · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:17

There used to be this old homeless guy with a walking stick and bushy beard who sat on this bench in town, havent seen him for years, i guess he is dead or something

tenchi-fan · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:18

Andr3w said:
there are lots of beggers around huddersfield, there is one man who must have been there years now, everytime i see him he is either asking for money, or drinking bottles of spirits

Hmm, I wonder is there any correlation between the amount of money he receives and the amount of spirits he drinks?

Mic · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:19

I had a very smartly dressed young lady hand pens with pieces of paper attached to every car waiting at the traffic lights in Newbridge.

The paper read 'please buy this pen as I have a child and need to feed it' or something to that effect.
As she walked back up the line of cars everyone just handed the pens back.

She was defintly foreign but she didnt exactly look poor and in need of money. Nor did I see a child. And to be honest she would have had to have a few quid to buy all the pens she had in her possesion.

tenchi-fan · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:23

Mic said:
She was defintly foreign but she didnt exactly look poor and in need of money. Nor did I see a child. And to be honest she would have had to have a few quid to buy all the pens she had in her possesion.

Reminds he of this story I read in the news:

Polish national Damian Dychtanowicz (28) was sitting on the ground outside the church in Roscommon town when Garda Michael Finnegan was leaving Mass on the national holiday.

Garda Finnegan told Roscommon District Court yesterday that Dychtanowicz had a cardboard sign and a paper cup placed on the ground in front of him.

He told the accused to leave the area and says he did so reluctantly. But when Garda Finnegan looked back, he noticed that Dychtanowicz was once again outside the church.

The garda said he approached the Polish man again and instructed him to leave the area, but he was reluctant to do so.

Garda Finnegan went to the station and returned a short time later. He again found Dychtanowicz at the back of the church.

When he arrested Dychtanowicz a local woman arrived, carrying a hot meal for him. He removed the Pole to the garda station and searched a bag in his possession.

Garda Finnegan discovered almost €11,000 comprised of €50 notes.

He sentenced Dychtanowicz to 14 days in prison.

Stellios · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:26

Ill sometimes give a bit cash to beggars, providing they dont stink of drink. Whilst i dont want to start a debate, i feel the homeless should be housed before allowing peopel to come in from other countries. This country needs work before we assist other countries.

Its not too bad up here for beggars, but their are a fair few in Newcastles center.

Bri · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:29

tenchi-fan said:
Reminds he of this story I read in the news:

There was an old man called Michael Finnigan,
He grew whiskers on his chinigin.
The wind blew up and blew them in agin,
Poor old Michael Finnigan – Begin agen.

Chuggers are worse, I was playing dodge the chugger in Middlesbrough yesterday, there was about 10 in a 100m stretch of path :mad:

Scuzi · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:29

A lot of the Dublin beggers seem to be better off than most normal people. Last time I was in Dublin I was walking down towards O'Donoghues and seen a guy sitting up against a wall asking for money. He looked fairly clean and tidy for someone who lived on the street.
A few pints later the very same fella came into the bar and ordered a pint. When he was paying I caught a glimpse of his wallet. He pulled out a 20 Euro note and if all the rest of his notes were 20's, he must have had the guts of 500 Euro on him. I was going to say something but I was enjoying myself and couldn't have been arsed.

wozzizname · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:32

It's the stories they spin you that gets my back up - twice in one week this junkie-looking bint told me her car was stuck in the car park without any fuel and she needed money to buy some petrol to get home - when I told her how careless she was having the same misfortune twice in one week, she got really abusive and threatened to get her junkie pals onto me.......

Another local beggar (Billy the quid) used to pester people for a quid, then run up to the local kebab shop to put it in the fruit machine - that shop made thousands from him ! He's got an asbo now...

pyro · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:36

There's this dude outside Jackson's, my house is pretty much 2 mins walking to that place so I usualy buy whatever cheap stuff they have there. Now this beggar has been outside that place for 4 years, I see him two, maybe three times a day and every time he asks for change. He puts on this very puppy sad face "oh please please spare me some change".

No change for you, get a job you worthless piece of junk.

HEADRAT · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:37

There are beggars in Cambridge but I have a friend who is a Copper and he said not one of them is "homeless".

HEADRAT

daveyj27 · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:37

tenchi-fan said:
"can you spare some change for the baby."

Seems like a terribly unfair swap to me.

Mackass · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:38

Aye, I'd tell them to get a job, or atleast do something useful with their life.

reflex · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:42

Some of them i can really feel for, Others who are just general scrots can goto hell.

If i do give them somthing il buy them a cup of tea/food and give that to them.

Cueball · 12 Apr 2006 at 18:59

I do my personal favourite: give them those money-off tokens for kitchen utensils and knives and say "here, do the world a favour!"

Carlos_S · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:02

Stellios said:
Ill sometimes give a bit cash to beggars, providing they dont stink of drink. Whilst i dont want to start a debate, i feel the homeless should be housed before allowing peopel to come in from other countries. This country needs work before we assist other countries.

Its not too bad up here for beggars, but their are a fair few in Newcastles center.

I think there are more Big Issue sellers then beggars in Newcastle, in and around Northumberland St. anyway.

Wryel · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:04

They have those metal boxes round here now, there seems to be less beggers than when I first came here over 5 years ago.

Spacky · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:11

Scuzi said:
I was going to say something but I was enjoying myself and couldn't have been arsed.

Something like...

"Spare bitta change for a poorly needy 'hic' irishman" *slobber*

...would have done I think

Lagz · 12 Apr 2006 at 19:33

HEADRAT said:
There are beggars in Cambridge but I have a friend who is a Copper and he said not one of them is "homeless".

HEADRAT

I love the one who is always completely battered and roams around the town center shouting abuse at nothing.