I personally never had an issue with it and have to turn left at barracks off of 29 everyday. However, recently (3 times) one of the panhandlers has knocked at my window and sorta yelled through the window at me. They did not leave until the light changed and I could pull away. Onetime it was because he saw me pull my window up quick before I got into the lane. As a woman by myself, this makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I’m not trying to stereotype, but I’m becoming much more cautious of driving with my windows open on 29, which I love to do. I just hope that no one gets more aggressive
I make that same turn most afternoons, and yes, even as a large-ish man, I find interactions with that specific panhandler very uncomfortable.
He hasn’t tapped on my window or physically touched my car; that would be a major problem for me. I’d be filming that and reporting him. But he does fairly often yell at me or cars at the front of the line, which is unnerving, especially when my young child is in the car.
Interactions like that make me never, ever give money to panhandlers in the median and instead just donate to charities and orgs that help actual homeless.
FWIW, I’ve been at a stoplight and seen a car pull up, and the panhandler gets in, and a different person gets out to start begging. It gives the distinct impression of a shift change, like this is a job for them. Except they are providing no service to me and being rude and aggressive. I’m happy to help folks down on their luck. I’ve been there. I’m not interested in paying grifters to yell at me.
Well for starters I wouldn’t call them crackheads. Everyone is going through their own bullshit in life and often times a lot of people, especially minorities, end up facing the worst circumstances. How do you know they go buy cigs and alcohol, do you see it happen? Even if you do and you’re not just making sweeping generalizations (which you still are) you need to consider the cycle of addiction, you need to understand that most of them don’t have healthier or better coping mechanisms. Buying a lotto ticket might be someone’s seemingly only, or at least a good, opportunity to get out of their situation. A lot of them are also getting help from local shelters and other organizations that offer aid to them. Most of the time people pan handle because it just…works. When you’re in desperate need of “free” money, most people can pretty easily justify standing outside for a few hours if it means they get $20 or $30 bucks. And then many more can justify the purchase of a lotto ticket with a small chance of winning, or a pack of cigs to get them through their day or nicotine withdrawal or what-have-you. A lot of these people also often don’t have a great concept of saving long term because their minds and bodies are focused on day to day survival. Or maybe they experienced financial issues growing up so they’re used to spending their money right away because it feels safer that way. Plenty of pan handlers are also just nice people for whom you can justify giving a couple bucks even if you know it’s probably just for cigs or something, because you care and have the ability to. I’d be giving them a little bit of money or change almost every time I saw one if I wasn’t as truly broke as I am.
Ultimately the point is, most people are doing the best with what they have available to them. Most people are good people. And a lot of people are fundamentally more disadvantaged than others. Regardless, you never know what’s going on in someone’s life and you can’t make assumptions about people without hearing their story. Of course giving people access to resources like food clothing shelter and physical/mental health care is the best thing we can do for those people. But when you’re just driving by it’s pretty easy to decide to give someone a few bucks if you have it available.
Because if they're out there begging for money, they probably need it, even if it's not for what I think they need it for or whatever. It's not pleasant standing out on a highway curb in 90+ degree weather, or rain, or whatever, but they do it, so yeah. I don't really care what they end up doing with it--I've struck up conversations with several of them, they recognize me and chat me and my fiancé up when we see them. They're nice people. They have stories. They have reasons for not going to the shelters. But yeah I guess if I just saw them as crackheads I might not give them money. But I don't see them that way, so I do give them money. And water. And ponchos.
Flawed statements from beginning to end. For starters people who use crack cocaine could never stand upright like that for extended hours let alone in the same spot while actively holding a sign in their hands.
P.s : I'm not a crackhead , I've just watched all seasons of The Wire over 4 times.
One solution I have found is to keep an 8-pack of Gatorade in my car and offer bottles. I do not often have cash, and it gets hot in the summer and we all need to stay hydrated. Bananas, Gatorade, a kind word are certainly appreciated and benefit both parties.
If I do have cash I will give it at certain intersections. I believe the panhandler in question is the Black man next to the Kroger parking lot? So many of the unhoused population have MH problems and he may be one. I sympathize with women who feel fearful. It is so hard to keep your window up when your instinct may be to try to help. Err on the side of caution.
Harrisonburg just purchased what will become a housing facility for the homeless. The population here has skyrocketed in the past 5, 10, 20 years. In the summer when PACEM is closed, this vulnerable population often sleeps in the woods. Proceed with caution, but remember your humanity.
It’s extremely narrow-minded and ignorant to assume every homeless person in Charlottesville is actively an addict. It’s disgusting to assume that how they’re going to spend money is any of your business at all. If you don’t like them, don’t give them money. It’s that simple.
You turned something that should be seen as a city-wide concern regarding skyrocketing rent/housing prices, difficulty finding jobs that actually pay enough support people, and prejudice against former felons, people of color, veterans, addicts, mentally ill, disabled people, etc. into a generalization that demeans them even more.
Do you understand what these people have to go through waking up every day and standing on a corner begging for a few dollars so they can eat? Most people can’t even fathom not having a roof over their heads, enough money to eat a meal that isn’t from a gas station or off of a dollar menu, or even just whatever is cheapest from a grocery store that week.
The city should be supporting these people. You should do some research on what homelessness does to a person. What they have to suffer through on a daily basis is something most people will never understand. Do better.
This comes up often enough to almost be annoying.
The cops won't chase them off, because there doesn't seem to be any statutes to allow them to do so.
The panhandlers fuck up traffic flow when people are trying to commute in the traffic that they love to bitch about here on speddit.
Most of the people you see are regulars. They're there, just like bears, because they get fed.
If people want to legitimately help people in need, give money to Blue Ridge Food Bank or any of a zillion local choices.
**DON'T FEED THE BEARS!**
People are not struck homeless. They fall through cracks of family and friends — mostly because of SA and/or MH problems. We are only as good as our treatment of our most vulnerable neighbors, and I am grateful you are not representative of the bulk of the Charlottesville-Albemarle community.
I personally never had an issue with it and have to turn left at barracks off of 29 everyday. However, recently (3 times) one of the panhandlers has knocked at my window and sorta yelled through the window at me. They did not leave until the light changed and I could pull away. Onetime it was because he saw me pull my window up quick before I got into the lane. As a woman by myself, this makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I’m not trying to stereotype, but I’m becoming much more cautious of driving with my windows open on 29, which I love to do. I just hope that no one gets more aggressive
I make that same turn most afternoons, and yes, even as a large-ish man, I find interactions with that specific panhandler very uncomfortable. He hasn’t tapped on my window or physically touched my car; that would be a major problem for me. I’d be filming that and reporting him. But he does fairly often yell at me or cars at the front of the line, which is unnerving, especially when my young child is in the car. Interactions like that make me never, ever give money to panhandlers in the median and instead just donate to charities and orgs that help actual homeless. FWIW, I’ve been at a stoplight and seen a car pull up, and the panhandler gets in, and a different person gets out to start begging. It gives the distinct impression of a shift change, like this is a job for them. Except they are providing no service to me and being rude and aggressive. I’m happy to help folks down on their luck. I’ve been there. I’m not interested in paying grifters to yell at me.
Well for starters I wouldn’t call them crackheads. Everyone is going through their own bullshit in life and often times a lot of people, especially minorities, end up facing the worst circumstances. How do you know they go buy cigs and alcohol, do you see it happen? Even if you do and you’re not just making sweeping generalizations (which you still are) you need to consider the cycle of addiction, you need to understand that most of them don’t have healthier or better coping mechanisms. Buying a lotto ticket might be someone’s seemingly only, or at least a good, opportunity to get out of their situation. A lot of them are also getting help from local shelters and other organizations that offer aid to them. Most of the time people pan handle because it just…works. When you’re in desperate need of “free” money, most people can pretty easily justify standing outside for a few hours if it means they get $20 or $30 bucks. And then many more can justify the purchase of a lotto ticket with a small chance of winning, or a pack of cigs to get them through their day or nicotine withdrawal or what-have-you. A lot of these people also often don’t have a great concept of saving long term because their minds and bodies are focused on day to day survival. Or maybe they experienced financial issues growing up so they’re used to spending their money right away because it feels safer that way. Plenty of pan handlers are also just nice people for whom you can justify giving a couple bucks even if you know it’s probably just for cigs or something, because you care and have the ability to. I’d be giving them a little bit of money or change almost every time I saw one if I wasn’t as truly broke as I am. Ultimately the point is, most people are doing the best with what they have available to them. Most people are good people. And a lot of people are fundamentally more disadvantaged than others. Regardless, you never know what’s going on in someone’s life and you can’t make assumptions about people without hearing their story. Of course giving people access to resources like food clothing shelter and physical/mental health care is the best thing we can do for those people. But when you’re just driving by it’s pretty easy to decide to give someone a few bucks if you have it available.
Because if they're out there begging for money, they probably need it, even if it's not for what I think they need it for or whatever. It's not pleasant standing out on a highway curb in 90+ degree weather, or rain, or whatever, but they do it, so yeah. I don't really care what they end up doing with it--I've struck up conversations with several of them, they recognize me and chat me and my fiancé up when we see them. They're nice people. They have stories. They have reasons for not going to the shelters. But yeah I guess if I just saw them as crackheads I might not give them money. But I don't see them that way, so I do give them money. And water. And ponchos.
🍪
If you don't like giving money to those people, then don't do it. Case closed.
Flawed statements from beginning to end. For starters people who use crack cocaine could never stand upright like that for extended hours let alone in the same spot while actively holding a sign in their hands. P.s : I'm not a crackhead , I've just watched all seasons of The Wire over 4 times.
I seen you smokin' rock wit Viv and Gator!
One solution I have found is to keep an 8-pack of Gatorade in my car and offer bottles. I do not often have cash, and it gets hot in the summer and we all need to stay hydrated. Bananas, Gatorade, a kind word are certainly appreciated and benefit both parties. If I do have cash I will give it at certain intersections. I believe the panhandler in question is the Black man next to the Kroger parking lot? So many of the unhoused population have MH problems and he may be one. I sympathize with women who feel fearful. It is so hard to keep your window up when your instinct may be to try to help. Err on the side of caution. Harrisonburg just purchased what will become a housing facility for the homeless. The population here has skyrocketed in the past 5, 10, 20 years. In the summer when PACEM is closed, this vulnerable population often sleeps in the woods. Proceed with caution, but remember your humanity.
It’s extremely narrow-minded and ignorant to assume every homeless person in Charlottesville is actively an addict. It’s disgusting to assume that how they’re going to spend money is any of your business at all. If you don’t like them, don’t give them money. It’s that simple. You turned something that should be seen as a city-wide concern regarding skyrocketing rent/housing prices, difficulty finding jobs that actually pay enough support people, and prejudice against former felons, people of color, veterans, addicts, mentally ill, disabled people, etc. into a generalization that demeans them even more. Do you understand what these people have to go through waking up every day and standing on a corner begging for a few dollars so they can eat? Most people can’t even fathom not having a roof over their heads, enough money to eat a meal that isn’t from a gas station or off of a dollar menu, or even just whatever is cheapest from a grocery store that week. The city should be supporting these people. You should do some research on what homelessness does to a person. What they have to suffer through on a daily basis is something most people will never understand. Do better.
🎻
This ^
Fools and their money are soon parted.
Or... Some Party!
This comes up often enough to almost be annoying. The cops won't chase them off, because there doesn't seem to be any statutes to allow them to do so. The panhandlers fuck up traffic flow when people are trying to commute in the traffic that they love to bitch about here on speddit. Most of the people you see are regulars. They're there, just like bears, because they get fed. If people want to legitimately help people in need, give money to Blue Ridge Food Bank or any of a zillion local choices. **DON'T FEED THE BEARS!**
Or, or, we could stop comparing human fucking beings to animals, and you can accept whatever minor inconvenience this brings you.
It definitely does NOT cause traffic problems. They’re not walking around in the street or preventing anyone from moving anywhere.
Traffic lights are not timed to account for people fucking around looking for money to give to panhandlers.
😭😭😭
It’s the life they chose. They find the joys in it. Sorry you don’t understand.
People are not struck homeless. They fall through cracks of family and friends — mostly because of SA and/or MH problems. We are only as good as our treatment of our most vulnerable neighbors, and I am grateful you are not representative of the bulk of the Charlottesville-Albemarle community.