'Don't give us money': Homeless man says almost all cash given to beggars goes to buy

[poledriver]

'Don't give us money': Homeless man says almost all cash given to beggars goes to buying drugs and alcohol

A homeless man has warned people to think twice before giving cash to beggars, instead urging people to donate food or clothes that those without homes can use to survive.
Robert Marriner, a homeless man in West Auckland, is intent on deterring the people from giving cash to beggars because most often used to fuel a drug or alcohol addiction, he told TVNZ's Marae program.
'Please, whoever you are in the community, please stop giving hustlers money,' he told the program.

'The majority of them are using it to buy drugs and alcohol.'
Mr Marriner has been living on the streets since 1984 after escaping an abusive father.
He said the community's charitable intentions were appreciated, but misguided.
'Hey I take my hat off to the community for supporting people that they might think are hungry and might think that they are starving,' Mr Marriner said.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...es-people-not-cash-beggars.html#ixzz4C6Ol6tC9

 

[JessFR]

From my experiences with homelessness and panhandling, yes virtually everyone was begging for drugs... And I don't give a shit really, I still give money when I have a chance, worst case scenario it's going to their drugs instead of my drugs.

 

[manboychef]

From my experiences with homelessness and panhandling, yes virtually everyone was begging for drugs... And I don't give a shit really, I still give money when I have a chance, worst case scenario it's going to their drugs instead of my drugs.

Here here. If it prevents crime, then it is a good thing. When I was homeless and panhandling. If I didn't get my fix I was going to shoplift till I got one.

 

[JessFR]

I gotta admit, this guy pisses me off. It's probably because I still use drugs and used to panhandle for money for drugs, and the idea of some guy just trying to fuck it up with his moralizing doesn't exactly put me in a good mood. And I have such a low opinion of normal everyday people that them being deceived really doesn't bother me. Lots of things I've done for drugs weigh on my conscience enormously, but that's not one of them. Check with me again if I get clean one day I might have a different answer.

If you don't wanna pay for their drugs, give them food or cigarettes or something. Part of the reason all the money we made went to drugs is because we generally got enough food and cigarettes from people to not need to buy them anyway.

 

[assclass]

Don't give them change, give them a bed and a job, and someone to talk to.

 

[tremours]

Though I never never liked panhandling, I was always really thankful when someone bought me a beer, though stealing liquor is so easy it doesn't matter

 

[consumer]

I will give them conversation, food, ciggies, weed, acid, or money. Always have always will.

 

[manboychef]

Yeah. A lot of these guys are treated like they don't exist. Yes money would be cool if you were dopesick, but I think some of them just want some real human interaction that is not beset by the insecurity of being homeless.

 

[Ligaturd]

This isn't a deterrent for addiction. This method of getting money to feed a habit is harmless compared to the other things people resort to. Addicts will only quit when they are ready, forced interventions or depriving them of their source of income are not going to make them change. People will be in and out of jail constantly and still go back. When the moment is right, they will make the changes that they need to make.

Addiction is a horrible affliction but these people could use some empathy and understanding. I always give change or smokes if I can spare it and I always treat homeless people with respect, they are people struggling and the stigma of being homeless usually causes people to be on their guard and dismissive of them.

 

[ThaDudeAbides]

This dude is going get himself in trouble messing with other peoples hustle. A lot of people who panhandle are not homeless. Some serious panhandlers out there. Watch yourself.

 

[Snake_Eyes]

I don't really care what they spend it on, if it helps make their day suck a little less then I'm fine with that.

 

[JessFR]

This dude is going get himself in trouble messing with other peoples hustle. A lot of people who panhandle are not homeless. Some serious panhandlers out there. Watch yourself.

Very true and very good point, you'd think this guy would know that.

I don't really care what they spend it on, if it helps make their day suck a little less then I'm fine with that.

That's always been my philosophy

 

[nuttynutskin]

The last person I gave money to was digging through the trash at a bus stop. They weren't even begging, and I figured they most likely would spend it on food unless they were trying to find drugs in a garbage can.

I also figure if I make the choice to give someone money then it's up to them what they're going to spend it on. If you don't want them potentially spending it on drugs or alcohol you can always do like the guy in the article says and buy them a sandwich.

One thing is I absolutely won't give money to someone who I can tell is spinning a bullshit story. Just come out and say that it's for beer and I'll be more likely to make a donation than if I know you're lying.

 

[JessFR]

The only problem with giving food is lots of other people have the same idea. Back when I was doing it we got more food than we could get through, so we'd have to share, sell, or toss it. Theres only so much food you need. Cigarettes at least keep longer, easier to sell or trade too.

 

[nuttynutskin]

So the guy is pretty accurate then... A lot of the money is just going to feed people's addictions, not on necessities. That's fine if you don't care I guess, I'm just saying that there's other things you can give the homeless if you don't want them spending it on drugs.

 

[spacejunk]

This dude is going get himself in trouble messing with other peoples hustle. A lot of people who panhandle are not homeless. Some serious panhandlers out there. Watch yourself.

Yeah, i agree. You'd assume he's pretty streetwise, having apparently been homeless for 32 years - about his whole adult life, if you believe the article - so you'd hope nobody would fuck with him for spinning some tail for a trashy report like this.
I'm curious to know what the details are behind the interview.
Like
a) was he quoted accurately?
b) was he paid for the interview?
c) If so, how much - and what did he spend it on?

I feel like this sort of story suits the tabloid news agenda/narrative too neatly.
Dude on the street gets offered - lets say, a couple of hundred - even $50 - he's going to tell them whatever they want to hear. Although i'm sure he's too experienced a hustler to give an interview for too little cash reward.
He could have told them any old shit they wanted to hear so the journalist could get their cheap "angle" on the story.

I'd rather homeless addicts get money from panhandling than stealing, mugging, ripping fellow useer off, having to deal with being homeless and sick or whatever.
But really - is this news, daily mail?
"People begging on the street spend the money on drugs and alcohol!"

I wouldn't be surprised at all if this cat got paid for the story - then spent the money on getting loaded. And why the fuck not?
Buti think it makes the story fucking hypocritical.

'Because it's sad to say but a lot of them are feeding addictions, that money may be supporting.'

...as if the people in question were drug-free before they started having to beg for change on the street.

So much wrong with this story/tabloid rag IMO

 

[Felonious Monk]

I give weed if I have with me, almost never cash. Sometimes water/food if I can.

At my last place (which was more city than my current place), there was one specific guy that hung out a lot in the alley behind my place and I'd save up a HUGE bag of bottles/cans/glass and give it to him (like $5-10 when returned). Also a good amount of weed, bottles of water if it was hot, etc.

 

[nuttynutskin]

I don't see why people have a problem with this guy... Not everyone that wants to help the homeless wants to also help fund their drug addiction. And if he indeed just said all of the stuff he said so he could get paid and get loaded (which is a huge assumption), the people defending panhandling for drugs shouldn't have a problem either because he's just doing the same thing on a slightly bigger scale. And either way it's not like he's revealing some huge revelation that's going to affect panhandlers from getting money for drugs.

 

[JessFR]

I don't see why people have a problem with this guy... Not everyone that wants to help the homeless wants to also help fund their drug addiction. And if he indeed just said all of the stuff he said so he could get paid and get loaded (which is a huge assumption), the people defending panhandling for drugs shouldn't have a problem either because he's just doing the same thing on a slightly bigger scale. And either way it's not like he's revealing some huge revelation that's going to affect panhandlers from getting money for drugs.

He's not quite doing the same thing. Unlike the panhandlers, if this guy got money, he got it by selling out other people doing exactly the same thing, that's worse.

And I get that not everybody wants to help feed someone's drug addiction, but the simple fact is what they want doesn't matter. The world is full of scams and dishonest cons that are totally legal and tolerated in society that bring money into the pockets of people far less deserving than us. And those are flat out lies, many of us are just lying by omission or by assumption. Now does that make what we're doing right? No of course not. But in our very gray world, going after the lightest shades and ignoring the darkest is bs. And the fact is, if you spend money, that money will one way or another wind up going to people with drug addictions, along with everybody else participating in the overall economy. This is just more direct and overt.

My point is, sure, some people don't want to give money if it might get used on drugs, but being a panhandler, on drugs or not, doesn't make you a bad person as you know, and doing it already takes up a lot of time as it is. Someone going out of their way or for money to make doing it take longer is gonna seem like a dick move to a lot of people who've had to do it.

Everyone I knew including myself was doing it for their habit, but that doesn't mean that's true of everybody, and this guy fucked over them too. It just seems unnecessary. And thinking he was paid for it isn't a stretch, and even if he's not an addict himself that still means he fucked over a very very soft target for his own gain.

That's why it pisses me off and id bet it's why it pisses other people off.

 

[nuttynutskin]

Assuming he got paid for the article, how many other homeless people or panhandlers would have done the exact same thing as this guy? I'm guessing a shit load, so I don't see the point in ostracizing the guy. Like I already said, I really doubt this one guy is going to have much if any affect on people panhandling for drug money. Anyone that doesn't live under a rock already knows that it happens all the time so for me it's a nonissue.