Begging outside shops etc, should be stopped?

[Bookingsmamas]

Shouldn’t these places have their security move these people on? It’s absolutely getting ridiculous now. I’ve seen a steady increase of these men begging for cash, they’re homeless, etc etc.

I have 0 issue with someone sitting outside somewhere asking for money. But they aren’t doing that, they’re going up to cars, people walking by. And now tapping on my bloody car. Twice since going to our local Aldi, someone has tapped?! On my car when I’ve tried to ignore them politely.

It just feels very intrusive. AIBU to think security should be stopping them or encouraging them to move along? Our local shopping centre is excellent and moving these people straight on

@AnotherKrampus

Despite the heavy-handed virtual signalling in this thread, the majority agrees with OP.

Who cares? Total lack of compassion is nothing to be proud of.

Some of you should be ashamed. yes, for suggesting that women should tolerate violence and intimidation from what is probably a drug addict or a scammer because there’s an outside chance they’re not. And actually, even if they were genuinely homeless there is no excuse for harassment and violence.

But hey, keep telling the people who are being intimidated that they should be ashamed.

Do you say the same to women being sexually harassed when out and about as well? I mean, there’s a chance the harasser might have some underlying difficulty which means he can’t help it.

Imagine that! He’s handed over his mortgage statements and mental health records to the gossips who have clearly verified his status as a wealthy homeowner but gets annoyed when people remind him of that

I live locally and therefore I will say I have more knowledge of this situation than a random person on MN who thinks they know better than I do. This particular "gentleman" (scammer) lives in a 4 bedroom house and travels 45 minutes or so to our town because people are more generous and keep falling for it. He did get moved on and had disappeared for a while but he was back last week

Aggressive begging is frightening and it's usually organised begging too,nobody should be frightened going to Aldi unfortunately there isn't a lot the security guards can safely do. I know when it was happening outside shops where I am the police had to become involved.

Get angry about an affluent society that tolerates homelessness and people so poor they have to beg

and get angry about a society that allows scamming beggars to intimidate women

The one does not preclude the other.

Around here the beggars are genuinely homeless they are usually suffering from drug addiction they sleep in tents in the park, it isn't a business.
I know it is a business for some people but the ones I will offer tea too are the down and out.

I usually have a chat with them.

They happen to be normal humans for the most part, even if they are the dreaded drug addicted types.

I've never found them to be intimidating - generally just happy to chat and grateful for a quid or two. I can imagine they might be horrible if I spoke to them with disdain though

In fact anyone who gives money to a drug addict should be ashamed. Ashamed for giving money to drug dealers, for encouraging the trafficking industry which leads to these drug dealers’ presence, for paying for the hit which might kill someone.

Compassion isn’t funding someone’s drug habit and the associated benefits to those providing for them.

Forgot to add yanbu and shouldn't be harassed no matter what their personal circumstances are.

@Laiste

They don't always want ''something to eat''. There is a man (tall, 20s) who cruises round a local petrol station forecourt and the mc donalds drive thru queue near us begging. DH has repeatedly offered to buy food from maccies for him or go into the Morrisons (petrol station shop) with him for him to chose a sandwhich/meal ect. No. He wants cash.

A woman's concerns about men aggressivly begging them for cash is not something to be shouted down and shamed.

This.

Yeah but they are not tapping on your car asking for money are they ?

Where we live the drug dealers literally hang round, the beggars get their fix then run off. It's horrible to see. They aren't homeless. A number have appeared in the local paper for aggressive begging. They all have addresses. I've intervened when one who had obviously befriended / groomed a young girl I know who has learning difficulties. She was handing him a £20 note.

Let's face it, we can't ban begging because do gooders will always give money which just perpetuates the problem. What I would like to see is a visible presence of drug and homeless outreach workers. Educating the public and being shown to offer support. Because it is there for the taking. I'd also like to see a police presence targeting the area we know the dealers are hanging around because at the moment they're having a field day completely unchecked.

What @AlternativePerspective said - also supports cuckooing , gang violence , knife crime and county lines. And that goes for all of you buying weed too. Drug dealers are scum, don't support scum.

Or rather, the last part of this.

A friend works at my local LIDL, there’s always one and sometimes two or three men sat outside asking for money, she can see from the till and has noticed that it’s almost always only women they ask for money.

I think I can do what I like with my money @AlternativePerspective

Although I do tend to ask them what they want from the shop I'm going in and buy them that rather than give them money

I have on a couple of occasions said, come in with me and I will buy you what you want. Each time, I have been expecting them to go mad and do a Supermarket Sweep type of thing, but that's never happened. One woman got a chocolate milkshake and some soap. Kinda broke my heart that was all she thought she could ask for.

Leaving aside scammers, the people in this situation are usually there for complicated reasons. They have emotional problems, mental health issues and often ingrained addictions. Helping them is a hugely complex issue. Throwing money at an addict will do nothing, in my opinion, but encourage them into an early grave.

Giving to a good charity, providing food/clothing, or perhaps just talking to them would do much more good than throwing them a bit of cash as far as I’m concerned.

Seems like there are different types of beggars going on.

We don't seem to have gangland organised begging round here.

I think I can do what I like with my money @AlternativePerspective**

This. And if a fix makes a miserable existence tolerable for a few hours I’ll fund that. I see women my age on the streets and shudder at how easily that could have been me if I’d been dealt different cards.

Throwing money at an addict will do nothing, in my opinion, but encourage them into an early grave.

That is true, but I also know that a lot of addiction comes about because of a lack of human connection, and sometime a bit of human kindness goes a long way.

I work on public transport and it is a fact many beggars are working for/exploited by criminal gangs. This is particularly obvious when tissue scammers have the same printed sob stories used by different people.

It's harder to know if random people on the street are legitimate but if it involves threats or aggression (perceived or actual) it is not OK. YANBU

@mainsfed

I'm not sure if they should be moved on if they're not doing anything illegal, but I notice that it's men who always approach you with a tale about needing bus money or knock on your car window. Do they mainly target women?

In my previous city it was always women who approached with the sad story about needing money to get home. First time I gave as my good deed for the day. Same woman, same story, the next week when I said I’d already given she told me to fuck off.

It hardens you tbh the local 24 hour shop had permanent beggars. The rucksack/ sleeping bag/ scabby blanket/ sign/ cup set up would stay but the beggars would do shifts. A car would pull up new beggar would hop out cover up their perfectly nice clean clothes with scabby blanket on the sleeping bag nest. Old beggar would hop in the rather snazzy car.

Like pp a lot of it is gangs/ drugs. It’s a real shame for the genuinely homeless as they will get less help/ are treated with suspicion as so many resources are taken up unnecessarily.

I think people are being harsh on OP.

I feel for homeless people, I will happily buy them some lunch or a hot drink, I’m happy to sit and talk to someone but I’m not happy for people to approach me asking for money or tap on my car window. I would feel intimidated if someone was sat near the trolleys outside a supermarket asking everyone who collected a trolley for cash. I have also heard of people pretending to be homeless and making £100’s from begging.

That doesn’t mean I have no compassion for these people, I feel for anyone who has no riff over their head but it’s wrong to approach strangers begging for money and as someone who has been physically and sexually assaulted I would find this quite scary.

I think I can do what I like with my money crack on then. Continue to finance drug dealing, trafficking, paedophile rings.

There’s a vast difference between buying someone a sandwich and giving them money which has far reaching consequences.

In fact anyone who gives money to a drug addict should be ashamed. Ashamed for giving money to drug dealers, for encouraging the trafficking industry which leads to these drug dealers’
Drugs maybe a reason they're destitute but I have seen them on a few occasions empty their cup to buy a bag of chips for heat.

@murbblurb

the real charities and organisations for the homeless (Shelter does not provide Shelter) tell you not to give to beggars. Instead give to the support organisations.

In the UK, many of these people are not what they seem, or do not get to keep what is given to them.

This.

Doesn't stop people insulting others about not wanting to give to beggars (who btw are absolutely not necessarily homeless...)