panhandlers!

[metro]

It's not a sack. It's a BAAAG!

I've heard them called baggers here in Oklahoma and everywhere else, just as I've heard sacker. Both about equally.

[nik4411]

There used to be a guy in a wheelchair who sat at the off ramp from I-240 onto May avenue who was begging for money, I used to see him a lot going to OCCC. One day while stopping in at the gas station there by burger king, I was hitting the atm and saw the very guy buying a case of beer.

Hadn't seen him in a long time then a while back i saw him on Meridian and I-40.

[Thunder]

Passed by one on I-40 and Eastern on the way to OU. On the way back, a completely different person took the place. So, they're rotating spots/shifts.

[Prunepicker]

Wow, do you also ask them if they have a car and a house - and when they
say "no" do you laugh and jiggle your keys in front of them?

No. I just ask for $20 before they ask me.

[hoya]

This isn't a liberal/conservative thing. I'm pretty conservative but I recognize that these people are in a bad spot in their lives (whether its because of something they did, or they just hit the bad luck lottery doesn't matter -- that they're in that spot now is what is important). Yes, there are some who try to scam you. I had a lady in DC who would always come up and tell me she was pregnant and hungry. She never looked any different, over the course of three years she never had that baby. Did I give her money? No. But I'm not gonna pretend that life was great for her. I would see her sleeping on steam grates in the winter. She certainly wasn't flying down to Miami for a vacation.

[Midtowner]

I have a habit of taking photos of odd things I see.

Some of my favorites are of panhandlers.

Here's one I thought was being creative...

Brian Bates's Photos | Facebook


Or, this guy...

Brian Bates's Photos | Facebook

Y'know.. one of these days that camera of yours is going to get you into some trouble....

[Midtowner]

Just checking in on OKCTalk and see that some of the same old people who live in comfort get a kick out of making fun of the uncomfortable. And some do it with such two-faced hypocrisy; sweet as honey on one side - cold as ice on the other. I don't miss the judgmental Oklahomans who claim so often to be such wonderful "Christian people." I don't really think it matters if some of the panhandlers are scammers since there are scammers from Wall Street to your local OCURA, etc. I can just look at the faces of those people on the corners and know they've led a tough life. They are people and the why isn't so important to me. Their life is hardly an easy one. As for their "choosing" their lives, haven't you Christian folk heard, "There but the grace of God go I?"

On the one hand, yes, Christians are supposed to be charitable. On the other, how can we help someone who refuses to help themselves? My heart goes out to those who are on the street due to physical and mental infirmity. Their status, however, is a choice. The government does provide a subsistence for such people and there are numerous not-for-profit charities as well which provide fantastic services if people would only ask.

You might argue that the insane are incapable of making choices and you might be right -- but consider the alternative -- a state where you're locked up if you're just a bit loopy according to a doctor.

As for those who are physically and mentally able, there is no excuse for them. Giving them cash merely provides incentive for them to maintain the status quo.

Then there are the addicts. I do think society needs to step up to the plate and provide better services for addiction. I'd love to see us overhaul our DEA into something modeled on the Netherlands, but that ain't happening. In any event, addiction is also a choice.

In Biblical times, the poor were often not poor because of choice but because of race or social standing. Economic opportunity wasn't plentiful and the religious institutions were the only place the poor could go for assistance. They didn't care if people starved. Times have changed, and so too, I think, the Bible's meaning insofar as charity is concerned has changed as well. I don't see the hypocrisy in making fun of this guy:

[KSGcreations]

What bothers me the most are the panhandlers with their children there with them.! I just feel so sorry for those babies.

[okclee]

I have hired two panhandlers to do work (manual labor jobs), both worked one day for me. At the end of the day I was told that they make more money on the corner then working for me @ $9.00 per hour.

Another informed me that all of his family (brother, dad, uncle, aunt) all were panhandlers.

[BBatesokc]

Y'know.. one of these days that camera of yours is going to get you into some trouble....

Been there, done that!

[BBatesokc]

I wish our panhandlers could learn some skills and be like the ones in NYC etc. where they are street performers for tips instead of beggars. Not that I haven't seen the beggar type in NYC, I just appreciate street performers and many of them are homeless and very close to it.

[Prunepicker]

What bothers me the most are the panhandlers with their children there with
them.! I just feel so sorry for those babies.

Maybe it was take your kid to work day.

[Midtowner]

I wish our panhandlers could learn some skills and be like the ones in NYC etc. where they are street performers for tips instead of beggars. Not that I haven't seen the beggar type in NYC, I just appreciate street performers and many of them are homeless and very close to it.

Actually, NYC, at least for certain spots holds auditions. I know that's the case for the subway musicians. If you want a spot to play in the subway you have to audition and you'd better be damned good because the competition is tough.

[Midtowner]

Been there, done that!

Got the t-shirt, some flyers and the van to prove it, eh?

[nik4411]

Yes I hate seeing them with young children or a puppy or cute dog or something like that to try and guilt people into feeling sorry for them.

[feconi]

Yes I hate seeing them with young children or a puppy or cute dog or something like that to try and guilt people into feeling sorry for them.

You should see some of the panhandlers here in Austin. Many of them have dogs, but most of these dogs are in bad shape, too. The homeless problem down here is pretty bad; seems much worse than in OKC. Many of them are young and claim to be homeless by choice. Problem is, many of these young panhandlers are aggressive in asking for money, openly do hard drugs in the street, tag every store front, sign, and light pole in sight, and contribute to a high burglary rate in the near campus area. I truly feel sorry for those who are legitimately down on their luck, particularly because these young "rebels" give the rest a bad name.

[Thunder]

Why don't some of us give it a try on our day off for a few hours to experience it. We can learn how it goes and share it on here.

"Need help pay food and bills. (OKCTalk.com Experiment)" on the cardboard.

[PennyQuilts]

I don't think the ones who are artists in NYC are homeless. A lot of artsy kids go to NYC and that is part of the experience. Same deal with DC. People with the skill and discipline to do that sort of thing typically have it together, cognitively. By virtue of being part of a group of fellow artists and within a creative community they tend to be about 25 steps above your typical zany or junkie.

There used to be some panhandlers off the highway near Meridian. One summer I had to go by there in the afternoons and we went through a terrible hot spell. One had a dog (a pit, it looked like) whose tongue would drag the ground and pant so I used to drop off water for the poor thing every evening. Just hand out a waterbottle. They didn't even get that poor thing into the shade.

[BailJumper]

I'd love to see street performers. But yeah, I don't think our panhandlers have skills I'd want to see.

[BailJumper]

Why don't some of us give it a try on our day off for a few hours to experience it. We can learn how it goes and share it on here.

"Need help pay food and bills. (OKCTalk.com Experiment)" on the cardboard.

Didn't the guy who does the "walk a mile in my shoes" show do that once?

[BBatesokc]

Got the t-shirt, some flyers and the van to prove it, eh?

Yes to the t-shirts and flyers (with DumDum suckers attached), but sadly the van is gone. I donated it to The Christian Service Center (sans vinyl wrap) so they can use it to collect donations of clothes and food that they distribute to the poor and homeless.

They are on SW 24th and S. Robinson Ave. They are identical to a thrift store expect all their items are free. Many of the panhandlers go there for a change of clothes, food, etc. The number of working poor (or recently unemployed) who get services there is astonishing.

[metro]

I don't think the ones who are artists in NYC are homeless. A lot of artsy kids go to NYC and that is part of the experience. Same deal with DC. People with the skill and discipline to do that sort of thing typically have it together, cognitively. By virtue of being part of a group of fellow artists and within a creative community they tend to be about 25 steps above your typical zany or junkie.

There used to be some panhandlers off the highway near Meridian. One summer I had to go by there in the afternoons and we went through a terrible hot spell. One had a dog (a pit, it looked like) whose tongue would drag the ground and pant so I used to drop off water for the poor thing every evening. Just hand out a waterbottle. They didn't even get that poor thing into the shade.

I've seen a few of these "art kids" hitting the streets the last few months here.

[Prunepicker]

There are street musicians in Bricktown.
I've thought about taking my grand daughter and grand son and to a trio
thing. Violin, Guitar and bass.

There's been this one guitar player on the Spaghetti Warehouse corner who's
been there for years. He hasn't improved but he has fun. I always say hi on
the way to a gig.

I did a few gigs on the back of a water taxi. That was fun?

[Prunepicker]

I found this interesting, but not surprising.

In a recent study, the Homeless Alliance found that only 20 percent of
panhandlers in Bricktown and downtown Oklahoma City are actually
homeless.

Homeless Camps Pop Up Across OKC Metro - Money News Story - KOCO
Oklahoma City

[Prunepicker]

What ever happened to Hobos, vagabonds and tramps? When I was a kid
they were everywhere. These people were not homeless by any stretch of
the imagination. It was their way of life and they lived by their street
smarts.