We Went To A Popular Chinese Restaurant Monday Evening For Dinner…

Got out of my car and the boy was walking ahead and he turned to me and warned “There’s a guy near the door & I think he’s asking for money.” He was standing off to the side and not right in front of the door. This guy was young, mid-20s, no shirt & a huge belly, wearing slide-on plastic shoes a size too small & jogging pants. He was doing a small step pace back and forth while holding his arms down around the bottom of his belly. Stops when he sees us walking up & says in a quiet almost childlike voice “Can you give me some money?” I said no and we went inside. I told the boy the food & shelter place was a few blocks away and if he lives around here he would know that. Maybe he was hungry for Chinese food or needed something from the Dollar Tree but he can’t go inside either one without a shirt. Seemed something off about him if he was mental he was too subdued about it. I also noticed when we were about to leave that he was not standing in eye-shot of the restaurant’s windows. So he definitely knew how to stay out of their line of sight. The boy went to school the next day and talked about this guy at lunch. One of his friends told him that he sounded exactly like a guy they saw while visiting Scissortail Park in Oklahoma City, he described his size, what he was wearing and the fact that he was doing the small-step pacing back and forth while not moving from the area. I told the boy if this guy was really mental how did he travel from OKC to our town to stand around and panhandle? And he goes where the people are, Scissortail Park was probably having some kind of event up there when the other boy was there. Small world. All kinds of panhandlers these days trying different schtick’s get sympathy and money.

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Lilymoon · F

The amount of homeless people here is almost doubled from a few years ago. Sad sign of the times.
But there are scammers too. :/

cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

@Lilymoon someone who had been homeless for a period of time about 20 years ago told me about the scammers bragging to her what all they were doing to get people to feel sorry for them and give them money. All kinds of sad stories and manipulations, they just didn’t want to find a job when they could beg off people and get a bed to sleep on in a shelter. There are all kinds of resources, churches & other charities provide so much, no reason to beg for money for legitimate needs here in my city. But it has become a magnet for the professional “homeless” who don’t want to work and some of them are criminals who will also steal.

Lilymoon · F

@cherokeepatti Yeah I don't doubt that.... makes it really difficult for the actual "homeless" people 😕

cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

@Lilymoon they are taking resources away from those in dire need. There are social workers here who will assist them in getting their SS cards, their birth certificates, ID cards to get them signed up for help but at least 40% refuse to do it. They would rather play people and get what they want that way.

Lilymoon · F

@cherokeepatti Yeah that's pretty sad..

cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

@Lilymoon A man on the other side of the city told me you can drive up to Chick-Fil-A in that area of the city and there’s always a long line of people at the drive-through waiting to order. And always panhandlers there from starting about 10 a.m. asking people in their cars for money. He told me that he tells them about businesses that are hiring and always needing new employees and that’ll shut them down immediately, they don’t want to work. They want donations and tax-free ones at that.