Todays Vent

[ten ocho recon scout]

For any socal locals, as you know this is supposedly the start of our first big downpour. Like clockwork, as soon as i start today we have 3 seperate transients calling saying they want to kill themselves.

Basically what theyre doing is trying to get out of the rain for a few days. Thats why they cant go to the hospital on their own, they want us to lodge them. If they go on their own, the hosital will set them up with a psych doc and release them with scheduled meetings. Theyll play this game all winter.

Obviously not the only reason, but next time you see your insurance costs, remember this. (Not to include the twice a month trip we have to take to the hospital for being passed out inebriated in public.) It costs like a thousand dollars every time we take a drunk to the hospital for observation.

Sorry, rant for the day

[Adam]

I thought you guys usually just shot those people

[gotbeer]

Do what everyone other city does.  Drop them off at skid row and let LA handle it. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

Do what everyone other city does. Drop them off at skid row and let LA handle it.

la is dumping them on us. Theres a new housing unit opening soon thats going to make it worse

[ABC]

I have no idea how to manage the homeless but this is ridiculous.

[gotbeer]

Sweet.  It's episode 6 time.  Revenge of LA. 

 

Until some moron says LA doesn't get revenge, and all the Vagrants do a Return to LA.

[ten ocho recon scout]

I have no idea how to manage the homeless but this is ridiculous.

there really is no answer. The problem is way, way too many of rhem dont want help. Believe me, we offer it...we have guys at work whos only job is to drive around with a social worker and recommend programs (free to them). Ask them and theyll tell you none take them up on the offers...

There are truly sad cases. There are working poor who live in motels with kids. Work at walmart or something, spend the govt check and paycheck on rent, BUT, they are working and only buying food. The general public doesnt see them, and really dont cause any problems.

The ones you see are a pain in the ass. A handful are legit mental cases. The rest are too lazy to work and chose being homeless. Some have mental issues, but its not natural, more the result of decades on the street and substance abuse.

If they would just buy their booze/dope, go hode somewhere and disappear, it wouldnt be an issue. But they call is and fire constantly (from free phones) because theyre always fighting each other. Because one of them OD'd. Merchants call us constNtly because they wont leave, theyre jacking off in the restroom, shitting on the side of a restaraunt,

Before i took this job i sae things a lot different. But its gotten really old. Again, thre are absolutely sad cases and people who are victims of circumstance. The overwhelming majority though put themselves there. Dont know about you guys, but id have to really work at it to burn every bridge in the world to the point no one will let me crash at their house until i get back on my feet.

[Adam]

Seriously.

[wopphil]

I am probably a terrible person, but I can't stand transients. Don't want to be anywhere near them and wouldn't mind seeing them all kicked out of my city.

[wopphil]

And here is how you know they are all full of shit: they never loiter near a restaurant and ask for food. Instead, they ask for money.

Imagine if you saw a homeless guy at INO with a sign that said "hungry, please buy me a hamburger." He would have enough food to feed himself and his whole tent city in mere minutes. Every single person who went through the drive-through would buy him a combo meal. But instead, they ask for "help" in the form of money in order to buy their booze and drugs.

[Catwhoshatinthehat]

I am probably a terrible person, but I can't stand transients. Don't want to be anywhere near them and wouldn't mind seeing them all kicked out of my city.

 

Transient's are like nuclear power plants - most people are fine with them as long as they aren't in their city bringing down property values and posing a safety risk.  To be honest I agree because as much as I fee bad for someone living on the streets I don't want to worry about a transient who is mentally ill posing a risk to my fiancee or any kids I have in the future.  As mentioned some are where they are because they don't want help and there's not much you can do about that. 

[juansavage1]

If you work for a public entity, follow the policy set by your fellow citizens. If you're a business, it's up to you to make the decision. I wouldn't help lowlifes, and help wouldn't really help them anyways. 

[ABC]

And here is how you know they are all full of shit: they never loiter near a restaurant and ask for food. Instead, they ask for money.

Imagine if you saw a homeless guy at INO with a sign that said "hungry, please buy me a hamburger." He would have enough food to feed himself and his whole tent city in mere minutes. Every single person who went through the drive-through would buy him a combo meal. But instead, they ask for "help" in the form of money in order to buy their booze and drugs.

 

Once I was in a Mexican restaurant and one came in asking patrons for food—table by table. He got bounced before he got to me. Before I leave I order an extra burrito and track the homeless guy down. I offer him the burrito and he asked me "what kind" it is before accepting it. 

 

One night I offered a homeless dude my newly purchased to-go meal as I see him digging in the trash. He asked, "are you sure that you don't need it because you're a tall, big guy. You need more food." HAHA. I did just come back from the gym and was sporting my guns. He seemed cool and accepted the meal after a quick conversation. 

 

I avoid specific plazas and stores because the homes are ALWAYS asking for money. Some of them quite aggressively. WTF, business owners? Get rid of them. 

[ABC]

I am probably a terrible person, but I can't stand transients. Don't want to be anywhere near them and wouldn't mind seeing them all kicked out of my city.

 

Agreed. Santa Monica, Venice and West LA have areas full of zombies on the streets after 10p. I live in Samo and it sucks to have the shelters here. Most homeless just want to be invisible, some are obviously mentally gone but there are too many that peacock around town and bother people. You can have a $2MM condo with a view of the ocean and countless homeless discouraging you from taking a late night walk. The same goes for the runaways/mad max extras who are even more volatile. 

[Glen]

We have a homeless dude out here who is always pushing one of those wheeled carts around, the ones that are like mini shopping carts. He also has a small dog. Every time I see him (about once a week) I slip him a fiver and then get him some McDonald's. Dude is always grateful and always feeds the dog first. Breaks my goddamned heart.

[Adam]

I always see a family of five white folks in clean clothes, with a large cooler and beach chairs in front of Costco in Laguna Niguel asking for money. 

[gotbeer]

If you work for a public entity, follow the policy set by your fellow citizens. If you're a business, it's up to you to make the decision. I wouldn't help lowlifes, and help wouldn't really help them anyways. 

 

You can give a vagrant a fish, and it will feed him for a day.

 

You can teach a vagrant how to fish, and he will say, there are no rivers here, give me a dollar.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Agreed. Santa Monica, Venice and West LA have areas full of zombies on the streets after 10p. I live in Samo and it sucks to have the shelters here. Most homeless just want to be invisible, some are obviously mentally gone but there are too many that peacock around town and bother people. You can have a $2MM condo with a view of the ocean and countless homeless discouraging you from taking a late night walk. The same goes for the runaways/mad max extras who are even more volatile.

Good point in the middle of that. The truly mentally ill ones avoid people, go way out of their way to avoid people. True schizophrenics are generally speaking scared of people, and its not at all thier fault, obviously. They are the ones that set up in drainage tunnels, along railroad tracks etc. And they try as much as they can to avoid other transients. They sometimes come out at night to go canning but thats about it.

But the other ones are the oppsoite. They actually have sort of a community. They are territorial. They break into cars, they rob each other, they smoke together etc. They are the ones who cause the problems. Basically, they commit the same crimes as non transient crooks, the difference being they hang out in the open in between all that. And when they get drunk theyw dont go anywhere, just pass out in front of wherever theyve decided to set up shop.

Starbucks is one of those places thst attracts a lot of problems because of the free wifi. We get calls on that all the time. Most of the time they leave when asked, but you get some that just constantly come back, causing the same problems, because they know nothing is really going to happen to them. Even if you arrest/cite them for municipal codes (like trespassing, littering, drunk in public, etc), they go to a seperate court and get sentanced to sweeping a sidewalk for an hour. (Which usually means sweeping for 3 minutes and standing around smoking with other transients for the rest of the time).

[Glen]

When I lived in LA there was a homeless guy jacking off under his cardboard.

It was gross but I figured he had to take care himself just like the rest of us.

Playa do what a playa do, that's all.

[Angelsjunky]

Clearly its a huge problem. The question is, what to do about it? We can say "I don't like transients and want them out of my town," but then where do they go? To some other town where another guy feels and says the same thing. Or we can say, "most of them put themselves there," but the fact is they are there, and it can be very hard to get out of that place--especially when you throw in alcoholism or drug addiction or mental illness or a disability, and a LOT of homeless folks suffer from some combination of the above.

 

So what to do? This problem may get worse before it gets better, because with automation and outsourcing there may be fewer and fewer menial jobs to give people some semblance of work and home. At some point we're probably going to have to bite the bullet and do something like Finland will be doing and have a "basic wage" that everyone gets to cover minimal cost of living, but then you'll have people complaining about spending their taxes on these wastoids...not much different than now, but at least (in theory) poor people won't be homeless and will have their basic needs taken care of.

[Tank]

we have a guy that hangs out by target. he's an older gentleman, and we've given him money and even some food over the years. i don't mind at all helping him.

 

the one that bothers me the most is the guy in the white suit collecting for some charity. he stands at the entrance to rite aid with his bucket and sad puppy eyes, and i always feel harrassed walking by him.

[Adam]

Clearly its a huge problem. The question is, what to do about it? We can say "I don't like transients and want them out of my town," but then where do they go? To some other town where another guy feels and says the same thing. Or we can say, "most of them put themselves there," but the fact is they are there, and it can be very hard to get out of that place--especially when you throw in alcoholism or drug addiction or mental illness or a disability, and a LOT of homeless folks suffer from some combination of the above.

So what to do? This problem may get worse before it gets better, because with automation and outsourcing there may be fewer and fewer menial jobs to give people some semblance of work and home. At some point we're probably going to have to bite the bullet and do something like Finland will be doing and have a "basic wage" that everyone gets to cover minimal cost of living, but then you'll have people complaining about spending their taxes on these wastoids...not much different than now, but at least (in theory) poor people won't be homeless and will have their basic needs taken care of.

They make more begging

[Crampknees]

we have a guy that hangs out by target. he's an older gentleman, and we've given him money and even some food over the years. i don't mind at all helping him.

 

the one that bothers me the most is the guy in the white suit collecting for some charity. he stands at the entrance to rite aid with his bucket and sad puppy eyes, and i always feel harrassed walking by him.

Had a guy by my local store with a dog and would help him but after a while I thought he may be sketchy so I would only drop off a bag of kibble for the dog and move on. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

And here is how you know they are all full of shit: they never loiter near a restaurant and ask for food. Instead, they ask for money.

Imagine if you saw a homeless guy at INO with a sign that said "hungry, please buy me a hamburger." He would have enough food to feed himself and his whole tent city in mere minutes. Every single person who went through the drive-through would buy him a combo meal. But instead, they ask for "help" in the form of money in order to buy their booze and drugs.

 

A television station in Oklahoma City staked out a guy who was reported to be begging in the same area of town pretty much daily, just moving to different intersections. One of their producers gave the guy a $10 bill, then a chase crew followed him. Got into an almost new Jeep Grand Cherokee and went straight to the nearest liquor store.

 

 

 

Transient's are like nuclear power plants - most people are fine with them as long as they aren't in their city bringing down property values and posing a safety risk.  To be honest I agree because as much as I fee bad for someone living on the streets I don't want to worry about a transient who is mentally ill posing a risk to my fiancee or any kids I have in the future.  As mentioned some are where they are because they don't want help and there's not much you can do about that. 

 

A former coworker took in a homeless couple because he felt sorry for them. When they started stealing pretty much everything in the house, he tried to evict them. They beat him until he nearly died, and ran off. He was never right again due to a head injury.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Vegas Halo Fan

[wopphil]

Once I was in a Mexican restaurant and one came in asking patrons for food—table by table. He got bounced before he got to me. Before I leave I order an extra burrito and track the homeless guy down. I offer him the burrito and he asked me "what kind" it is before accepting it.

That's funny. I once had a bum ask me for money because he was hungry. I said "ok, let me buy you lunch," and motioned for him to follow me into the cafe we were standing beside. He responded with "well I was really hoping to get some McDonald's instead." Of course there was no McDonald's anywhere near. He just wanted money.