Anyone notice the young lady with the boy in the stroller?

Mom told me about this a couple of weeks ago. We attended the UF game on Saturday. Sure enough, she was standing along the wall with a stroller and sign with a young boy asking for help (maybe 3 or 4 years old?)

After the exciting victory we walked back through Pickard Pass and I noticed that this "mother" was continuing to panhandle and "her" young son was in a deep state of sleep.

Is this not child abuse? Surely campus security could steer this blatant abuse of panhandling to a seperate place of assistance.

To me, it reeked of the sense that this lady and young boy are not there by their own volition.

They have been putting these signs up here in Arlington and the panhandlers have evaporated. 90% of the panhandlers are just stealing money from generous people. The ones with children as props are the worst.

This will sound cold when I say this, but it should be illegal to panhandle and illegal to sleep in public places.

Why: I used to volunteer with a homeless service here in Houston. The first thing you have to do is go through training. They informed us A) any time you give money, there is a 95% chance all you did was made it worse for the person and B) services cannot do anything to compel the person to accept help.

A) Statistically, the person is either on drugs, in a mental state that they don't know how to handle money, or are controlled by another person (often another homeless person) to panhandle for them.

B) If it was made illegal, THEN human services would have a basis for compelling the help. Not saying homeless persons should be arrested and put in jail. But there is no way to detain the homeless person for further evaluation and then bring them to a half-way house, drug detox, or other facility for mental aid. It is illegal in many European countries for this reason.

She's been at all the home games if I recall.

I handed her an HEB gift card.

She's less annoying than the electric violinist that only knows one song.

fc2112 said:

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They have been putting these signs up here in Arlington and the panhandlers have evaporated. 90% of the panhandlers are just stealing money from generous people. The ones with children as props are the worst.

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They have put up similar signs in Amarillo, yet the panhandlers just stand under them anyway.

If you really wanna make these scammers mad, hand them a bottle of water, PB&J and an apple.

Just yesterday a young man approached me at a gas pump with a story about just getting a new job, first paycheck next week, and needing cash for groceries. I offered to go to the grocery store with him and set him up with a week's worth of groceries. He wouldn't take the offer. Several excuses why he couldn't take the offer. Ugh.

One night at A&M a "homeless" dude in Bryan asked me for money outside of a gas station, but I bought him bread, peanut butter, jelly, and a gatorade. He took it and told me to go **** myself.

Yep. Food and drink is kryptonite to the majority of panhandlers.

Moe Jzyslak said:

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One night at A&M a "homeless" dude in Bryan asked me for money outside of a gas station, but I bought him bread, peanut butter, jelly, and a gatorade. He took it and told me to go **** myself.

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And then he pulled out what looked like a gallon jug of whiskey, and he said. "F-you, I'm going to Aggie Park with this and sit under a tree and drink and eat..."

Mega Lops said:

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If you really wanna make these scammers mad, hand them a bottle of water, PB&J and an apple.

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If you really wanna make them mad, offer them work in exchange for buying them groceries and supplies.

She had that kid in a full winter pajamas with feet, long sleeves and everything. It was 90 degrees. Kid was crying when we walked by.

Here is how they panhandle in Victoria.

one safe place said:

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Mega Lops said:

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If you really wanna make these scammers mad, hand them a bottle of water, PB&J and an apple.

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If you really wanna make them mad, offer them work in exchange for buying them groceries and supplies.

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When my kids were younger and felt bad seeing people like this I would do the same thing. Roll down the window and tell ask if they wanted to do 8 hours work mowing grass for my company and I'd pay them $100 in cash at the end of the day. The excuses were legendary.

A woman in LaGrange approached me at Tractor Supply, claimed she needed money for her family to eat. In her rehearsed speech she mentioned her sclerosis of the liver and a few other ailments. Right away I knew what she wanted so I offered a free lunch. She refused the lunch and just wanted money…
Note to panhandlers, don't mention you have sclerosis of the liver and need money….

Gilligan said:

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She's been at all the home games if I recall.

I handed her an HEB gift card.

She's less annoying than the electric violinist that only knows one song.

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For many years!!

I don't know that lady's story, but people do use their kids as pawns to get handouts.

In Denver, I've seen people in grocery store parking lots and they tell their kids to hang head between their knees (and they're just playing on smart phones).


In college, a guy using the "I just ran out of gas and I'm trying to get home" scam approached me. I'd never heard that before. I offered to get him gas and he declined my BS meter exploded. It's a common scam, and college students are common patsys.

I also particularly dislike them using dogs as props, as well. Those pups look miserable most of the time I've seen them.

WildAggie said:

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Just yesterday a young man approached me at a gas pump with a story about just getting a new job, first paycheck next week, and needing cash for groceries. I offered to go to the grocery store with him and set him up with a week's worth of groceries. He wouldn't take the offer. Several excuses why he couldn't take the offer. Ugh.

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Yep, the old "I just need money to eat".

I've offered to take these guys to a restaurant on the spot and feed them, and they all turn it down and grin. They want it for drugs.

See how long they hold the scam up when the cops tell them their going downtown and the crying kid is being turned over to CPS...

1). If you're truly homeless and the kids is on the streets it's warranted.
2). If you're scamming... Well you're a crappy parent but that's not a crime.

But it creates a King Solomon moment really quick

What is Pickard Pass?

Drunken Overseas Bettor said:

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one safe place said:

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Mega Lops said:

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If you really wanna make these scammers mad, hand them a bottle of water, PB&J and an apple.

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If you really wanna make them mad, offer them work in exchange for buying them groceries and supplies.

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When my kids were younger and felt bad seeing people like this I would do the same thing. Roll down the window and tell ask if they wanted to do 8 hours work mowing grass for my company and I'd pay them $100 in cash at the end of the day. The excuses were legendary.

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Not surprising. I think it was John Stossel that I saw on a video in which he offered work for pay to 10 or 15 of these beggars and only one took the offer.

fc2112 said:

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They have been putting these signs up here in Arlington and the panhandlers have evaporated. 90% of the panhandlers are just stealing money from generous people. The ones with children as props are the worst.

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I've seen those around Fort Worth as well.

I just moved back to Texas after 5 years in Eugene, OR. Nearby Springfield, OR had an interesting ordinance that makes it illegal for someone driving a car to hand anything to someone panhandling. I did notice a a lot fewer panhandlers in Springfield versus Eugene. I gave a dude holding a "seeking human kindness" sign a bottle of water one day, he just just said "whatever" and threw it in the bushes behind him. He just wanted money.

Also IB this gets moved to F16

I will give my money to whomever I want.

Thank you

Quote:

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Is this not child abuse? Surely campus security could steer this blatant abuse of panhandling to a seperate place of assistance.

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yeah how to you propose they don't that? What law is she breaking?

Walked by a guy sitting on the sidewalk in Houston with a sign that said "need money for food".

I went into a James Coney Island and ate, and brought him a hot dog on the way out. He gave me a go to hell look when I handed it to him.

Apollo79 said:

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I will give my money to whomever I want.

Thank you

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Nobody said you couldn't. HTH.

Apollo79 said:

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I will give my money to whomever I want.

Thank you

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Help a brother out?

NoahAg said:

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What is Pickard Pass?

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It's when Billy Pickard is starting to yell at a student worker for being in the wrong place, but then gets a call on his radio so he decides to pass on it.

Apollo79 said:

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I will give my money to whomever I want.

Thank you

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Put me on your list…

Apollo79 said:

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Quote:

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Is this not child abuse? Surely campus security could steer this blatant abuse of panhandling to a seperate place of assistance.

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yeah how to you propose they don't that? What law is she breaking?

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Forcing a child to wear hot clothing on an hot day….intentional or not, to get money from people, is breaking potentially several laws.

No.

The word bonus also a complete sentence, don't try to "help" anyone with $$, it never helps.

The panhandling for scams and money using your children infuriates me. I believe it was 2018 or so after an Ole Miss loss, and a woman was in Pickard Pass with her 3 children with a sign stating homeless. Suffice to say, a month later, I was at a concert in Dallas with the same lady and children in the parking garage with the same sign. Not sure how she made it to Dallas if truly homeless with the kids the same night as a concert in Dallas with 20K people. My future wife wouldn't let me call her out.

I was going into a restaurant for lunch one Sunday and a lady approached me saying she and her 4 year old were hungry and asked for money. I told her to come in the restaurant and I'd buy them both a meal. She turned it down and left.

So sad that you would use a child as a prop.