Aggressive Pan Handling

[carltonplace]

Don't give panhandlers money...it is that simple. 

[Townsend]

Don't give panhandlers money...it is that simple. 

[Conan71]

Ate one lunch there a couple of weeks ago. Like bad school cafeteria food. I don't get the popularity.

It's an "institution".  So are mental hospitals.

[Hoss]

It's an "institution".  So are mental hospitals.

They serve at the BOK..most everyone I know is enamored of the Theta Burger.  Blech.  Only thing I'll buy from them out there is a soda.  And maybe onion rings, because it's difficult to get those wrong.

[Conan71]

And maybe onion rings, because it's difficult to get those wrong.

Not really, ever try them at Sonic?  Some sort of nasty vanilla cake thing going on.

[cannon_fodder]

Billy's is popular because:
1) location
2) they are fast
3) they have a wide variety
4) standard price point, and
5) the food is a consistent quality.  Not great, but good (it is burgers, fries, chicken, etc.)

I probably eat there 1x a month when someone wants to meet or whatever.  And yes, there are bums at the intersection in spite of the construction.

[BKDotCom]

And maybe onion rings, because it's difficult to get those wrong.

In my experience it's apparently hard to get them right..
Different styles of batter (light n crispy to a a thicker crunchy), different styles of onion  (from real onion cut think, to some sort of McOnion)
Billy's definitely gets them right

[Hoss]

Not really, ever try them at Sonic?  Some sort of nasty vanilla cake thing going on.

I said difficult....not impossible.   

[Hoss]

In my experience it's apparently hard to get them right..
Different styles of batter (light n crispy to a a thicker crunchy), different styles of onion  (from real onion cut think, to some sort of McOnion)
Billy's definitely gets them right

they do, however I've had better at Freddie's AND Ron's (the one on 21st/Garnett, the one by my work at 15th/Sheridan does em crappy).

[TheArtist]

Don't give panhandlers money...it is that simple. 

Thats what really baffles me.  They wouldn't be panhandling unless someone gave them money.  It's sick, immoral, and hurtful to be giving them money like that, but yet, apparently there are enough people like that downtown to do so which is not a pleasant thought in itself.

[AquaMan]

The more divorced from the reality of street life, the more likely someone is to give to panhandlers without question. They do it either out of fear, misplaced goodwill or an attempt to brush them aside. Some of them are quite good with their stories and their presentations and they all seem to know instinctively who to avoid. 

I was met by an aggressive panhandler in downtown Kansas City on a business trip a couple decades ago. I was in a hurry to catch a cab to the airport and simply told him, "no time" and kept walking. He hadn't missed many meals. Started cursing me and threatening me. I said, fine...if you can catch me!

If I feel someone truly needs help, I don't wait for them to ask. They rarely do though. I keep a couple spare cigarettes in my pocket, next to the dogfood I carry for animal strays. Its called humanity.

As far as public urination and poop....there are no public restroom facilities downtown but there are alleys, garages and parking lots. Nature doesn't care. They will all suffice.

[cannon_fodder]

Every church has a public restroom.  Nearly every public building (you cannot go in our City Hall unless you have "business").  The shelters do to.

But I sympathize with the need to use the restroom.  The need to stay warm.  I get that.

But you don't poop indoors.  pancakes?

Also, the "bums" on the streets are the ones who are not welcome at the shelters because they are violent, refuse drug treatment, have warrants out, or otherwise have failed to cooperate with the shelters.  Most, certainly not all, have made the situation they find themselves in.  Between Irongate, Helping Hand, the Salvation Army, the Day Center, John 3:16, Catholic Charities, several food banks, the dream center and on and on and on - there are plenty of charities downtown that will help people.  It certainly isn't perfect.  I'm positive there are people in unfortunate circumstances that need help.

BUT - they aren't the ones pand handlings, pooping in my parking garage (next to the elevator ffs!), and assaulting people.

Give money to any of these charities if you wish.  Don't give it to the bum.  Please.

[Townsend]

pooping in my parking garage (next to the elevator ffs!),

The poop shaft?

[swake]

The poop shaft?

Slightly off topic, but. My brother lives in San Fran and when I was there for work a couple of months ago I took the subway one day to his house from my conference because cabs were impossible to get. Most of the escalators don't work in the SF subway stations. And the stations stink, even the one on Mission Street.

Do you know why?

He told me the homeless take use the escalators as toilets and human feces is particularly rough on mechanical systems. You see, SF has almost no public toilets. There used to be a lot of them but the homeless were just doing drugs in them leaving needles and all sorts of terrible and dangerous things in them so the city closed them. That moved the homeless into the subway stations and broken escalators is the result. BART or BARF?

[davideinstein]

I contacted Iron Gate a few years ago asking them to reduce the use of Styrofoam containers and to ask their guests to act more respectably toward the DT workers walking past going to work.

The phone call and following emails I was accidentally left on were less than a shining example of love thy fellow man...

I was quite the hater of the down trodden and Jesus would judge me when the time came.

The one good thing is that you can always find a parking spot over there!