CTA Tattler

Because, clearly, good poets are usually extremely wealthy.

i think you missed the point.

What was the point, Crane? That Red can "quip" with the best of them? Just another example of jaded cynicism on the Purple Line.

Didn't they outlaw homeless people in Evanston yet? Won't be long..

I don't know what it is, but red haired women seem to catch a lot of shit from scuzzy guys in general.

My wife is a red head and has all kinds of horror stories involving incredibly filthy stuff being said to her where it's clear she was only the recipient of attention because of having red hair. Usually the scum start with "Hey red...".

I'd imagine the woman in the story has plenty of similar experiences with unwanted attention and has sharpened her claws in anticipation of more.

I just love when people romanticize all homeless/mentally unstable/etc. (like the above poster) and feel that, considering their plight, that their omnidirectional abuse of people who are minding their own business is justifiable. And not only justifiable, but that those who are the targets of abuse shouldn't be the least bit upset about it.

dumb,

What's wrong with jaded cynicism? What was she supposed to do, give the guy a 50? Don't be so naive.

I personally am tired of all the pleas for money that I get whenever I go downtown. I'll just be minding my own business when some dude will come up to me and try to strike up a conversation rather than asking for money right away. Some chucpeopleklehead did this to me last year and I actually gave him a quarter and he cussed me out because I only gave him a quarter!

There was also this woman outside Union Station that seemed to be there every weekend asking for money to get herself and her three kids (who were nowhere to be seen) to Elgin. I had finally had enough and told her to come into the station with me and I would buy her a ticket and make sure that she got on that train to Elgin. She kept asking why I couldn't just give her the money and I kept telling her that if she needed to get to Elgin that the train was leaving soon. I finally said, "You have no intention of going to Elgin, do you?" She just said, "No sir," and walked toward a group of foreign tourists who gave her $5.

This past summer, I was walking by Millennium Park and some guy with his kid in tow told me that he was hungry. I just told him, "Why don't you get something to eat, then." I thought that it was odd that he was so helpless that he didn't even know what to do when hunger strikes. I started to think that maybe he wanted restaurant recommendations. He didn't look homeless. It didn't even occur to me that he probably wanted money until a few minutes after I passed him.

I am beginning to come under the impression that giving these people money does more harm than good. Who knows what they'll spend it on? Maybe food, but I am thinking that it will more likely be spent on booze or drugs than anything else. I do realize that honest people may fall on hard times and I donate to causes to help these people, but I will no longer be giving money to people on the street. I kindly ask that you do the same, for their own good.

eBob, you're absolutely right! I'm tired of the begging also. And it seems when you give them money, it gets worse. I know we have a homeless problem, but damn!...these people are tiresome!...as a matter of fact, i won't even call them homeless, because many probably aren't...they're just beggars being disrespectful...and I'm tired of being harassed on the streets, harassed on the train, and having my visit to downtown tainted by beggars who have no sense of decency to respect a person's space. They give real homeless people a bad name. I wish there was a law and a petition to stop street beggars, because I would get behind it 100%!

there IS a law against begging on the street. no one enforces it. what are the police supposed to do? waste their time cracking down on the "begging nuisance" while more serious crimes are being committed?

i get so tired of hearing everyone complain about beggars. guess what? the practice of begging is as old as time itself and they (the pan-handlers) will not be going anywhere! BTW, the beggars here are tame. Try San Fran if you really want to see some aggressive beggars..

the only solution is to come to terms with how you want to deal with them and make peace with the fact that if you go downtown, you will meet pan-handlers. and PLEASE don't take "eBob's" advice. his plea to save the poor from themselves is ridiculous and ineffective.

I am sick of these pathetic panhandelers also. I feel that they are ruining this great city. I use to carry crackers with me all the time. I would offer these "hungry people" some but they wanted $$$ instead. Perhaps maybe i should offer them some crack instead??

The commenter who mentioned San Fran is right on that comparison. I was there about 7 years ago and the one thing that I remember most is the enormous amount of homeless people and panhandlers. Forget about a homeless person or panhandler every block; there it was practically every 20 feet.

But I must admit I don't get this post.

Sorry duh,
But eBob is right. To give money to these people is not helping them. Most of them are drug addicts or alcoholics that need treatment not more junk in their systems. If things get bad enough on the street, some of them might take advantage of the social programs that are available to them to get the real help they need. To give them money does no one any favors, and your money would be better spent if you donate to places like the Salvation Army or a local church that helps the homeless. Even volunteering your time to help out at such places is far more effective then giving out a buck or two to someone who will likely spend it on a bottle or a rock.
I travel for a living, and I have to disagree with you with how agressive our panhandlers are here in Chicago. They might not be as hardnosed as those in SFO, but by far, they are in my opinion much more agressive then what I have encountered in other major cities, including NYC,PHIL,BOS, or DC.
I live in the South Loop, near the Pacific Garden Mission and let me tell you, that on many occasions I nearly been pushed to the brink of violence with some of the crap these guys pull. They can get down right nasty if you tell them no.
I agree that they are entitled to ask for money. However, I am also entitled to refuse them or offer them food, (which I have, and they usually refuse) without being berated or called a racist or an elitist!

I don't get what the big thing against the beggars are -- they're pretty harmless as a whole. They might ask you for money, you say, "sorry man", and head on. Or you give them money. Who cares.

Of course, they're no different in San Francisco -- they ask for money, you say "no", they ramble on for a second until they ask the next person they see for money.

Naturally, I'm sure it's the CTA's fault, somehow. Wouldn't wanna go a post without blaming them for something, you know..

The comparison between Chicago and San Francisco beggars is interesting. There are only three cities in the U.S. where I've ever been approached by beggars with any regularity: Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta. I swear that those San Francisco beggars must belong to a union! When I was there a few years ago with a co-worker, there was always a beggar outside the hotel asking for money. My co-worker had somewhat of a short fuse and after a few days he told this guy, "Why don't you get a job!?" to which the beggar replied, "I've got a job." after pulling out a big wad of bills.

Atlanta's beggars are by far the most aggressive I've ever encountered. They will follow you asking for money and they don't seem to understand the word "NO". One time we crossed the street to try to avoid one on a street corner and he crossed over too just so he could harass us about trying to avoid him!

Another interesting phenomenon I've noticed these past few years is that beggars are coming to the 'burbs. I've even been approached in Schaumburg and Deer Park. A lot of times they are trying to sell candy but I am pretty sure that they are not associated with the organizations they claim to represent. I once asked one of these guys to see his student I.D. and he claimed that he forgot it. They all seemed to have forgotten their I.D.'s! Yeah, right!

The fact is that I do care. I give money to charities that help these people and I wish they would get the help which they so desperately need. I just feel now that giving these people money only prolongs the problem.

this subject always fascinates me. i'm a recovering alcoholic. i was never a "low bottom drunk," but since i've been sober, i've made friends with all sorts of people in recovery -- people who have blown hundreds of thousands of dollars on cocaine and people who have been homeless and on the streets. many of them have been the same people, by the way.

and even before i got sober, i started to become sort of turned off to all the begging, only if because i don't have a lot of money and if i gave money to everyone that asked, i'd be in trouble myself.

but since i got sober and got acquainted with the disease of alcoholism/addiction, i realize that most people asking for money are probably going to go get alcohol or drugs with it. that's really the sad truth. and the other thing is, if i really feel they are super hungry or in need of something, then i CAN offer to get them some food or suggest a shelter where they can stay. i have come around to be a lot more cynical regarding these matters.

HOWEVER ..... what always blows me away is how ANGRY people get regarding people in the streets, begging. have you ever looked at these people? they look unwashed, unkempt, disheveled. they seem sad, lonely, unsure of themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. they look cold and hungry and withered. they look sickly and unstable. i don't want to be in their situation. i don't feel scammed by them. i know there are some people legitimately selling streetwise, and a lot who are just looking for their next drink. i know there are some who are trying to stay alive, and most who are slowly dying.

but this doesn't make me mad. it saddens me beyond belief. it makes me grateful that i have a home to go to, food in my refrigerator, money in my pocket, people who love me and my health. it makes me realize that i have it pretty damn good. i have absolutely NO reason to resent a person begging on the street in dirty, tattered clothes who doesn't seem to have anything.

??

what gets me is, do they really think I'm so foolish as to open my wallet on a busy train, bus, or street? Seems that's asking for trouble, if not from the person asking, then from someone else nearby.
My grandmother gave a man begging for bus fare a token (when tokens were still in use) and he cussed her out. I have shared food with someone, and he was quite grateful. That makes him a rarity, I suspect. I would rather donate in private to a cause I support, which doesn't mean the 20 men shaking a cup on the Madison St. bridge or the aggressive StreetWise sellers either!