Would you have done the same?

[GA Bowhunter]

When a homeless person approaches me I say "lemme hold a dollar" before they can say anything.

Learned that from one of my fire captains in Atlanta.

[Throwin Darts]

We are all sitting in the great state of Texas with the best economy in the nation. DFW is below 4% employment. There's no excuse for not having a job right now unless you don't want one. They can ask me if I was to whatasize my meal just as easy as they can ask me for a dollar.

[Artos]

Don't anyone take this as condescending towards your decision or me being self righteous as it's just the way I'm wired. I understand some of it is humor & not addressing those posts.

If I'm at a restaurant & see what appears to be a homeless / less unfortunate person eating food off the floor & looking for 2nds in a trashcan, I'm gonna order something for them to eat immediately.

Don't care how one got there or about any other possessions on their persons / in their cart that isn't nourishment. Even if I saw cash, I have to assume there is a mental issue?? Hey, I've been through tough times & for sure remember eating a meal I wish was a ribeye, but have been truly blessed to never recall going to bed hungry because I didn't have the resources to eat something.

The fancy phone is weird, but I've never seen someone eat food off the floor like you described & worked in Mexico for 14 years where poverty is way more rampant. We all know that pan handling / begging can be a game, but consuming off the ground isn't playing. How hungry would one have to feel to degrade yourself & hope someone doesn't pick up a nugget to eat...either severe hunger or mentally unstable & I'm ok if anyone feels I'm getting taken for a ride over a meal.

[Acameron52]

In usually not one to give to homeless people... unless they’re missing an extremity or have a dog.

[lovemylegacy]

So let me set this up right quick. The wife and I are in Wendys eating lunch, I see this typical looking homeless guy pushing a grocery cart full of stuff up to the wall. Now here is where I really feel bad for the guy, there were two kids ( 16 to 18 years old ) at the table next to us. one of them dropped a chicken nugget on the floor and just left it. About the time they were leaving homeless comes in, he spots the cn and walks over, picked it up and eats it. Then he goes to a trash can in the corner and digs out left overs and sits at a table and begins to eat. I tell the wife what I just witnessed and said I was going to give him some money. I started that way with money in hand, I was about 10 feet from him about to introduce myself and make the offer when he reached in his pocket and pulled out what looked to be an iPhone 8 and started checking text messages. I walked right on past him and out the door.

I mean i didn't feel nearly as sorry for him as when I first saw him.

What would you have done?

That my man is the real test. Unless Verizon gives phones to people to use for free. I know what it costs to have one of these ball and chains

[jerp]

It’s a tough call. It is impossible for any of us to do an immediate assesment to accurately determine who is a scammer and who is not. I’m not going to argue with either extreme - those who give to nobody or those who give to everybody. One question I ask myself is why do I feel compelled to give? Is it true human compassion or is it an easy way to make me feel better about myself? Am I trying to helping them or me? The obvious BS artist at the gas station (just trying to get gas so I can see my kid in the hospital, etc) gets nothing from me. In other situations I would rather err on the side of compassion even though I am probably getting played.

[Quackerbox]

The only homeless guy I've ever given money to was at 45 and 1960. His sign said, "I need bug spray". I laughed so hard I made the U-turn and went back to give him $5.

The OP reminds me of a girl I saw on BW8 with a sign about her kids needing food, dad died/left her, etc. She was using the sign to block the sun so she could see her phone screen.

Was it a white dude, dark hair, 5'7"ish and 140lbs with tattoos?

He ran the block out there when I worked the streets. Probally a small fortune in taser probes went into him when he'd get all cracked out

[CEO]

Was it a white dude, dark hair, 5'7"ish and 140lbs with tattoos?

He ran the block out there when I worked the streets. Probally a small fortune in taser probes went into him when he'd get all cracked out

No this was a short black guy. You may remember a tall, skinny white dude that always had a roll of gauze. One day he'd wrap it around his head, the next his knee. It was a pretty good plan if you didn't see him every day. We left Night Moves and gave him a couple of beers when we stopped at the light. He had the nerve to ask if we could spare some nickels.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Diamond S]

This guy was maybe in his early 60's. He has plenty of body fat to be homeless, but when he snatched the nugget up and ate it, then dug in the trash to eat more, that did me in. I guess I could be wrong as to how far a scammer will go to try and get someone to give them money, but I wouldn't think someone would do that.

[Quackerbox]

No this was a short black guy. You may remember a tall, skinny white dude that always had a roll of gauze. One day he'd wrap it around his head, the next his knee. It was a pretty good plan if you didn't see him every day. We left Night Moves and gave him a couple of beers when we stopped at the light. He had the nerve to ask if we could spare some nickels.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Only tall guy I remember had a wife with bad legs. He'd make her panhandle and if she tried to quit he'd beat her. They lived in the hotel behind Pappas bbq

[cantexduck]

I have had two family members homeless due to a mental illness. I give money when I have it , if it’s a scam then it’s on them not me. I would rather hand money to ten people when only one of the ten really need it. I offer to buy them food more times then hand out money though.

[okrattler]

He might not be homeless. He could be all goobered out on drugs or just mentally not stable. Or all of the above it's hard to say. I doubt he was scamming anyone or trying to. I could think of better ways to do that than eating trash.

A guy came into work the other day and had a conversation with himself....they're out there.

I don't give them money. If they're homeless I'll buy them food. If they're truely in need they'll eat it. If not they'll throw it away and go on with life.

[Diamond S]

I guess that is what I should have done was offer to buy food, but there was about 15 seconds between me offering the money and him pulling out the iPhone.

[DUKFVR]

I guess that is what I should have done was offer to buy food, but there was about 15 seconds between me offering the money and him pulling out the iPhone.

I would have done what you did when I saw the phone.
I had a guy ask me for some change a while back in front of a hartz chicken. Told him didn't have anything. Watched him hit up everybody that came in for something ,most didn't give. He finally came in & was trying to scrape enough together to buy something. I walked up & listened to him. The gal was telling him he didn't have enough to get a meal. She was telling him what he could get. I normally never give anything, but couldn't help myself when I saw he was really trying to get food. Told the gal give him a buffet & I would take care of it. That guy filled up a plate so full I don't know how it didn't fall off. He thanked me profusely. I felt bad I didn't give him a little earlier,but figured he would run off to the corner store as soon as he got some cash. Sometimes I guess some are really needing it.

[WalkieTalkie]

Most of them are perfectly content and comfortable with their lifestyle with or without anyones help. I do my best to figure out if they are really in need and Sometimes I contribute