The Sign

[DEAN01]

Continuing with documenting homeless people in the area, I shot this a few days ago. It seems there is a specific corner near Wal-Mart where people stand with their signs, usually at a specific time of day and always a single person. I began to notice this since it is next door to my wife's physical therapy unit. C & C always.

[Shadowman]

Humorous, yet sad. Nicely captured.

[mknittle]

Here we have Homeless people and BUMS.
The homeless have programs that the use to better themselves and are mostly pretty good people.
The BUMS won't use the help programs. they rob people steal anything that isn't nailed down and then some they work in shifts with signs made by the same person and generally work the system for profit. these people are also very aggressive. tow of them once tried to intimidate me into giving them a ride.

P.S nice shot Dean Years ago we had one guy around that had a sign that read " Why lie I want a beer"

[FootLoose]

That's one of those signs that make you wonder. Is the person asking for money to buy food; or is the person declaring he/she is mentally deficient - and therefore is seeking donations.

[IzzieK]

I wonder about these homeless people...are they really homeless? I had read an article about some people really have a place or home to go to when not begging in the street. To them "it is a job" and said that they get more money begging than going to work at say, McDonald's. Somehow, I doubt that but...there is always room for error...

[mknittle]

I wonder about these homeless people...are they really homeless? I had read an article about some people really have a place or home to go to when not begging in the street. To them "it is a job" and said that they get more money begging than going to work at say, McDonald's. Somehow, I doubt that but...there is always room for error...

Here it is a life style. they get welfare SSI disability and who knows what. then they beg. some get irate when you don't give them money. It is really getting bad. The county bused a bunch of them in a year ago. the county receives federal money on a head count basis. The worst part is the board of supervisors has stopped the sheriff from enforcing the laws on them. They call it harassment.

[xpatUSA]

I remember one guy, a street-corner regular near our happy-hour place. He quit for the day about the same time as me, and walked to his late-model car and drove off, que pobrecito. Somewhat bemused, I climbed into my 10-yr old pick-up truck and drove home . . .

[flashback]

First off, I don't shoot homeless, beggars, etc, to me it's the low hanging fruit of street photography. That said, there is a woman I see now and again on the street, it started one day because she commented on my dog, we stopped to chat and she was petting my dog. Any time after that if I saw her (or her me) she would call out my dog's name (she had a harder time remembering mine). So it became a bit of a routine, we'd say hi, she'd pet Boodoo while we chatter. What I learned from her, drug and alcohol addiction, lives in a half-way house, panhandles for change, goes to a local chain restaurant for coffee, has a 'husband' with similar issues as hers, she hopes to someday get an apartment they can both live in together and get some kind of normal life. Will it happen? Sadly I have my doubts but I suspect the dream of that is what keeps her going.

Not every time, but every now and again when I see her I hand her a couple of bucks, she's always grateful and she never once asked me for money. Do I think she's running a scam? No. Do I think she's living the life of Riley after hours? No. Some people just have it hard and it never gets easier. I'm not gonna be a d**k to them because their life sucks.

And the bigger point here is that so many, if in fact not most of the homeless are there because of mental illness. There aren't enough hospital beds for a fraction of these people, even if there were funding for them, and there isn't. So while they may have been diagnosed and prescribed anti-psychotics, they may run out of them, forget to take them, sell them, but these are all effects of their illness. And with no family, no support system, little if any societal assistance they're doomed to live their lives out on the street. It's certainly not a chosen way of life. I have no doubt that there are, as Ted and Izzie pointed out, people out there taking advantage of the goodness of others. And it takes a special low-life kind of person to do that. But it shouldn't mean we just assume that all of those people out on the streets are there by choice and that they're scamming us. And yes, aggression and even violence may be a result of their mental illnesses. I'm not saying they're all safe to be around, in facet some are downright dangerous. But that can be said of pretty much any group of people. Ok, off my soap box and off to walk my dog on the mean streets.

[Shadowman]

Here it is a life style. they get welfare SSI disability and who knows what. then they beg. some get irate when you don't give them money. It is really getting bad. The county bused a bunch of them in a year ago. the county receives federal money on a head count basis. The worst part is the board of supervisors has stopped the sheriff from enforcing the laws on them. They call it harassment.

It's interesting how in some cities the mission districts are so close to downtown, provides a unique, diverse image of the city.

[mknittle]

First off, I don't shoot homeless, beggars, etc, to me it's the low hanging fruit of street photography. That said, there is a woman I see now and again on the street, it started one day because she commented on my dog, we stopped to chat and she was petting my dog. Any time after that if I saw her (or her me) she would call out my dog's name (she had a harder time remembering mine). So it became a bit of a routine, we'd say hi, she'd pet Boodoo while we chatter. What I learned from her, drug and alcohol addiction, lives in a half-way house, panhandles for change, goes to a local chain restaurant for coffee, has a 'husband' with similar issues as hers, she hopes to someday get an apartment they can both live in together and get some kind of normal life. Will it happen? Sadly I have my doubts but I suspect the dream of that is what keeps her going.

Not every time, but every now and again when I see her I hand her a couple of bucks, she's always grateful and she never once asked me for money. Do I think she's running a scam? No. Do I think she's living the life of Riley after hours? No. Some people just have it hard and it never gets easier. I'm not gonna be a d**k to them because their life sucks.

And the bigger point here is that so many, if in fact not most of the homeless are there because of mental illness. There aren't enough hospital beds for a fraction of these people, even if there were funding for them, and there isn't. So while they may have been diagnosed and prescribed anti-psychotics, they may run out of them, forget to take them, sell them, but these are all effects of their illness. And with no family, no support system, little if any societal assistance they're doomed to live their lives out on the street. It's certainly not a chosen way of life. I have no doubt that there are, as Ted and Izzie pointed out, people out there taking advantage of the goodness of others. And it takes a special low-life kind of person to do that. But it shouldn't mean we just assume that all of those people out on the streets are there by choice and that they're scamming us. And yes, aggression and even violence may be a result of their mental illnesses. I'm not saying they're all safe to be around, in facet some are downright dangerous. But that can be said of pretty much any group of people. Ok, off my soap box and off to walk my dog on the mean streets.

My wife works for the county so I get a lot of inside information.unfortunately there is a very large criminal element in this group. they were imported form a large camp that was torn down and the residents evicted for the reasons I stated earlier.Plus two old ladies beat and robed, a couple cars stolen one small generator, BBQs, lawn furniture stolen.
There were a few like the ones you mentioned but the "new" ones ran them off and even drowned at least one in a canal. So this isn't an ordinary "homeless problem" the new camp is on county property. Most of the ladies robin works with have applied for and received (firearm)conceal carry permits because they will soon have to walk to a not so well lit parking lot.

[IzzieK]

Jack I understand your sentiment...sometimes one can't help but doubt. There was a time in Melbourne when I went shopping for fresh vegetables and seafood supplies at Footscray and as we (my daughter and I) came out of one store, there was this guy who approached me and asked for A$0.25. I search for some coins and gave him 50 cents instead. My daughter, irritated at me said, "why did you gave him your money? He's a bum!" I looked at her unbelieving what I heard from her mouth and said, "Why not?" and turned around and left her to follow me to the car. To my mind, it was not the money, it is a feeling that perhaps that guy was not actually a human being, but an angel, or something like that...but I didn't say anything anymore since then.

[just me]

I like the image as such......but I am often not to sure, if these people are truly homeless, or on a trip etc......also why the sign asking for " Fry's " ? why not simply for something to buy food....but then " Fry's " may be an American slang for food ?

Griddi.......

[IzzieK]

I like the image as such......but I am often not to sure, if these people are truly homeless, or on a trip etc......also why the sign asking for " Fry's " ? why not simply for something to buy food....but then " Fry's " may be an American slang for food ?

Griddi.......

Yes...another word for potato chips but your spelling of Fry's reminds me of Frys electronic store in San Diego...

[DEAN01]

Thanks all for your comments! It is interesting to see the perceptions of the homeless, beggars, etc. from various areas of the country and world. Robert's post "Invisible in Plain Sight" brings a lot of truth to our behavior.

Griddi,
The "few fries short" is an American idiomatic or euphemistic expression meaning to be lacking, generally in mental capacity. As Greg pointed out in his post we are left wondering if the woman wants money for.