…Rant on Vancouver Beggars
Who’s fed up?
ME! Me!!!! I’m so damned tired of being frustrated as I walk the gauntlet to my home, a mere three and a half blocks from my office. The gauntlet consists of not less than five, and sometimes as many as twelve homeless people begging, screaming, crying, glaring, freaking out, and generally annoying everyone who passes them by. Then again, some of them won’t let you pass them by — Rather, they stand in front of you as you try to walk around them, all the while trying to avoiding eye contact at all costs.
Yes, I’ve tried to communicate that I don’t have any spare change to some. It gets ridiculous saying it so many times within in a five minute period of time.
It’s pretty crazy. The worst of the bunch are out rain or shine, night and day. With the effort some of them put into begging, you’d think they’d do pretty good with half the hours at a regular job. Some are creative, and make me laugh. Some are just plain insane and I seriously fear for my life when no one else is around to come to my rescue late at night. It’s gotten so bad that when I’m at Vern’s only four blocks from my place, and it’s late, I always have him walk me home.
I feel like a total and complete heartless bitch writing this… But, this issue in Vancouver seems to be getting worse by the day, and I strongly believe that I should feel safe walking the streets to my home. I don’t live in a seedy part of town, and my office isn’t located in one either. Some of my friends have witnessed, and even been victimized directly by violent homeless people.
Is there an answer? It makes sense that we attract the homeless people from the rest of Canada to here in Vancouver (and Victoria), due to our extremely reasonable climate — But, there’s other cities with better climates, and I’ve never seen another city with issues as bad as ours when it comes to street people.
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Sheesh, leave it to Vern to muddle the dialogue with irrelevant information.
Thanks everyone for weighing in on this one — It’s been an interesting exercise and it’s certainly made me think.
Bah. Thats like saying… Why should we install public art when there are people starving in Mozambique.
Im tired of this thread. Lets talk about something different…. perhaps “Should Wavey Blondes Straighten their Hair?”
This is a very provocative thread developing here. I would like to add one more element to this social issue. Perhaps one should consider that the ideal homeless bagger one imagines when thinking about downtown Vancouver is a Male, between 30 to 55 yrs of age and has some sort of visitable ethnic trait. I have noticed over the last 5 years, there has being a growing number of Women who are joining those ranks. Most are aboriginal, and young. We classify them as either runaways or prostitutes, strangely, not baggers. Their sharp increases in population should ring alarm bells? Although not as aggressive as what Tanya describe the Males, but nonetheless, they are their too. My biggest fear is that our current government will pass more laws, more Draconian than the current anti-squeegee law we have now and target all street level begging. Thus treating all, including women as violators. On campus (Kwantlen in Surrey) there is a poster that reads, ” Instead of sending troops to Iraq, lets feed our children first…” Perhaps some wise words of wisdom when thinking about who to vote for in the next election? *mixing the pot here
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When I was working in San Francisco in 95-96, there were a couple of regular homeless folks on my walk to the office. The difference with homeless there as opposed to Vancouver was that they were not agressive and left people alone for the most part.
I’m of the opinion that it’s the sorry state of our resources for the mentally ill and genuinely unemployable significantly exacerbates our problem.
Yeah, it sucks that you have to run the gauntlet every night, but just thank god you’re not in their shoes.
We have a socialist nation that ensures we have our most basic needs met… most of the time. Unfortunately, unless someone is obviously in distress, all that you can do is walk on by. I used to acknowledge peoples suffering… but, once you realize that the people best at suffering get the cash… the feeling of betrayal plays on you.
The majority of these people have made a decision to be a case… and have made a business decision to ask for money. I acknowledge that with indifference…. as I would someone trying to get me to buy something I dont want.
Now, when someone talks to me … I will always answer back. When someone asked recently, “can I have a moment of your time?” I responded “Certainly, unless it involves money.” They turned away. The time before that, I was asked a similar question, I answered… and a laugh was the response with a “No, I just need directions to the taxation office.”
The trick is to tell the difference as to who needs what…. keeping in mind that the worst off are the ones who are best at being that way.
Its a tough racket, and enough resources exist that giving money is not helpful to anyone.
It doesnt help. I know, because I have tried to help, and every single effort was trickery coming at me. Hell.. I have even been told that “sandwitches make me sick” when offering a fresh sandwich to someone who had been asking for money for food 10 minutes earlier.
I dont buy it.
Wat! How many problems are you going to fix? Are you going to fix the cracks in the pavements in front on my office building?
Balance!! Defend the tax payer! Provide pleasure in there as well… Taxes are not entirely about fixing problems… its general quality of life that is being sought! Certainly not ensuring that full resources go to ensuring every last person is taken care of no matter the situation. That is not reasonable, or fair, and creates a sterile environment.
We Canadians are already widely accused of being highly boring!! I’m not one to contribute to that notion.
Now. Wavey blonde girls with straighten hair… this is not a good thing. Back me up here!!
Wow, looks like you’ve certainly stirred the pot on this subject, T!
I always reply that I give to the Union Gospel Mission, and offer directions to that facility. If they really are hard-up, they can go there for help.
It’s really sad that our health-services are in the state they are that leaves those who need help out on the streets, but I tend to live by the mantra “If you can’t bring enough to share with everyone – don’t bring it at all.” I can’t differentiate between who needs what, and certainly can’t individually help them all.
I just like to think my paltry annual donation helps an organization that can help everyone.
Thomasso, you make excellent points. Let’s fix our problems here before taking them elsewhere. Bravo!
Java… umm…
I have binners that are constantly going through my alley. Most are harmless but there are some that scare the crap out of me. I’ve also heard of an increase of crime at the hands of violent homeless people.
I’m not sure what the answer is, but something needs to be done. More affordable housing? More social services? More jobs? More rehad centres? What ever it is I want to feel safe when I walk home at night.
A song comes to mind…some of the lyrics are “What if god was one of us? Just a stranger on the streets?” The tune makes you think about how people treat each other. What if god was that person you just tryied to ignore? What if that person was you trying to attract the attention of someone beautiful, hoping that this beautiful person would acknowledge you and make you feel like you ARE worthy and not worthless.
I think that a street person struggles more than someone with money. A person with money often wonders what they will eat for dinner that night… compared to wondering if they are going to eat at all. Look at everything they endure, REALLY look at it from their eyes not yours… they still find hope under a rock (or cardboard).
I used to give out all my change but now I’m apathetic. Too many of them ask, and not all of them need. I can never tell who is genuine and who isn’t. As a sp to my concience I give to one guy, who sits all night outside a convenience store in Yaletown, who I know for sure is needy.
Marketable skills would include effort expended to serve a customer — You don’t need to be educated to make minimum wage.
Granted — Some of these people need help. They’re requiring medication, and in some cases, an institution. But, I’ve seen many out there that simply would rather sit on their asses and annoy the crap out of those that do put in long hours at the office to make ends meet.
I was just in New York, of all places, in September. Not even close to the problems we have here, and I walked and saw a whole lot in New York.
I’ve also lived in LA, and, again — Didn’t see nearly the same magnitude of street people anywhere there either.
“With the effort some of them put into begging, you’d think they’d do pretty good with half the hours at a regular job.”
With what marketable skills?
“I’ve never seen another city with issues as bad as ours when it comes to street people.”
When’s the last time you’ve been to the States?
I’d say we could blame some of the increase on the cutbacks in funding to mental health services, for sure.
There’s a homeless guy who sits in front of the Tim H’s by my work, and my Co-op student has befriended him. Apparently just after she started buying him food, he was diagnosed with leukemia and his shoes started leaking. Uh huh. Anyways, I’ve asked him why he doesn’t sleep in a shelter and he says he hates the institutional feel of it, so apparently a parking lot is preferable. And he doesn’t get himself a job because he doesn’t want to conform to society’s norms.
You know, there are always going to people like this, and it infuriates me that they portray themselves as victims. I think two things would make a difference: 1) better parenting and 2) no handouts for people who aren’t actually trying. You can’t just decide that you don’t want to conform with society and then expect society to support you.
Argh. Okay. Rant over.
Wow, so many problems with beggars in Vancouver… such is not the case here in glorious High Level…
… oh yeah, that’s ‘cuz it’s -25°C here.
Well, Tanya, just a 40 min drive from your town, we have had a serge in “Dumpster Divers” here in Langley Township. Not as bad as the Vancouver (Bagger) street urchant, but seeing this in broad daylight does make the tourist a bit shaky. Businesses just need to put locks on their dumpsters. And think, less than 10 years ago, to have had these divers in our back yard was unthinkable! I wonder how much of this could be blamed on the government cutting services like Mental Health, and Psychiatric Home Care?
Huh? SPAMMERS and Dumpster Divers?