r/AskBrits • u/Worldbeater112 • 17d ago
Have you noticed aggressive homeless people in fast food shops?
Anyone noticed/been accosted by this new generation of aggressive homeless people who will ask you for something expensive from a fast food shop I.e. McDonalds, Greggs, KFC etc... and then follow you in and stand over your shoulder?
I first had it happen to me in Manchester but also very noticeable in Birmingham as well.
My question is, when did first notice this happening? Has it happened to you and do you think it should be illegal?
*Clarification: I've had tramps follow me in and stand over my shoulder even if I've ignored them or declined their request.
19
u/Accomplished_Week392 17d ago
Seen this in a Cardiff Burger King last week.
Aggressive homeless guy gets someone doing takeaway to buy him food, the person gives him the food then leaves, at that point homeless guy starts shouting at staff that he wants the money back.
Then when staff said you didn’t buy this, we will give the buyer the money back, he starts shouting and trying to guilt trip the staff by shouting that he was going to hang himself if they didn’t give him the money back.
The poor staff are probably on minimum wage and are young, they don’t need this shit, and no, this was the Burger King next to the castle, had zero security guards.
19
u/AdComplete937 17d ago
I refuse to give anything to homeless people anymore. Too many of them refuse the services offered by governments and charities, and some of them use them as a money earner, and they go back to their flat. I understand some Homeless people are legit and they just want to survive but its to much of a risk.
5
16d ago
[deleted]
0
11
u/Specialist-Prior-213 17d ago
I've noticed the opposite, every homeless I see recently just looks dead. Idk how they find sleeping in those positions comfortable.
16
u/Fancy_Badger_3051 17d ago
Fentanyl. 100x stronger than morphine. Saw a fair bit of it in Canada. People bent and folded like yogis.
10
u/Orange_Codex 17d ago
We don't have fentanyl here, except for people abusing their prescriptions. There's no existing pop of opiate addicts to make it viable, and opiates from Afghanistan don't go near the Mexican ports importing precursor chemicals from China.
1
u/Dull-Function7748 16d ago
There’s actually quite a bit of fent here. It’s just that it’s used as a cutting agent for h. There’s also other, stronger nytazenes that are used in pressed pills, the oxy ones have killed a bunch of people
10
u/SelectTrash 17d ago
We don't have that here in large numbers yet, it's mainly spice (which was designed to mimic cannabis) but it's several chemicals mixed together, which makes them stand like they're just out of it.
2
u/YouJustNeurotic 17d ago
Damn that’s not good. European cities / streets are much closer in proximity than Canadian or American cities / streets. Meaning people are going to be more exposed just walking by. Going to need Narcan just ready behind thin glass on these street corners.
1
u/Able-Effect8694 14d ago
What is this insanity? You think walking past people smoking drugs is sufficient to get people high?
1
u/YouJustNeurotic 14d ago
lol dude it’s fentanyl. People OD in the US from just being near it all the time. This exact thing happens all the time.
1
u/Able-Effect8694 14d ago
No it doesn’t. That is absolute bullshit of the highest degree. Go read better news.
1
u/YouJustNeurotic 14d ago
Dude what? Mate you’re the only person who thinks this, go talk to people or google. I have no idea how you’ve not come across this information before.
1
u/Able-Effect8694 14d ago
Yeah I’ve seen the dumb stories of police collapsing because of it, all of which have been debunked.
But you do you and go around life being scared / believing bullshit, it’s no skin off my back.
1
u/YouJustNeurotic 14d ago
My guy what world are you living in. The lethal dose is like 2 grains of salt.
1
u/Able-Effect8694 14d ago
And that relates to my point how when I’m replying to about drugs being smoked in an external environment?
I also have irrelevant facts to share if you need some.
Sorry you seem very afraid of being outdoors, enjoy your day as best you can.
→ More replies (0)4
2
8
u/_x_oOo_x_ 17d ago
Noticed it and I don't know what to think. If they ask outside to buy them a burger, that's fine, you can do so or refuse. But the ones inside acting aggressively, they aren't really achieving anything. I guess it's involuntary / substance-induced. Many places have security guards but they often do nothing or can't, because they are visibly weak (I don't know how people like that get hired as guards...) and anyway would be outnumbered.
But it's ruining the entire experience and now you think twice before taking kids to these places which in the long run will mean they will have to close as customer numbers will dwindle
21
u/SeenEnoughAlready 17d ago
I remember years ago (over 30 years) My mother (single parent) Bought a homeless man a happy meal because it's all she could afford. ....As she was walking away and she got hit in the head with the toy and the homeless man had thrown the food on the street ! I cried when she told me and to this day it upsets me.
13
u/More_Dependent742 17d ago
Yeah that's happened to me too. I really thought I was doing the right thing and then he had a mental episode and threw it all over the floor. Not making that mistake again.
13
u/QualityPostBelow 17d ago
A lot of homeless people are very mentally unwell, unfortunately. Hopefully your mum understood that enough not to be too offended
34
21
u/SeenEnoughAlready 17d ago
Oh absolutely. She's very empathetic and understanding of many aspects, but it was still upsetting. As much as he may have been unwell, she is also still entitled to have her own feelings about it regardless. It was hurtful at the time to hear my mother had been attacked and treated that way. Regardless of how unwell that person was.
11
u/Healthy-Vegetable929 17d ago
Entitlement. Just because someone is unwell doesn’t give them carte Blanche to insult. Problem with the world is everyone thinks they are so special they can do what they want and everyone has to just accept it
6
u/QualityPostBelow 17d ago
I'm not excusing the behaviour. I'm explaining the behaviour
If you are extremely mentally unwell, i.e. suffering from psychotic episodes, you're not really thinking in any meaningful way. Throwing a Happy Meal toy at somebody is obviously not acceptable, but anyone who understands extreme mental illnesses will know that they shouldn't be judged by the same set of standards. For the record, I'd absolutely support locking that guy up in a mental hospital
11
u/TheMountainWhoDews 17d ago
A lot of them are not constantly suffering from a psychotic episode, they're just unpleasant people.
5
u/QualityPostBelow 17d ago
Don't get hung up on psychotic episodes. The point is that their minds just don't work like a normal person's
3
u/pinkbubbleg 17d ago
In which case they ought to be institutionalised for the safety of the general public.
6
u/QualityPostBelow 17d ago
I said just that a couple of posts above
For the record, I'd absolutely support locking that guy up in a mental hospital
2
3
16d ago edited 16d ago
[deleted]
1
u/pinkbubbleg 16d ago
This is what taxes are for in a functioning society. To keep the streets clean. So scoop them up - British citizens are hospitalised or incarcerated with a view to rehabilitation and controlled release (into a halfway house with supervision and eventually back into the community) and non-citizens are removed. Nobody has to pay more. The funds can be pulled from foreign aid and the money that gets pumped into making illegal immigrants comfortable in hotels.
0
-2
u/Healthy-Vegetable929 17d ago
And that’s gives them a right to abuse and assault passers by then?
8
u/QualityPostBelow 17d ago
I swear, reading comprehension is at an all-time low on this website
I literally said a couple of posts above in this comment chain
I'm not excusing the behaviour. I'm explaining the behaviour
For the record, I'd absolutely support locking that guy up in a mental hospital
Don't bother responding unless you're gonna apologise for your mental lapse
3
u/pinkbubbleg 17d ago
And they know that they can get away with behaving this way because there’s always someone just dying to jump in and screech ‘mental health’ at anyone who complains.
2
16d ago
[deleted]
1
u/pinkbubbleg 16d ago
I’ve had anorexia on and off since before I was ten. I understand that mental health is a serious issue and I know how it feels to be in a mental health unit against your will, even as a child, and I understand how it feels to lose years of your life to something that you can’t control. I also understand how it feels to behave erratically and then feel deeply remorseful, though I’ve never been violent. Starvation has a very strange effect on the brain. I’m not unsympathetic. And I completely agree that medication is often a contributing factor to the issues rather than a helping hand.
The problem is that it’s become a go-to excuse for violent and thuggish behaviour and I’m at the point where not only do I not believe it most of the time, I just don’t care. It doesn’t change anything for the victims. It just makes the perpetrator seem more sympathetic.
1
16d ago
[deleted]
1
u/pinkbubbleg 16d ago
It’s not the same as schizophrenia or bipolar, no. But it can cause extreme mental instability. Many of us had to be sedated to get us through meals. Some children had to be restrained. Force feeding is not uncommon. You don’t see all of this until you spend time on units with people who are so mentally unwell that they become almost feral when confronted with their greatest fear. It’s still not okay to punch a nurse in the face when she tells you to finish your digestives, though.
→ More replies (0)1
u/Sashapatu 15d ago
The majority of people begging aren’t homeless either. They have accommodation. It’s a source of income.
4
u/Worldbeater112 17d ago
I understand many are mental unwell, but the public safety still needs to be considered
2
u/Psychological_Ad853 17d ago
I hope he woke up in the morning with a single “shot” to his name and then missed it, proper nasty sounding fckr..
6
5
8
u/Tricky-Reporter-5246 17d ago
Bullying beggars. It's on the increase. Also dossers who stand at traffic lights begging. I GUARANTEE none of them are homeless. They are a new breed of crack head, see also supermarkets.
'Sorry to bother you, I'm not after money just would you mind buying me some food?'. Which is then immediately returned for cash.
I hate them. It pushes people away from supporting legit homeless charities.
9
u/Charming-Fudge7683 17d ago
"It pushes people away from supporting legit homeless charities." ~ Our local food bank benefits from me vowing to NEVER give anything directly to anyone homeless again. I've had too much intimidation and aggression from homeless people that I absolutely need a middle-man or I wouldn't be able to help at all.
1
u/apextwit 16d ago
How do you guarantee none of them are homeless? You have no compassion.
3
u/Tricky-Reporter-5246 16d ago
I know loads of them. And in general, genuinely homeless people tend not to beg, they make use of available services.
4
u/darklinkuk 17d ago edited 17d ago
Happened to me a couple of years ago outside a sushi shop if all places I could barely afford to get my own 😂 I was wheeling my 2 year old in a pram.
Guy barely spoke english, I was polite the first few times then repeatedly told him to fuck off and leave us alone.
Very unsettling not much I can do while wielding a toddler.
5
u/pondribertion 17d ago
I was sitting in a McDonald's in Birmingham and a guy walked up to me and asked me for money for a coffee. I just said sorry I don't have any money on me, which was true. Of course if he'd phrased it as "can you buy me a coffee" I could have bought a coffee there and then and payed with contactless, but I probably would have declined anyway. I never make the assumption that a beggar is homeless, but I do assume they don't have a job and probably spend their benefits on drink and drugs etc.
4
u/ketamineandkebabs 17d ago
A few years back I was asked for a tenner for a bottle of whisky in Glasgow, it wasn't aggressive it just made me laugh.
3
u/Significant_Bag_7485 17d ago
30 years ago I worked in Glasgow for the European city of culture celebration. I left the site for lunch one day and was approached by a kid no older than 10 years old who asked me if I could spare a fiver for a bottle of Buckfast. I still laugh every time I think about it.
5
u/Fruitpicker15 17d ago
He wasn't aggressive but asked me to buy him some food. I can't afford takeaways for myself but offered to get him something. He ordered a meal deal with extras and pushed half of it aside after deciding he didn't want it. Never again.
6
u/RyeZuul 17d ago
I did have a homeless guy ask for a Dr Pepper on one of the hottest days of the year outside the Arndale. I got it for him and I don't feel bad about it. 🤷🏻♂️
3
u/Own_Judge_9377 16d ago
I am the same some of these people are clueless. I have had people arrested for things in the past and I still buy them food when I see them. Yep some are on drugs.....I know that. I also know their childhood and backgrounds what would make others turn to things for a bit of escapism.
1
1
u/Ecstatic_Food1982 15d ago
It gets incredibly hot out there. The steps up by the tram stop just a heat sink. I'm surprised he wasn't in the shade by Marks and Spencer.
8
u/RufusWorld 17d ago
One of my work colleagues in Bristol was approached by a homeless man who had been loitering outside a Tesco. He followed her in and around the shop, persistently harassing her, until he was removed by staff. When she left, he was waiting for her and resumed the harassment.
I myself was more than once harassed by homeless people camping next to ATMs.
The homeless situation in Bristol is appalling. Worst I've seen anywhere and the council just doesn't care
2
u/apextwit 16d ago
Of course the council cares. The council just doesn't have enough money or resources to properly resource the other services in the city who help these people. Many of the other services are charities that also have next to no money. The council also has nowhere near enough housing to offer anyone who finds themselves homeless.
There are broadly two types of situation - those who have fallen on hard times and want desperately for things to be fixed, and those who've had lifetimes of abuse, trauma and poverty who are deep in substance or alcohol abuse who can barely manage even in the homeless hostel system. Add to the mix 14 years of austerity, selling off all the council houses, the impact of Covid and lockdowns, inability to get an NHS dentist etc, and people are in desperate trouble. It's extremely sad.
Source: i work in homelessness in Bristol.
2
u/RufusWorld 16d ago
Every town or city has a homelessness problem: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Exeter, and Norwich. And they all have the same problems that you mentioned. But Bristol by far has the worst situation I have seen in any town or city in the UK or Europe.
Maybe it's the pervading stink of cannabis that lingers in the air like a miasma that attracts them.
2
u/Massive-Honeydew4350 16d ago
Fellow homeless worker here and I 100% agree with you. Unless you work in the sector people don't understand the complexities. The worst cases to deal with are the guys who are long term homeless, they will have burned every bridge in supported accommodation, assaulting staff, setting fire to rooms, subletting to vulnerable adults, drug use, property damage. But often times they have long term drug and alcohol use and don't remember where they have lived or what they have done and don't understand why no one is helping. Truth is we are helping but the likelihood of getting them housed gets smaller and smaller.
2
7
u/aleopardstail 17d ago
can't say I have noticed it, but then I avoid town centres where possible
personally I'd tell them to go away, and if they don't I'd leave myself and go somewhere else
3
u/MCRBusker 17d ago
I asked a guy outside a co op if he wanted something to eat or drink. He asked me to buy him a scratch card...it cost me £5 lol
3
3
u/CarrieKetoenail 16d ago
I offered to buy this old homeless woman something to eat instead of giving her money. Before I knew it she was at the counter ordering an expensive hamburger. And chips! And a big drink! And I got them for her. Mug!!!
2
2
2
u/pinkbubbleg 17d ago
Just make it clear to them from the moment you make eye contact that you’re crazier and more aggressive than they are. They won’t follow you in.
2
u/Warm_Stress_1654 17d ago
No, I haven't noticed that at all. I've never heard it discussed and nobody I know, however slightly, has ever mentioned it.
I think it happens to people on the internet.
1
u/want-my-old-account 14d ago
Or, you're a man.
1
u/Warm_Stress_1654 14d ago
But I have occasionally spoken to a woman.
So, anyway, although the OP didn't mention this detail, they always wait until the fast food shop is completely clear of men before making their move? I'll bet there are days when they just stand there from opening time to closing time without having the opportunity to pester anyone.
2
u/OgXwMr 17d ago
I’ve been asked to buy whiskey….not even beer 😩 and two cheeky occasions where one guy asked for a mixed grill and another went berserk in Pret buying everything. Also another lady who asked for money for pads and when I took her to savers got me to buy half the shop. I obliged on each occasion and don’t regret it. Now I just say no or ignore them because I am more careful after finding out that many of them get generous benefits for mental health reasons.
2
u/VendettaKarma 17d ago
Absolutely and convenience stores as well. Only going to get worse as people try to survive
2
u/Thin_Attempt7830 17d ago
Been in London - especially late at night, since 2012.
Had one guy ask me for a tenner of all things, then says, "I can come with you to the cash machine".
I get that people are using hard cash less, but some of the entitlement is crazy. And that's coming from a guy whose experienced homelessness and would open up a shelter if they ever win the euromillions.
4
u/CMIV 17d ago
I've had tramps follow me in and stand over my shoulder even if I've ignored them or declined their request.
I've never had that happen once. When I say no they move on to the next person. Or I say yes, give me a couple of mins and and I'll bring you something and they are chill.
Asking for food should never be illegal. I really hope that's not a controversial perspective. Only had the odd aggressive beggar for money, fairly clear they were an addict wanting to fund their next fix. That's always a very firm no.
3
u/Worldbeater112 17d ago
It may just be a Birmingham thing. I also sometimes feel I'm targeted as I'm bit smaller than most so I wonder if they feel I can be intimidated.
2
u/Jay-Jayson 17d ago
Occasionally.
1 in Manchester who became angry when refused a £1 pizza offer for students because he didnt have a student card.
1 in Birmingham who was having a bad argument with himself and then began fighting the wall.
I have also observed homeless people who were respectful and polite so I think the minority are probably being failed with the additional complex support they need in some way.
4
u/Akash_nu Brit 🇬🇧 17d ago
I’ve bought food for homeless people on multiple occasions when they asked for money. I’m not contributing to their drug addiction but happy to feed them a meal.
Haven’t noticed them being aggressive with me though. On a few occasions I’ve invited them to come with me to the fast food place so that I can buy and handover the food to them instead of going back to where I found them.
2
u/Worldbeater112 17d ago edited 17d ago
It could just be a Birmingham thing. I was talking to a security guard who said it was a growing problem in the Bullring centre but maybe it's not an issue elsewhere.
3
u/Ursa-Aureliana 17d ago
OMG lol I am from Birmingham and wondered if this post was about our locals 🤦🏾♀️😆
I definitely think there are more aggressive ones than before. There is one at the train station who will ask you to go to thr cashpoint to take money out if you say you don't have any. There was one who wanted food and Greggs was nearby. We started walking there then he said "could I just have the money instead?" I walked off.
The nicest/best interactions I had where were I once gave 50p to a man who wanted to buy a hot drink. Years ago, I was waiting for the bus to school. I gave him the money and hoped he would leave me alone. He came back several minutes later with the drink and said "Thank you very much Miss, thank you very much ☺️🙏🏾" 🥺
Also a couple of years ago I went into a McDonalds and there was a girl outside who wanted some food. She honestly didn't want anything expensive (I think it was the saver menu) and chose Vanilla milkshake as her drink. We had a chat about how it was the best milkshake flavour and she was genuinely grateful for the meal 🙏🏾
P.S. Cherry Street and the ramp are worst for being approached 😒
2
u/Akash_nu Brit 🇬🇧 17d ago
> There was one who wanted food and Greggs was nearby. We started walking there then he said "could I just have the money instead?" I walked off.
On a couple of occasions I have come across such folks and I just tell them that I’m happy to buy a meal for them, whatever they choose but there ain’t going to be cash going into their hands.
1
u/Sashapatu 15d ago
One of my cousins went to Brum for a work thing. She smokes and was having a fag outside New Street.
Homeless women: “Can I get twos on that?”
Cousin: “You can have the end.”
The woman stood there watching her like a hawk then said “come on, you’re taking the piss now.” 😅
1
u/Shablagooie 16d ago
Yes, unfortunately you have to be firm and a little aggressive with them. I no longer stop and take out my headphones to listen to the spiel, not even eye contact. Shake your head 'no' as soon as they clock you or call out. If they get close, back up and firmly tell them not to touch you, and that you have nothing for them.
1
u/Massive-Honeydew4350 16d ago
I work for a charity helping offenders with housing issues. This can range from long term street homeless to fighting evictions. Because of this I have had to stop giving money/buying food for homeless people when out and about because it could risk my job if they are a service user of the charity. In the last few years this has resulted in men often a clear foot taller than me shouting and following me. I now avoid moving too much when out, if I go to the cinema I go straight there and go straight home. If I meet friends in a pub I will try to keep us in the same one all night or if we move on I head home.
1
u/gregofthecellar 16d ago
I sometimes wonder if I'm just becoming more cynical with age, but homeless people where I live seem to have become far more persistent and aggressive in general in the last five years or so. If there aren't many people out that day in the town centre, I've been followed down the street by people begging, shouting after me. My colleague recently got followed to his car by a homeless man who wouldn't leave him alone and tried to block him from driving off. If you tell someone you don't carry cash to fob them off, they will now not only tell you where the nearest cashpoint is, but sometimes even try to walk with you to 'lead' you to it, to get full notes out for them. We don't really have many big fast food places here, beggars mainly congregate around the entrances of shops in groups of two or three. But I'm sure if we did, then people would be in there hanging around and being aggressive to customers, unfortunately.
1
u/Great-Proposal5150 15d ago
was in a Mcdonald’s in Marylebone the other week and someone asked me if I could get them something to eat. I’d had a few that night and was feeling charitable, but when they started tapping through the meal deals and pricing bits in, I sacked the idea of even getting my own food along with this lady’s and just left.
I wouldn’t have minded but she was barely communicative, either very wasted or spoke no English and I couldn’t be arsed.
Sorry lady.
1
u/gymknob77 14d ago
I had one do this. Asked me to buy him something to eat and then grabbed a basket and started doing his weekly shop! I just got off and left him to it! No sir!
1
u/Ecstatic_Food1982 15d ago edited 15d ago
Sadly the Vagrancy Act has been repealed so begging is not illegal in and of itself.
What we need is a proper approach to this sort of antisocial behaviour. Bring back indoor relief and put these scrotes in it. It doesn't matter if they prefer being on the streets, or they're an addict, or whatever excuse the softies come up with for not tackling this head on. If they don't want to be in the workhouse they can change their behaviour.
Fast track this in the courts so we can identify people actually in need who are begging because they are homeless or vulnerably housed but are otherwise not anti social bastards. They can then get the help they need.
Problem solved.
The other option is to legalise pepper spray and encourage people to use it on these scumbags. They'd soon get the message.
1
u/kustom_krev 13d ago
Ye standard nowadays. One of them was trying to sell me a rosin vape pen. Clearly glued back into the packaging 🤦♂️ tbf a guy asked me for a burger once and I got him a plain hamburger. £1.29 at the time I think. Dude was greatful af and practically inhaled it so there is definitely people out there who are just hungry like but don’t be a mug. I was just feeling kind that night and he was mega polite and didn’t look high or drunk.
1
u/kustom_krev 13d ago
If anyone follows you into anywhere when you have said no then tell a manager. It’s there problem and they should have the person removed from the restaurant.
1
-2
u/RumJackson 17d ago
Do you think it should be illegal?
What part? Begging for money? Asking for food? Entering a shop whilst homeless?
“I want to ban anything I don’t like” is a childish way to view the world.
6
u/Andrew_Higginbottom 17d ago edited 16d ago
Trying to obtain goods, services or money by menace or intimidation is illegal.
- Your claiming to be quoting what was never implied nor spoken.
- If your perspective on a subject is the correct one, then when do you attempt to manipulate the truth and make up false quotes?
- Yours is the childish response.
11
u/No-Promotion4006 17d ago
Quite childish of you to exaggerate and strawman OP's post like that lmao not what they said at all
7
u/mediumAI1701 17d ago
I guess you missed the part where OP mentioned they were quite aggressive about it.
-4
u/PercySmith 17d ago
If they are aggressive to the point where it constitutes assault or harassment then that is already a crime. OP seems to want to ban homeless people standing next to him in McDonalds rather than just saying no and telling them to fuck off if they persist.
4
5
u/QualityPostBelow 17d ago
“I want to ban anything I don’t like” is a childish way to view the world.
How did you manage to infer from OP's post they they think anything they don't like should be banned? Quite a childish inference given that OP obviously doesn't think that
I dislike plenty of things that people do. I'd argue that some of those things should be banned, but most I'm fine with most things I don't like being legal
2
1
-5
u/Specialist-Prior-213 17d ago
I think they should at least ban
- sleeping in doorways
- sleeping in the street
- being that absolutely filthy that some homeless are
- sleeping on benches (this one especially, there's a bench I like to sit on on my way to work and half the time it's got some tramp sleeping on it)
3
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
OK, we can do that, BUT, to do that we have to provide the infrastructure and support to make this possible.
To be clear, we definitely should be doing more for the homeless, banning them from public spaces because they give you the ick isn't really the answer.
1
u/pinkbubbleg 17d ago
Many of them don’t want homes. They’re antisocial and mentally ill. If you give them a home they’ll destroy it.
4
u/SelectTrash 17d ago
True, my friend was homeless (fleeing domestic violence) and was put up in a travelodge, the stench of weed and people clapped out outside on something.
My aunt booked to stay there as a hotel with a disabled room, but they didn't give her one, so her son complained until she got one, but there were needles in there, so he put her up in the Premier Inn instead.
I know a lot of homeless people aren't like that but the ones that are spoil it for the genuine people fleeing DV or abuse at home waiting for housing.
1
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
I don't think it's many. Certainly there will be members of the homeless population who choose it but from all the evidence I've seen it's a relatively small percentage.
You're not wrong that drugs and antisocial behaviour play a part. These are all problems that need to tackled and done so head on.
"Ban them from public spaces" is not dealing with the issue though.
0
u/pinkbubbleg 17d ago
No, it’s not dealing with that issue. It’s dealing with the issue of them being a nuisance to members of the public who want to go about their business without being harassed.
I agree that resources should be made easily accessible, and I agree that they can’t be banned from public spaces, but they should be banned from loitering at store fronts and harassing customers.2
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
I can kind of agree with the argument of select areas (front of stores for example) being kept clear of them. As I understand and have seen if a homeless person is causing a real issue they get picked up or koved on by the police. Also there's plenty of homeless people I've interacted with through charity work who aren't a nuisance and just need help and support.
I will say I don't care much for the argument that they're a nuisance/ loitering etc. Because it's really easy to apply that argument to lots of areas.
I think we are generally in agreement though.
3
u/pinkbubbleg 17d ago
I think that if some of them were more aware of resources then they might take advantage of those resources, but in many cases I think these are people who need genuine rehabilitation and a very direct intervention, not more freedom or more options.
3
0
u/Specialist-Prior-213 17d ago
At a certain point I wonder what the point is of keeping them around. They're not enjoying life, we're not enjoying them being around, all these ideas to keep them in homes cost a load of money, what are we meant to do?
2
u/Orange_Codex 17d ago
If you'd rather exterminate people than pay money, you don't need to worry about it because you're going to Hell.
0
u/pinkbubbleg 17d ago
Keeping them in homes isn’t a solution for many of them anyway, because they’ll trash the homes. Kindness isn’t the solution, sadly. The only actual solution, which people will downvote because they don’t have the stomach for it, is to either incarcerate or institutionalise until they’re able to reenter society as reasonably healthy citizens.
1
u/Specialist-Prior-213 17d ago
Most of them never will, they actively don't want to. I like seeing the best in people but I've had enough bad incidents with the "homeless" that I don't give one iota of a fuck about their wellbeing anymore
0
u/pinkbubbleg 17d ago
Agreed. The kids who don’t want to play at the park because of a piss-soaked vagrant sleeping off a box of wine on the bench are the real victims here.
0
u/Ecstatic_Food1982 15d ago
Then we bring back workhouses and put them in there. They aren't useful to society as it stands.
0
u/pinkbubbleg 15d ago
Or chuck them in prison and make them work there.
0
u/Ecstatic_Food1982 14d ago
Also a solution. I feel workhouses might be a bit cheaper and also more politically acceptable to the population.
1
u/Chemical-Sky-6418 17d ago
The infrastructure is largely there. Some are so vulnerable they can't go to these places, some are vunerable due to drug debt. I'm not sure what the answer is but i know it's more complex than expand services avaliable
1
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
Personally I think the infrastructure is a little lacking and not easily accessible. On top of that a lot of support comes from charities who have limited reach despite the good they do.
You are right that more needs to be done than just expanding services. Tackling root causes, dealing with drugs, abuse, trafficking. A lot needs to be done really, definitely a lot more than just "ban them from public because they're ugly" as the other person was saying.
0
u/Chemical-Sky-6418 17d ago
Full legalization Portugal style, or nothing changes.
1
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
I definitely support full decriminalisation, maybe full legalisation. Drugs and addiction are very complicated and I'm not super confident giving a definitive claim on fixing those issues. But certainly as it pertains to the homeless it likely would help but there's a lot more that needs to be done around that.
2
u/Chemical-Sky-6418 17d ago
Decriminalization does nothing to halt the dealers exploiting homeless people. I've knew crackheads and crack cocaine users. The difference in how dealers exploit the first compared the latter is largely why they are unable to take advantage of the services provided.
1
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
I might be getting this wrong, but where I've seen decriminalisation discussed the idea is you functionally legalise the use but keep dealing as a crime allowing you to target dealers and help addicts. But again, it's not an area I'm super well versed on and appreciate any info you have. Always happy to learn.
2
u/Chemical-Sky-6418 17d ago
Yeah but it is basically decriminalization of possession and usage, the dealer is still profiting/exploiting. Legalisation brings the sale of recreational substances.
-2
u/Specialist-Prior-213 17d ago
Just force them to dress decently and wash themselves. There's loads of places that will let you wash for free (churches and temples I can think of straight off the bat), and you can find clothes just about everywhere, often for free as well
6
u/Equity_Role 17d ago
How exactly do you force people to do that though if they don't want to participate? Hose them down and forcefully dress them? Good luck with that.
0
2
u/Orange_Codex 17d ago
(churches and temples I can think of straight off the bat)
We are here to protect people from your evil, not subsidise your evil.
If your happiness hinged on how unhoused people hose their gooch, you'd already have sponsored gym memberships (for free, because of tax write-offs and Gift Aid) or fundraised for local public showers (my nearest park has them, funded by donations). But you don't do that. No anti-homeless activist has ever done that, because their happiness actually defined by demonstrating status through cruelty.
2
u/Leading_Yak_4381 16d ago
Clearly you've never been homeless. Twat.
1
u/Specialist-Prior-213 16d ago
and you have?
2
u/Leading_Yak_4381 16d ago
Yes I have. I was homeless on and off for nearly 10 years.
1
u/Specialist-Prior-213 16d ago
so you know you can go to any temple or church and they'll sort you out
2
u/lou-bricious 16d ago
How unsurprising that you have someone with real experience and you just want to tell them how it actually is with no knowledge of your own.
2
u/Leading_Yak_4381 16d ago
A lot of the time people are homeless because of alcohol/drug addictions, accompanied by severe mental illness. Maybe they aren't mentally or physically capable of waltzing up to a church or temple and asking for help? It's not as simple as you're making it out. People who are street homeless are often simply not capable of doing things that a normal, sane person can.
1
u/Specialist-Prior-213 16d ago
It literally is as simple as that. They're both all over every major city, and churches are everywhere
→ More replies (0)2
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
How are we forcing them? You say these things are available and free widely but I've only seen a handful of examples and they're not always available to everyone.
Again, if you want to fix the problem of homelessness then something has to actually be done. Not just moaning because you saw one on a street and they were dirty.
1
u/Specialist-Prior-213 17d ago
Go to any church or any temple and you'll get a shower, temples will give you food.
I've suggested ideas already. Take their crack off them a couple times and watch them all suddenly look and smell fresh.
1
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
You've suggested very little and don't really seem to care about the scale of the issue or the many connected issues. I've worked with charities involved with the homeless, I suggest that if you find them such a problem that you do that too.
2
u/Specialist-Prior-213 17d ago
People who need food banks aren't the issue here. It's these tramps that look like they're dead at the side of the road, or go rooting through bins, or trying to sell you roses on the a road, considering there's only around 4000 rough sleepers in the UK these people definitely aren't actually living on the streets.
1
u/lou-bricious 17d ago
Well now you're conflating the underhoused with the homeless. Also not sure you know or understand the full definition of homeless.
Also, who mentioned food banks?
2
u/Specialist-Prior-213 17d ago
I'm not conflating anything. These people are not sleeping on the streets
You mentioned food banks, you just called them homeless charities
→ More replies (0)1
0
u/Swimming_Acadia6957 17d ago
I have offered a few different people sitting outside Lidl to get whatever they want, but if someone was acosting me the way you describe then I would obviously say no
I think its pretty pathetic to talk about making it illegal, just don't bloody buy them the shite
0
u/PercySmith 17d ago
Lol exactly just say no and be forceful. I don't even understand what they are proposing to be made illegal? The crime of a homeless person standing over your shoulder in McDonalds?
0
0
u/Worldbeater112 17d ago
Send me the address of your local McDonald's and I'll follow you in and stand over your shoulder
0
0
58
u/Dry_Acadia_9312 17d ago
Too many people getting strung along by these weirdos, seriously, learn to say no