CHLLady wrote:Kythas wrote:CHLLady wrote:
I've never seen so many panhandlers as in Austin. Seems like it has exploded there.
Nope. Those are just hipsters and that's their job. They don't feel the need to be tied to a regular job, so they panhandle to get their money for the day, then move on with their day when they have what they need.
Not all, much to my shame. In Austin, we stopped at light at an intersection with a panhandler. His sign said, "Dog and me are hungry..." We had just finished our lunch on the go. I told hubby to give him my box, as I only ate a little out of it. I thought he would give the chicken strips to the dog. What he did humbled me beyond words. He said, "Thank you!" He ran back opened the box and gave one strip to his dog first, then ate the second one. He ate it as fast as his dog. The light changed and we moved on. We were all so moved by it. It was their first experience witnessing someone truly hungry. We came back by that weekend and he wasn't there.
I did see a lady with a small child in a stroller panhandling. It was so hot out, the toddler looked heat exhausted. She had a nasty black eye. When we got close, I could see it was makeup!
I pointed out this one panhandler that was wearing ironed blue jeans and had a really nice backpack. Sometimes it's hard to tell who is legit.
My wife used to see one setup every morning on her way to work. He would park a fairly expensive car across the street and carry his walker and other items to his spot. He then transformed into a crippled war vet.