The goddamn homeless guys on 7th and Garfield

brooklynpotter · July 2006

Drano wrote:
You're nothing but a walking source of cash to these guys - if you have a "regular" street-friend, all that smiling and goodwill will dry up pretty quickly if you can no longer donate to his Georgi and pizza fund.

i always give food to the man who sits in front of the 7th ave key-food; i always hope that his saying he was grateful was sincere and not an empty thank you.

one day my brother and his girlfriend were leaving the key-food, and this man asked if they were jewish (and apologized if they thought he was being offensive). they said that they were. he asked if he could ask for some advice, and they nodded.

he told the story of a woman who used to regularly bring him food in the mornings. he told them she'd died and that another family member came by and told him this news, and mentioned something about shiva. he asked my brother what shiva was and he told him. he asked my brother if he felt it would be appropriate to go to this shiva because he didn't want to be offensive; they told him that he should go. he asked what he should bring and they told him it wasn't necessary to bring anything. he thanked them as they walked away.

now, i know what you're thinking... the guy created this whole story just to get himself some chicken. but ours is a pretty small community, and if he were retelling this story all over the place i think people would be buzzing about it. worse, if he told other personal stories. (remember the hat incident? how it mde the NY times? as did the panini stand?)

i choose to believe him. i choose to give him sandwiches. maybe i'm a giant fool for doing so, but it makes me feel good.

idlewild · July 2006

mykidissmarterthanyourmom wrote: The guy with the boombox was outside the store this morning (he's the one that yells). He had the crate in one hand, the boombox in the other.

No one would pull that crap unless he was allowed to do it by the owner. He was kindly asked to move so they could wash the sidewalk before moving into his usual position.

The beggars at that store are entirely too comfortable. I haven't seen that at any other store. At the very least most owners make their beggars stand.

Just to be clear, I don't mind all of the beggars/homeless people, just the ones who go out of their way to be loud, obnoxious, or feel the need to stop me. The ones in front of that store are all of the above, except for one.

I won't go into their store anymore and if I'm with someone else, I ask that we don't go into that store. They can have my business or beggars, not both.

I'm not only going to patronize the store, I'm going to extend their lease for another five years at half rent. Ten years if they promise to set up a Carlyle sofa bed and a LG 42" plasma w surround sound in the front of the store to make the beggars "feel more comfortable".

idlewild · July 2006

Drano wrote: [quote=brooklynpotter][quote=mykidissmarterthanyourmom]
I won't go into their store anymore and if I'm with someone else, I ask that we don't go into that store. They can have my business or beggars, not both.

while i disagree with your feeling about this issue, it might be a tad more sympathetic to feel something such as, "they can have my business or that beggar."

because there are some local "beggars"--a word i find offensive, btw. i prefer calling them homeless people--who are not obnoxious or disgusting or deeply annoying.

Hey, whatever makes you feel comfortable. Note, however, that while they are all quite literally beggars, they might not all be homeless.

Give them your money if it makes you feel good, but be self-aware enough to realize that's why you're doing it. You're nothing but a walking source of cash to these guys - if you have a "regular" street-friend, all that smiling and goodwill will dry up pretty quickly if you can no longer donate to his Georgi and pizza fund.

Oh! Hey, related subject - if you have Showtime check out Reversal of Fortune (it's also On Demand). It's not the von Bulow/Dershowitz story but a documentary wherein they give a homeless guy $100k. It's pretty good, even if the results are predictable.

I'm with Drano on this one. Give or not give to whom you choose. Shop or not shop where you choose. If certain street friends give you the cold shoulder because you stop giving them money, then tough titties on them. This is America after all, freedom of choice is an inherent right, unless the governemnt dis-agrees with you but that's another thread.

anonymous · July 2006

How anyone can defend these able-bodied men who decide to leech off society and sit outside and harass people is beyond me. THey need to be exterminated, plain and simple.

stephstock · July 2006

Exterminated? Geez, angry much?

People have a right to defend whomever they choose. Get over it. You don't have to agree with their defense.

brooklynpotter · July 2006

Anonymous wrote: How anyone can defend these able-bodied men who decide to leech off society and sit outside and harass people is beyond me. THey need to be exterminated, plain and simple.

exterminated? who are you, hitler?

mainemakeupartist · July 2006

Guest doesn't have the balls to post that comment with a registered user name. No surprise there.

anonymous · July 2006

Flexichick wrote: Guest doesn't have the balls to post that comment with a registered user name. No surprise there.

what does it matter if i post as a guest or waste 5 minutes of my life registering under some made-up pseudonym? are you really this stupid? is anybody?

prusik · July 2006

brooklynpotter wrote: because there are some local "beggars"--a word i find offensive, btw. i prefer calling them homeless people--who are not obnoxious or disgusting or deeply annoying.

If you are sitting there with your hand out - whether you find it "offensive" or not - you are begging. Whatever your prefences how do you know they're homeless? Does this particular categorization somehow help you regardless of whether or not it has any bearing on that particular BEGGAR's own situation? Methinks brooklynpotter is gilding her lily here.

meganlibrarian · July 2006

raw wrote: I totally forgot to mention the goddamn homeless guy who annoys the F&%$#@ out of me -- the creep hanging out in Citibank on the weekends, who opens the door for you, watches you at the ATM Machine, and asks for money as you leave.

I hadn't seen a homeless person holding the door to a bank ATM area in years... before this morning, at that very Citibank ATM. I wondered if this was a case of police not monitoring regularly, as I'd not experienced this in forever and a day, or if I'd just managed to never hit that ATM while the guy was there. Hrrrm.

anonymous · July 2006

Subject: Guestmanship

Guest #166 wrote:

what does it matter if i post as a guest or waste 5 minutes of my life registering under some made-up pseudonym?

Well, it would help the rest of us to know if you're Guest, the Exterminator, or Guest, the woman who gets called "hot honey" and "baby", or perhaps Guest, who'd like to give [the bodega owner] a humanitarium award. Or all of the above. Perhaps you're the guest from another thread seeking the recipe for Turnip Crispies? If so, you haven't thanked Guest #51. It would help us all, in the pages to come, not to have to waste 5 minutes backtracking to sort you out.

You don't want to be on anyone's "sort list", do you? So why not sit down and type a name into the Username blank? You don't have to register. And there's no need to waste time with a "made-up pseudonym". Just a pseudonym will do, as all pseudonyms are made up.

(Don't kill the messenger...I'm just a Guest here.)

steve · July 2006

It doesn't surprise me that someone who would say something that stupid, doesn't want to be part of a community. Guest is a f*cking joke.

Anonymous wrote: [quote=Flexichick]Guest doesn't have the balls to post that comment with a registered user name. No surprise there.

what does it matter if i post as a guest or waste 5 minutes of my life registering under some made-up pseudonym? are you really this stupid? is anybody?

caaahyoko · July 2006

meganlibrarian wrote:

I hadn't seen a homeless person holding the door to a bank ATM area in years... before this morning, at that very Citibank ATM. I wondered if this was a case of police not monitoring regularly, as I'd not experienced this in forever and a day, or if I'd just managed to never hit that ATM while the guy was there. Hrrrm.

Yeah he's there at certain times. I don't think its regular, though. I've seen him on and off as long as I've been going to that citibank.
I find the best way to ignore him is to just go through the door that he isn't holding open. That gives a very clear, "I can open my own door, thank you, and no I'm not giving you money. Ever."

brooklynem · July 2006

I see this guy all the time. He holds the door open during hours that the bank itself is closed. I say "thank you". I don't give him money. He's never bothered me/made comments, etc.

I don't think his location is the smartest choice for pan-handling ("sorry, I only have $20s" after visiting the ATM).

anonymous · July 2006

raw wrote: I totally forgot to mention the goddamn homeless guy who annoys the F&%$#@ out of me -- the creep hanging out in Citibank on the weekends, who opens the door for you, watches you at the ATM Machine, and asks for money as you leave.

I always wonder about that, if I'm going to an ATM, chances are I need to get some cash. Do these people actually think I'm going to hand them a 20 for opening the door for me? Furthermore, the doors have a magnetic card slot lock thing to keep people from entering and exiting at will, so these people just open the door for anyone? Yeah, seems really safe. Citibank should do something about this. Or the police should.

isa · July 2006

I like those homeless guys.

eggcream · July 2006

How about store owners calling 311 to complain about the beggars or those asking for handouts.

How about asking the people who sell t-shrts/jewelry etc to stand in their place?

I too think the owners are letting these beggars or those asking for handouts slide.

I am creeped out by the guy at Citibank also. Makes me nervous. That is one of the reasons we opened a second account at Commerce Bank on Fifth Ave.
Commerce Bank is a class act. They are open on Sundays..tellers etc. They have late very and early hours. Extremely courteous and helpful. Free pens and lollipops

All the tellers wear commerce vests. No windows. They have free coin changers. No beggars or those asking for handouts opening the door for you. Just go in to look around. You will not be disappointed. No, I don't work for them.

kosherdave · July 2006

eggcream wrote:

Commerce Bank is a class act. They are open on Sundays..tellers etc. They have late very and early hours. Extremely courteous and helpful. Free pens and lollipops All the tellers wear commerce vests. No windows. They have free coin changers. No beggars or those asking for handouts opening the door for you. Just go in to look around. You will not be disappointed. No, I don't work for them.

I agree, that is a nice bank. I take my coinage there when I get enough saved up from NOT giving it to the bums on 7th.

andonamoose · July 2006

I love Commerce Bank.

I took $500 in coins once to the branch on PPSW. The coin machine was broken. They called another branch for me to ensure their coin machine was working and they also gave me a check (I can't remember for how much - $5 or $10) for being patient with the inconvenience. I don't even have an account there (but I'm considering one).

prusik · July 2006

Flexichick wrote: I took $500 in coins once to the branch on PPSW.

In a wheelbarrow? That sounds like an awful lot of coins. :shock:

markm80 · July 2006

No, in my car! I could have never have carried them.

My father used to put all of his change in those Danish butter cookie tins. When we were kids, he'd give them to me once a year or so as a gift.

When he died my mom gave me about 5 tins worth. A $500 gift from his next life, I guess :-)

prusik · July 2006

Flexichick wrote: My father used to put all of his change in those Danish butter cookie tins. When we were kids, he'd give them to me once a year or so as a gift.

Yeah I do something similar - all my change goes into a piggy bank for the little guy then gets transferred to his savings account every month or so. I guess at 2 1/2 it's easy to get excited about dropping a couple of quarters in the slot. 8)

lucky11 · July 2006

hey - at 30+ I was still excited about getting the change :-)

See what being unemployed can do for your appreciation of little things?!

idlewild · July 2006

I save my quarters for the City of New York aka the parking meters.

brooklynpotter · July 2006

my last trip to the commerce free coin machine yielded nearly $200.

the danish butter cookies tins are used for crayons where i come from; i still have a huge tin of them from when i was little.

kosherdave · July 2006

I wonder if the god damn homeless guys would be offended reading this forum.

Me: "Hey, God damn homeless guy, I came across a discussion about you on the internet."

GDHG: "The what?"

drano · July 2006

prusik wrote: [quote=Flexichick]I took $500 in coins once to the branch on PPSW.

In a wheelbarrow? That sounds like an awful lot of coins. :shock:

Last time I went (which was the first time in about 2 or 3 years) I got $640 - the coins all fit in this big Tupperware cake cover lid. It's weird, but it doesn't look like as much as it is...I think when they asked me to guess the total, I said $325 or something.

raw · July 2006

kosherdave wrote: I wonder if the god damn homeless guys would be offended reading this forum.

Me: "Hey, God damn homeless guy, I came across a discussion about you on the internet."

GDHG: "The what?"

That cracked me up.

anonymous · July 2006

Wait, does the big new commerce bank on 5th venue have this free coin machine and can I use it? I'm a citibank person, but I have a few hundred dollars in change I would rather use for drinks.

carnivore · July 2006

Anonymous wrote: Wait, does the big new commerce bank on 5th venue have this free coin machine and can I use it? I'm a citibank person, but I have a few hundred dollars in change I would rather use for drinks.

I don't think you have to have an account there to use the machine.

The goddamn homeless guys on 7th and Garfield

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