Downtown bums

oh no! the horror! someone asks for change, you say "no" and they say "have a nice day!"

thats been my experience.

there is a guy who hangs out in front of the 7-11 next to ellis island. i passed him twice a day for about ten days straight back in december. for the first three or four nights, he would just say "hello" or "have a good night" or something polite. afterwards, he asked me for change. i had none.

the following night, he wished me "good luck". i got dealt 4oak on a 50-play machine. on my way back i gave him all the change in my pocket. he said "god bless you".

the next day, he just said "hello miss" and "have a night night".

this isnt harassing but i bet some people would be shaking in their boots.

its real life, its not a big deal.

Jenaphir - You say you passed him twice a day for 10 days. That sounds like he was at his "job".Do you really think he had your interest at heart or were you just one of the many people to whom he said the same thing? I feel it is just another version of the same old con - the soft sell. He played upon your good side and is making a tax free living off of you and others. As you said, its real life. By the way, I have a used car for sale, are you interested?

yeah, of course i know this. but i do appreciate your condescending comment and implication that i am an idiot. no really, i do.

anyone THAT stupid would lack the motor skills to turn on a computer and type.

my point was that homeless people arent going to pull out guns and shoot you should you happen to come in contact with one.

you know, because so many people act like seeing someone ask for change is oh so super scary OH MY GOD A HOMELESS MAN SPOKE POLITELY TO ME CALL THE POLICE!!!

now do you get my point?

I read your reply twice. I think I get your point. It is your money, do with as you wish. I actually have a job and work for my money, therefore I choose not to give my hard earned money to any person who approaches me for a handout - no matter how they go about it. Many of the "homeless" are phonies and "expect" others to give them money. Personally, I resent being approached and having to respond to them. Whether walking down the street or sitting at a machine while I gamble does not give them the right to approach and panhandle me. I don't go to the expense to get to Vegas to be panhandled. I go to enjoy myself and I am mot there to support their lifestyle. Do you get my point?

this is not the point you made in the first post where all you did was imply that i am an idiot.

i am not arguing whether or not people should give money to homeless people. all i am saying is that you are likely NOT going to be physically assaulted if you dont. you said yourself that you dont give them any money. have you ever been murdered over this?

maybe you need to read my post three times.

I will read your post again. By the way, I am not likely to physically assaulted by the "homeless" if they don't approach me at all. That is the way I like it and the way it should be. Good luck and have a nice day.

On my last trip I visted the Wynn and the Encore. I got hit up by panhandlers INSIDE of both casinos. They weren't dressed as bums. It just gets old. Las Vegas has a problem and they better not let it get out of hand.

I think I will take a running count next time I go to L.V.

+1

Hey ! Bums are people too.

DonDiego treats each derelict encounter individually. Most of the time DonDiego retains whatever moolah is on his person regardless of the race, creed, sexual orientation, or age of the presumed vagrant. DonDiego usually acknowledges whatever greeting is offered and declines whatever request is made, without incident. But there are notable exceptions:

__One time DonDiego was strolling on N. 3rd Street making his way from Fremont Street to the Lady Luck Hotel and Casino, his residence for the night, . . . before this street was closed and beautified into a semi-park-like environment, . . . back when it was just a dimly-lit street with a shadowed sidewalk. DonDiego was alone. An eight-foot-tall, 400-pound unsmiling gentleman of the Black persuasion in disheveled, soiled attire and smelling of demon-rum approached poor old DonDiego with his hand out. DonDiego fished two Lady Luck $1-tokens from his pocket and offered them to this fellow. No words were spoken. No smiles were exchanged. Both parties continued on their intended path. DonDiego trudged on to the Lady Luck, none the worse for wear. Lest the reader mis-interpret, he'd've done the same for a White person.

__Another time, after N. 3rd had been closed but before its beautification DonDiego encountered another Black gentleman, a younger lad who hailed DonDiego and explained his plight, . . . something like he needed some cash to pay the youth-hostel where he was staying what he owed them so he could stay another night, because he was going to an interview the next day which was almost certainly gonna change his life for the better, and much, much, more. This youth and DonDiego conversed a bit and exchanged pleasantries for an enjoyable few minutes. Anyway the young man was very well-spoken and spun a good yarn, . . . and whether it was a scam or the truth it was well-performed and entertaining. DonDiego gave him a $20-bill and the two conversationalists wished each other a good evening, shook hands, and parted, . . . forever.

As a rule, I choose not to donate to panhandlers.

But once, I was eating at a Burger King, and the peel-off prize from my drink was a Big Whopper, which I don not eat. I gave it to an apparently homeless guy outside the door. Another time when I was driving a Celica that burned lots of oil, I was exiting the minimarket with a quart. When a young guy asked me for a quarter, I told him I'd give him a buck if he put the oil in my car. He was happy with the deal, and so was I.