Begging in Dublin Epedemic? **MOD NOTE, post #3**

amtc

I worked on Abbey Street for 5 years and oconnell Street for 8 years. Same people begging. Bussed in with babies being switched round. Funnily enough never asked me, in fact one said to another 'she's one of ours'. I assume because I worked round there. In fact I dropped my purse one day and a guy ran after me to return it.

I don't like begging at atms. Rather intimidating. The worst however though I was walking back from lawyers in docklands and that was scary.

I was in Limerick last week and a five minute walk from restaurant to hotel passed six beggars.

In Brussels airport in the bar they do the leave stuff on your table. At the Navenby Road also sell air fresheners.

pillphil

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

had a young chap come up to me last year, I don't go into town much anymore but this guy really got to me.

He gave me a story and was pure emotional nearly crying telling me but I genuinely had no money just my leap card.

I told him and he replied with " what about them headphones you have on can I have them"
Ya mate I'll give you my 150 quid dr dre headphones sure.... I just walked away.
Have to wonder if he was telling the truth about his story
if he was bull****ting I'd have to say hes the biggest scum I've come accross

South African guy?

Dr Crayfish

hmmm wrote: »

I think if you live and work in the city centre you'll notice we have a fair amount of "professional" beggars (Irish & foreign) who have their turfs well staked out. You see the odd poor fecker alright, but I'm extremely cynical of the majority. There's one particular lady I see every day outside Hodges Figgis who has this croaky put on voice saying "will you help the homeless" - sure I will, if you stopped pretending to be homeless that would probably be a start.

Yes she says "Please help the homelesseseses". When in fact she isn't homeless at all, she's a traveller. I was on the 140 bus to Finglas once and she was sat behind me with her daughter counting money. She had about 100 euro in coins. Then she got out at the Lidl in Finglas and was collected by other travellers in a van. She came up to me outside Hodges Fidges last year asking for money and I told her she wasn't homeless and that she lives in Finglas, to which she replied "Yeah but I have children to feed". Her daughter is in her 20s!

There's a bloke on Nassau st every day that sets up a line of crappy books and sits there pretending to read Dan Harris thrillers etc, lol. He's clearly a heroin addict. The Garda do nothing, I'm not even sure what the legalities are on begging. The same Roma gypsies are begging around Nassau and Pearse st DART station for the last 3 years at least, since I've been working around there.

Anyway, the authorities allow this to happen, do nothing about it, so I just try to not let them bother me any more, it's not going to change.

But the main question is - who the f**k actually gives them money? If we didn't enable it, it wouldn't happen.

amtc

I've both heard and seen this. At the bus stop at Baggot road dublin 7 there is a collection of buggies there in which various babies are transferred to go into town begging. Just home now and saw next morning's ones chained up a la supermarket trollies.

Charlie19

It's definitely not a epidemic, I can safely say that I gave a few quid to one beggar last night and didn't catch anything.

Dublin is no different to any other city I've visited.

Arcade_Tryer

Poor people in Dublin Epidemic?

Punish them!!!

newacc2015

Dr Crayfish wrote: »

Yes she says "Please help the homelesseseses". When in fact she isn't homeless at all, she's a traveller. I was on the 140 bus to Finglas once and she was sat behind me with her daughter counting money. She had about 100 euro in coins. Then she got out at the Lidl in Finglas and was collected by other travellers in a van. She came up to me outside Hodges Fidges last year asking for money and I told her she wasn't homeless and that she lives in Finglas, to which she replied "Yeah but I have children to feed". Her daughter is in her 20s!

I seen her getting on a bus a few weeks ago with a pram full of food. She asks people to buy her food and I honestly dont know what she is doing a pram full of it each day.

Dr Crayfish

newacc2015 wrote: »

I seen her getting on a bus a few weeks ago with a pram full of food. She asks people to buy her food and I honestly dont know what she is doing a pram full of it each day.

Seriously - who is f**king stupid enough to fall for this clown? And surely if I've known about her for years, one or two Garda must too? Or is it legal to con people?

H3llR4iser

ongarboy wrote: »

The new trend I've seen in the last few months is beggars coming on commuter trains during the off peak hours and leaving packs of tissues on your seat with a little note and then coming back in a few minutes in the hope you'll buy the tissues? While it's not quite aggressive begging, it's still annoying. Also why tissues??

It's nothing new, it's been happening for the last 25 or so years all over Europe; Some of them recite a script that is always the same - "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I'm just a normal, honest guy who lost his job last year, I have a 4 years old son...". Used to hear this every single morning when I used the underground in Naples and Rome. I went on a trip to Barcelona, get on the underground, fella leaves his tissue packet on the window next to me and what would you know, he too was an "honest normal guy" who "lost his job last year" and had a "4 years old son" to feed...

Guy Sajer wrote: »

I don't know if you are putting gypsies selling items in the same bracket as begging but having been 6 times to Venice and twice to Milan and once in Rome I didn't see one beggar in all of them.

Sorry, I'm from Italy, lived in various cities there and especially in Rome; The "touristy" areas are patrolled by the Police and Carabinieri, so you'll get the occasional seller but not much more; Stations, bus stops and anywhere outside the "famous places", but where there's still significant daily crowding, it's chock a block with people asking for money. Saw the same in Milan, Naples, Florence, Barcelona, London, Frankfurt and so on.

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

...
Have to wonder if he was telling the truth about his story
if he was bull****ting I'd have to say hes the biggest scum I've come accross

Sometimes you get the doubt; I've told this story already - a few years ago I was walking home after taking a walk in Phoenix park. I wasn't far away from Heuston station, when I ran into this guy, mid'30s, well dressed, standing in front of a parked BMW 3-Series; He approaches me explaining he locked his keys and wallet in the car, the BMW in front of us, and if I could lend him a "tenner" for a cab, so he could go get the spare keys. I actually didn't have any money on me, but I'm not sure what I would have done if I had the "tenner". He was probably taking the p1ss, as I know other people who had the same experience - but I wonder what would have happened if I said "let' hail a cab, I'll come with you so you can give the 10 euro back when you ulock your wallet from the car"

jonnny68

Roma gypsies are a curse, they have "patches" in Merrion Square, Baggot Street and Nassua street i work around the area and see them every day, pretending to be homeless but they work in shifts and can often be seen collected in cars at the end of their "shift" the garda of course do nothing they just couldnt be bothered, all this while there are so many genuine homeless on iur streets, it disgusts me

drake70

jonnny68 wrote: »

Roma gypsies are a curse, they have "patches" in Merrion Square, Baggot Street and Nassua street i work around the area and see them every day, pretending to be homeless but they work in shifts and can often be seen collected in cars at the end of their "shift" the garda of course do nothing they just couldnt be bothered, all this while there are so many genuine homeless on iur streets, it disgusts me

Not really their fault. Blame the High Court.

From April 2013: http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/high-court-ruling-helps-put-beggars-back-on-our-streets-29210883.html

fiachr_a

Anyone seen that Limerick pair with permits stapled to their yellow jackets collecting for a homeless charity? They go around town hassling tourists sitting outside cafés for money.