# "Crying Amtrak Girl" scam



## PetalumaLoco (Jun 1, 2010)

Near Davis, Calif.

Needs $40 for a ticket home.


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## the_traveler (Jun 1, 2010)

I would never give money to someone like that. If I really did want to help, I would buy them a ticket - with my credit card! (I'd even give them a ride to the station! How many think that they would refuse? :huh: ) If it's legit, they would use the ticket. If they try to get a refund, it would be refunded directly on to my credit card!


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## Devil's Advocate (Jun 1, 2010)

the_traveler said:


> I would never give money to someone like that. If I really did want to help, I would buy them a ticket - with my credit card! (I'd even give them a ride to the station! How many think that they would refuse? :huh: ) If it's legit, they would use the ticket. If they try to get a refund, it would be refunded directly on to my credit card!


Trust me, knowledge of how Amtrak ticketing works is no match for knowledge of how backend financial systems operate. A true scammer would probably be able to undo whatever safeguards you tried to employ to protect you from fraud. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Not to mention that the article says she's accompanied by others who keep a distance but would presumably move to action if you tried to help in any other way besides handing over cash. I don't understand why anyone would contribute to panhandlers. If she needs to get home to her parents then let mommy and daddy pay for that ticket. Some girls can cry at the drop of a hat; it doesn't mean anything on its own.


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## amamba (Jun 1, 2010)

I used to often give my lunch leftovers to a panhandler who sat outside my office every day when I worked in Boston. He was generally quite appreciative.

I have no problem with helping those who truly need it.


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## Bob Dylan (Jun 1, 2010)

To each his own when it comes to panhandlers, I usually don't contribute but there are exceptions based on the situation,just like everything else in life! (absoluteism is the last refuge of scoundrels! )Back in the day when I used to live in airports and on planes  (ugh!), there were "specialist" panhandlers that worked airports, well dressed, polite,clean cut etc. etc. that would pull the old "Ive lost my ticket and wallet/purse etc. (both femalkes and males can play this racket), have to get home for my poor grandmas funeral, anything would help yadda yadda!! <_<

I agree with the_traveler in that if a seemingly real emergency/tragic transportation situation came up @THE TRAIN STATION" I'd probably offer to purchase a ticket on my AGR MC for the reasons he mentioned! Nothing new, con men and women will always be with us, there's a bunch running for political offices everywhere!


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## Devil's Advocate (Jun 1, 2010)

amamba said:


> I used to often give my lunch leftovers to a panhandler who sat outside my office every day when I worked in Boston. He was generally quite appreciative.I have no problem with helping those who truly need it.


Well food is kind of hard to turn into anything else. An ex-girlfriend of mine got me into the idea of handing leftovers to folks on the street, so sometimes I'll do that if I'm in such an area. However, I think panhandlers are just a symptom of a much larger problem. Instead of increasing our social safety net we keep hacking away at what little remains. Thus, people who need help don't get it and they end up on the street. Meanwhile we still pay social security to rich people. Why? They don't need it, so maybe we should stop handing it over. Not to mention that any system which requires a continuous increase in the productive population to subsist is a exercise in futility. Eventually there will be shortfalls as population numbers decrease such as in the post-Babyboom period. Couldn't the architects of Social Security figure that out?


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## VentureForth (Jun 1, 2010)

The part of the story that really caught my attention was the part where they reported that she is typically accompanied by a dark Chevy or red Toyota near by. Sounds like a bigger deal than just a sham. Definitely seems to be criminal.


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## TVRM610 (Jun 1, 2010)

Everytime I'm in NYP it seems that someone just happens to be "two dollars short" there train ticket home. Usually when I offer to buy them a ticket they just refuse. A few times they take me up on it... and I do buy them a ticket (it's always NJT it seems.. so no big bucks). I'm all for helping people in need... but I also don't like liars who say they need a ticket when they don't.


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## George Harris (Jun 1, 2010)

VentureForth said:


> . . . she is typically accompanied by a dark Chevy or red Toyota near by. Sounds like a bigger deal than just a sham. Definitely seems to be criminal.


Pimp or equivalent?? In other words, she may be scamming to get the money, but it may be going to somebody else.


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## darien-l (Jun 1, 2010)

Some more details and a photo: http://www.davisvoice.com/2010/05/crying-g...large-in-davis/

http://daviswiki.org/Con_Artists#head-cdb9...e81b78a11f6ba0d


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## MikefromCrete (Jun 1, 2010)

This is a pretty common scam. I've been approached several times by people in downtown Chicago offering a sob story about not having enough money to get home and needing some cash for a train ticket or gas for their car. Usually the story invovles some family member who is with them and sometimes having money stolen from them. As a matter of fact, I was approached by the same person twice on two different days with the same story. The Davis girl seems to be a pretty good actress. So be careful, folks, not every hard luck story is true.


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## PetalumaLoco (Jun 1, 2010)

I've been hit up in a gas station for enough money to buy gas to get home. Last time, I asked how far home was, sized up their car and guestimated how much gas it would take, then pumped x gallons in their tank myself.

Didn't take much, if it helped them, all well and good.


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## Acela150 (Jun 1, 2010)

I was on 163 to PHL in January and a mother came aboard crying saying she needed $78 to get RGH. She said I need it for the silver meteor. I did some quick thinking I knew 97/98 don't stop in RGH and 97 leaves NYP at 315pm. 163 gets in around 4. 97 was running late that day. A guy sitting next to me pulled out a 20 dollar bill. I politely said to him "it's a scam when she passes I'll give you more information." I then told him that the next train to RGH is in the morning and the train she claimed to be taking didn't stop there. People should really think it through also if they wanna do this.

Steve


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## Green Maned Lion (Jun 1, 2010)

Personally, the only reason I would give someone anything more than food, is if that person was female, and I was interested in some sort of longer term involvement with them. I might buy them a ticket on NJT, since NJT tickets are non-refundable, but probably only if I happened to have a ticket to that destination in my wallet at the time.


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## tp49 (Jun 2, 2010)

The third comment in the linked story says it all.



> It should be noted that her name is not Amber, but in fact Jill Johnson, of Vacaville. After this story came out, someone identified her on Daviswiki.com, and posted a link to her, as well as her brother's myspace pages. There are clear pictures of her with and at least one of her accomplices (identified as Caleb Holcomb). Seems like big brother has a criminal background as well, as he turned himself in this last Fall for a series of credit union robberies in the area.


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## volkris (Jun 2, 2010)

daxomni said:


> Meanwhile we still pay social security to rich people. Why?


Well, since you asked...

According to an NPR story on the history of Social Security, the original proposals for SS ran into trouble because they were deemed unconstitutional. The Supreme Court and other Powers That Be ruled that any program of wealth redistribution is in violation of our constitutio--money taken from people could not benefit individuals, but must only benefit society as a whole. Therefore, Social Security was set up such that people pay in to the system and get something vaguely like their own money back in the end. Thus, rich people get paid SS not because they need or don't need it, but because not paying them would be unconstitutional redistribution of their deposits into the system.

Yes, it's a Ponzi scheme, but it juuust managed to make it over the line of constitutionality, and heck, it was easier than going through the hassle of a constitutional amendment, right?


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## Green Maned Lion (Jun 2, 2010)

volkris said:


> Yes, it's a Ponzi scheme, but it juuust managed to make it over the line of constitutionality, and heck, it was easier than going through the hassle of a constitutional amendment, right?


Your perspectives are always so interesting. Absolutely bughouse, but interesting nonetheless.


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## caravanman (Jun 2, 2010)

Oddly enough, I was in Las Vegas a few months ago and am back again today.. a guy who asked me for 50 cents last visit asked me again this time. I guess my 50 cents last time was not enough to get him into a new life after all..

Ed


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## OlympianHiawatha (Jun 2, 2010)

Around here since there are no commuter trains it's always a couple of bucks they need for the bus (and whenever they ask, there is always a liquor store within eyesight). But when I'm in Dallas, it's always a couple of bucks for the DART where there's a serious problem of homeless people riding the trains all day. At least security at Union Station generally does a good job of keeping them out, especially around _*Texas Eagle*_ times.

Either way I usually nip the situation by asking, "no, I was just going to ask if you have some change I can use for the phone?" That gets them every time


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## Dan O (Jun 2, 2010)

I usually help people with some change (a buck or so) if my initial reaction is that they aren't lying. I know I have been scammed probably many times. But I'd like to think that once in a while the person is really hungry or needs gas money to get home, etc. I used to give out gift certificates to a local fast food place to people who said they were hungry. That's a bit of a hassle though and perhaps a bigger waste of money because I'd have to give at least $3-4 to feed someone. It's a difficult thing to try to determine who is really in need and who isn't.

Dan


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## AAARGH! (Jun 2, 2010)

AT LAUS, I was approached several times with 'I need $$$ to get to ..." stories. I assumed they were all bogus and told them I could not help them. Some of them were even dressed pretty well.

Chicago also has many pan handlers outside the station.

I guess I am a cynic when it comes to this. I have given money to 'nice' pan handlers, who do not push or have some sob story. If they are holding out a cup or say something nice like "have a nice day" or ask you how you are doing, I am much more apt to help. After all, you attract more flys with honey (or is it bees?).


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## darien-l (Jun 2, 2010)

Another story and video here: http://www.news10.net/news/article.aspx?st...p&catid=188

The really annoying thing about the video is that they spell Amtrak "AMTRACK" in the graphic, AND use the ancient "pointless arrow" logo. Argh.


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## lthanlon (Jun 2, 2010)

Earlier this year I was at LAUS for a couple of hours waiting for the Southwest Chief. During that time, I must have been approached six or seven times by people with well-rehearsed stories. Nobody appeared disheveled or down-and-out, all were polite, and everybody wanted between $15 and $40 to get to nice, middle-class destinations.

One guy who approached me said he needed money to get a ticket to Redding and said he was in the Army and on leave. I turned him down, just as I had turned down all the others. During the next hour, however, I saw him go to the Amtrak counter three times and walk away looking pretty dejected. So, I gave him $60.

I'm not up on how one travels on leave -- or whether servicemembers are able to obtain tickets in an emergency under these circumstances -- but the guy's trips to the counter were either genuine or remarkably well rehearsed.


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## PetalumaLoco (Jun 2, 2010)

lthanlon said:


> Earlier this year I was at LAUS for a couple of hours waiting for the Southwest Chief. During that time, I must have been approached six or seven times by people with well-rehearsed stories. Nobody appeared disheveled or down-and-out, all were polite, and everybody wanted between $15 and $40 to get to nice, middle-class destinations.
> One guy who approached me said he needed money to get a ticket to Redding and said he was in the Army and on leave. I turned him down, just as I had turned down all the others. During the next hour, however, I saw him go to the Amtrak counter three times and walk away looking pretty dejected. So, I gave him $60.
> 
> I'm not up on how one travels on leave -- or whether servicemembers are able to obtain tickets in an emergency under these circumstances -- but the guy's trips to the counter were either genuine or remarkably well rehearsed.


Did he have military ID?


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## Nickrapak (Jun 3, 2010)

Acela150 said:


> I was on 163 to PHL in January and a mother came aboard crying saying she needed $78 to get RGH. She said I need it for the silver meteor. I did some quick thinking I knew 97/98 don't stop in RGH and 97 leaves NYP at 315pm. 163 gets in around 4. 97 was running late that day. A guy sitting next to me pulled out a 20 dollar bill. I politely said to him "it's a scam when she passes I'll give you more information." I then told him that the next train to RGH is in the morning and the train she claimed to be taking didn't stop there. People should really think it through also if they wanna do this.
> Steve



A similar thing happened to me last year at Market East Station in Philadelphia. I was approached by a woman who had her three year old daughter with her. She said she needed money for a ticket to West Chester, because her daughter had medication that she left at home.

The only problem was that the last train to West Chester was September 19, 1986!


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## amtrakwolverine (Jun 3, 2010)

in chicago on national train day i was trying to find a bus line and this homeless guy overhead and wanted $4 to show me were the bus line was i said i had just enough for the cab etc he got all pissed off and called me something so i called him a racial name that starts with N.


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## lthanlon (Jun 3, 2010)

PetalumaLoco said:


> Did he have military ID?


Good question. He didn't show me any and I didn't think to ask. He did go to the ticket counter after I gave him the money and appeared to purchase a ticket. He then bought a Coke and was still sitting in the waiting room no longer panhandling when I left to board the SWC.

Oddest train station hustle was at Whitefish, Montana. The westbound Empire Builder had pulled in around 9 p.m. and as I was walking quickly over to the newspaper boxes on the street side of the station, I was approached by a thirtysomething woman and a girl who looked about 12. "I need to borrow your cellphone," the woman told me as she extended herarm. I said I didn't have it on me. The daughter then took over the conversation. "Why can't you go back on the train and get it, huh?" I said I was sorry, bought my papers and then went back to the train. What was odd was the brazen confrontational tone of these two. I'm not sure whether they tried this on anyone else, but I did, in fact, have my iPhone on me and I sure wasn't about to hand it over to a pushy stranger.

I saw other people asking to use strangers' cellphones at LAUS. I was surprised how many people let them do so.


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## AAARGH! (Jun 3, 2010)

amtrakwolverine said:


> so i called him a racial name that starts with N.


Don't ever do that again. That word is unacceptable. Don't stoop to their level.


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## PetalumaLoco (Jun 3, 2010)

lthanlon said:


> PetalumaLoco said:
> 
> 
> > Did he have military ID?
> ...


I think you did the right thing. The ID may just settle any doubts you may have had.


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## Green Maned Lion (Jun 3, 2010)

amtrakwolverine said:


> in chicago on national train day i was trying to find a bus line and this homeless guy overhead and wanted $4 to show me were the bus line was i said i had just enough for the cab etc he got all pissed off and called me something so i called him a racial name that starts with N.


You know what? I'm not shocked you'd do that.

In anycase, homeless people and beggars are not inherently black, and blacks are not inherently homeless or beggars. I could imagine someone pushing me around in that circumstance to the point where I called them names, but I would refer to them as [rear waste exit point], jerk, prick, heel, or pain-in-the-tuchus. I wouldn't even make a connection between their race and the fact that they were acting inappropriately.

Actually, I don't think I'd even make a connection between that and their socio-economic status/occupation.


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## Eric S (Jun 3, 2010)

AAARGH! said:


> amtrakwolverine said:
> 
> 
> > so i called him a racial name that starts with N.
> ...



Agreed.


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## rtabern (Jun 4, 2010)

I have been approached several times in downtown CHI with people saying they are $2 short for a train ticket and they need to get to Fox Lake, Elgin, etc. Usually I refuse and the times I have actually offered to buy them a ticket they have declined. Nice, huh? It shows me they are not really that interested in getting home. Whenever this happens and I am in my Trails & Rails uniform I give them a nice lecture about how it's not a good idea to solicit Amtrak crew while in an Amtrak station. I do - do the food thing though. Usually I eat at Giordano's and order a small stuffed pizza which I can never totally finish... I'll usually give the spare piece away. There is usually a panhandler around the Jackson Street Bridge there who can appreciate it.


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## amtrakwolverine (Jun 4, 2010)

AAARGH! said:


> amtrakwolverine said:
> 
> 
> > so i called him a racial name that starts with N.
> ...


yeah its just that he got really snippy and huffy i couldn't aford to pay him $4 or to buy him something to eat so he could show me how to get to the L train(or what ever you call it.)


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## Meat Puppet (Jun 4, 2010)

NYP, Newark Penn & Newark Broad Street are notorious for this scenario with New Jersey Transit customers. Scammers will ask someone at the ticket machine next to the one they are at and give a sob story about their car being towed, etc etc and how they are $5 short for a train ticket. The unsuspecting good samaritan will put $5 into the ticket machine thinking they are helping the person out and when they walk away the scammer just cancels the purchase and gets the cash or if the person sticks around he will print the ticket and then offer it for sale on the platform. This is why New Jersey Transit made one way tickets non refundable after a purchase.


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## sueb (Jun 4, 2010)

Green Maned Lion said:


> amtrakwolverine said:
> 
> 
> > in chicago on national train day i was trying to find a bus line and this homeless guy overhead and wanted $4 to show me were the bus line was i said i had just enough for the cab etc he got all pissed off and called me something so i called him a racial name that starts with N.
> ...


But, according to one of your previous posts on another thread, you were very vociferous in defending your right to refer to someone as "retarded" - why is that different? Just curious. I'm sure you know it's quite common for homeless people who panhandle in public places to be mentally handicapped and/or mentally ill.


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## Green Maned Lion (Jun 4, 2010)

amtrakwolverine said:


> yeah its just that he got really snippy and huffy i couldn't aford to pay him $4 or to buy him something to eat so he could show me how to get to the L train(or what ever you call it.)


I fail to see how this relates to this apparently obnoxious persons race.



Meat Puppet said:


> This is why New Jersey Transit made one way tickets non refundable after a purchase.


No. NJTransit made fares non-refundable as part of Warrington/Sarles campaign to make the rails for peak travelers only, and to increase their desire to discriminate against those of us who are transit dependent. Remember, this discriminatory and car-owner favoring policy came into effect around the same time Warrington informed the world that Off-peak riders were incidental to NJ Transit's business.

This isn't about homeless people. This is symptomatic of the kind of draconian driving-public favoring policies that is driving our transit systems onto the rocks!


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## sunchaser (Jun 4, 2010)

We have not been approached at the train station, but we don't ride regularly & train times are late at night/early morning.

However, we have plenty of panhandlers here. There was one guy by a McDonald's, with the usual 'I'm hungry' sign. People would buy him a burger, he'd pop it in his backpack. We saw another digging through the trash in front of another store for food, we offered to take him to the rescue mission for a shower, meal & bed, & he refused, just kept digging & eating old food out of the trash! Last time I went down to the Rescue Mission, a guy begged me for money to get to Seattle, said he was veteran. I told him to go up to the VA here & they should be able to help him. VA does have programs to help homeless veterans. I try not to give $, because most of the time they will spend it on something else, not on what they say they need it for.


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## Donctor (Jun 5, 2010)

amtrakwolverine said:


> in chicago on national train day i was trying to find a bus line and this homeless guy overhead and wanted $4 to show me were the bus line was i said i had just enough for the cab etc he got all pissed off and called me something so i called him a racial name that starts with N.


Wow. You have failed.

Why would you tell people about this?


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## lthanlon (Jun 5, 2010)

Has anyone else noticed a significant increase in the number of panhandlers at Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center (Metra) who just need X amount of dollars to reach their destination? While waiting for my train Friday afternoon, I was approached three times in less than a 30 minutes.


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## Donctor (Jun 6, 2010)

lthanlon said:


> Has anyone else noticed a significant increase in the number of panhandlers at Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center (Metra) who just need X amount of dollars to reach their destination? While waiting for my train Friday afternoon, I was approached three times in less than a 30 minutes.


Yes.

It's usually pretty bad at CUS, but it's gotten worse at NW Station. I guess the people at the Jackson Hotel discovered a second train station.


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## olejf (Jun 6, 2010)

i was in chi two weeks ago between trains, on the sidewalk, disoriented as usual, and my knee hurting so i couldn't wander too far. a guy, youngish and clean, stopped briefly saying he hadn't eaten today did i have some change. i gave the automatic no and he moved on. i was thinking if i knew where the river was, i'd be ok. i hailed him and told him i'd pay him a dollar if he told me where the river was. he eagerly offered to walk me there, the opposite of where he was going. i said just tell me, which he did quickly and clearly. he earned his buck and i got a dollar's worth.


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## amamba (Jun 26, 2010)

Crying Girl is in the New York Times today!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/us/26crying.html?ref=us


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## sunchaser (Jun 26, 2010)

amamba said:


> Crying Girl is in the New York Times today!
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/us/26crying.html?ref=us


I'm surprised that there is no law against panhandling there. It used to be illegal in our town when I was growing up.


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2010)

I ran into a person like this a few days ago at Boston South Station. She said she had gotten off the train and the bus ticket was more than it said on the internet. It was actually pretty believable because she said that she thought that the "web fare" was how much it cost and it turned out to be more at the station. She said she needed $14 The part of the story that killed it was that when she heard my southern accent she put on an accent as well and claimed she was from Georgia. Now what makes it not add up is that no one in their right mind travels all the way from Georgia to Boston with exactly enough money for their train and bus fares. I didn't think about it at the time, but on top of that the regional connection from the Crescent doesn't come in at 2 in the afternoon when she was begging for money.

Simple logic can figure out most of these people. I had a guy in a Walmart parking lot begging for money so he could fix his tire on his car, but it was at midnight in a sleepy town where nothing else is open at that hour. My buddy kept asking him where he was going to get his tire fixed at midnight, but the bum kept trying to go in circles.


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## PerRock (Jun 26, 2010)

amtrakwolverine said:


> in chicago on national train day i was trying to find a bus line and this homeless guy overhead and wanted $4 to show me were the bus line was i said i had just enough for the cab etc he got all pissed off and called me something so i called him a racial name that starts with N.


Last time I took the train to CHI I had a couple hours before my flight at KORD and so decided to walk over to the Millennium Station and take the Metra Elect to my grandparents house. As I left CUS I stopped for a second to get my bearings straight (I always have to do that coming out of CUS). And was approached by a guy asking if he could show me the way to some place; I told him I knew where I was going and that I didn't need help; I caught him a couple mins later a few blocks away just finishing up walking people to the L and was asking them for a few dollars. At the very least he is honest about it; and will walk you to wherever your going (within reason I would assume) for a couple bucks.

peter


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## Eric S (Jun 26, 2010)

sunchaser said:


> amamba said:
> 
> 
> > Crying Girl is in the New York Times today!
> ...



Courts have routinely ruled that "panhandling" cannot be banned. The First Amendment free speech protections apply to "can you spare a dime?" the same as they would to any other speech. Communities can, however, ban "aggressive panhandling" and many have done so.


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## Bob Dylan (Jun 26, 2010)

I'm no lawyer but will play one on this forum: In Austin the panhandlers are allowed to have signs saying whatever they want but are not supposed to step into the street or VERBALLY ask for money! Seems like the folks spend considerable time creating imaginitive signs, not just the old "Will work for food" or "Vet needs help" etc. My current favorite isfrom a regular on the corner by where I live, his sign says: "Who am I kidding, I need a Beer!"  The police tend to enforce the ordinances hit or miss, since the weather is mostly good here (it's a tad HOT right now! :lol: )we have hoards of street people and the competition for good corners can be fierce! Also lots of undocumented folks looking for work since the economy is currently in the toliet here, the kind of jobs they do is hurting (construction/landscaping etc.) BTW-They are NOT "Illegal aliens", theyve yet to prove that aliens are here from other worlds, they are people trying to live,get by, just like all of us! 

Since the Redline opened some of these folks have started the old "I need $2 for a ticket to get home" scam which seems to be what this thread is about!I offered to buy a guy a ticket and he laughed and said can I just have a dollar! :lol:


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## tp49 (Jun 26, 2010)

sunchaser said:


> amamba said:
> 
> 
> > Crying Girl is in the New York Times today!
> ...


You've obviously never been to Davis, California. Look up the world famous (or infamous) Davis toad tunnel for an idea of the place. Not quite as uber liberal as Berkeley but they're giving them a run for their money.


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## tp49 (Jun 26, 2010)

Eric S said:


> sunchaser said:
> 
> 
> > amamba said:
> ...


No but it can be restricted just as any other First Amendment activity can and private property owners are free to ban panhandling on their property as they deem fit.


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## sunchaser (Jun 26, 2010)

tp49 said:


> sunchaser said:
> 
> 
> > amamba said:
> ...


Nope, never been to Davis. I've been in SLC for many years, & there are a lot of them here. Usually the same people on the same corner for weeks & weeks. Usually they don't want food, they want $ for alcohol/drugs. We try to offer food/rides to one of the shelters so they can get showers, clean clothes, hot food & a bed, they usually refuse it.


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## Eric S (Jun 26, 2010)

tp49 said:


> Eric S said:
> 
> 
> > sunchaser said:
> ...


True. I should have been more specific in my response. Governments cannot ban "panhandling" (so long as panhandling is just defined as the speech) but can ban "aggressive panhandling" (harassing, threatening, etc.). And, as you mention, private property owners can restrict speech and actions on their property as they see fit.


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## mucomix (Jun 26, 2010)

I just booked a trip on the CZ late OCT to Davis from Omaha I will look for her. Im a hard ass any way. I will report what I see. The last time we where in Davis we liked the town. So this time we will stay in Davis and run into San Francisco & SAC on the C.C. to site see. May rent a car and drive south to the gold country. We love the Redwoods. But we could go for something new this time.


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## Devil's Advocate (Jun 28, 2010)

Maybe you can't ban panhandling over free speech considerations, although with today's Supreme Court who knows if that's still the case. At any rate you apparently _can_ ban financial transactions between motorists and pedestrians on city streets. That pretty much kills most panhandling in vehicle-centric cities, does it not? Gainesville, Fla. was apparently the first to figure this out back in July of 2007.


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## Eric S (Jun 28, 2010)

daxomni said:


> Maybe you can't ban panhandling over free speech considerations, although with today's Supreme Court who knows if that's still the case. At any rate you apparently _can_ ban financial transactions between motorists and pedestrians on city streets. That pretty much kills most panhandling in vehicle-centric cities, does it not? Gainesville, Fla. was apparently the first to figure this out back in July of 2007.


That probably is true. But in this particular case ("Crying Girl" in Davis), most stories seem to indicate she approaches people in parking lots, at the train station, or on sidewalks, not walking up people in cars on public streets.


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