- Joined
- Jan 11, 2006
- Messages
- 6,482
- Purraise
- 8
(Some background: I live in one of the most population dense areas in Columbus, and not in a very good neighborhood... some would term it 'scary')
What do you guys do about aggressive begging? What I mean by this is people who won't leave you alone, follow you, curse at you, yell, etc. I had one guy follow me two blocks to work once, screaming obscenities at me the whole time, my manager called the cops for me. He was scary.
Just today when I was in line at Taco Bell (
) a man came up next to me and asked me for 1.39$ and when I told him I have no cash he went on and on about whether my mother was abusive and just because she was didn't mean I should take it out on him and how he would help me... so on and so on.
Now, the people who politely ask I just look at and say No, sorry. But these few who are like this I don't know what to do about. If they're inside a store they usually get kicked out but there's no telling what kind of reaction the aggressive ones will have--- one of them threw a rock at my head because I wouldn't give her a lighter (I'm not about to stop at night walking home alone to dig through my purse!)
So, I can't avoid them really, I can't be mean back, and I will not be an enabler and give them money... what to do?
I have once, when a woman was coming up to me at Kroger's, said first "Do you have any change?" before they can start. That worked pretty well, but usually the mean/violent ones you don't see coming.
What do you guys do about aggressive begging? What I mean by this is people who won't leave you alone, follow you, curse at you, yell, etc. I had one guy follow me two blocks to work once, screaming obscenities at me the whole time, my manager called the cops for me. He was scary.
Just today when I was in line at Taco Bell (
Now, the people who politely ask I just look at and say No, sorry. But these few who are like this I don't know what to do about. If they're inside a store they usually get kicked out but there's no telling what kind of reaction the aggressive ones will have--- one of them threw a rock at my head because I wouldn't give her a lighter (I'm not about to stop at night walking home alone to dig through my purse!)
So, I can't avoid them really, I can't be mean back, and I will not be an enabler and give them money... what to do?
I have once, when a woman was coming up to me at Kroger's, said first "Do you have any change?" before they can start. That worked pretty well, but usually the mean/violent ones you don't see coming.