The tourists are not amused
After seeing Harry's pictures and the scene I saw this morning, I can honestly say the Central Grove needs some major changes and fast.
This morning I was at the Subway on Grand Avenue and as the girl tried to serve people, this annoying homeless dude kept coming in, going up to people eating, and asking for money. The girl would politely ask him to leave and he would then stand outside the place and accost people leaving.
Then all of a sudden, this same dude decides to sprawl out right on the entrance of Subway. He just lay out on the sidewalk with his hands and feet spread out. I was tempted to take a picture of him, but I didn't want to give him any more attention, which is what he was craving.
Families were getting out of cars and seeing this and were aghast. One SUV full of a family of tourists from out of town (the license plate said Virginia), got right back into their SUV and left.
Many people seem to worry about bar closings at 3 or 5 am or information booths or whatever, the the real problem seems to be guys like this bum who felt like putting on a show and scaring people away on early Sunday mornings. Ironically, this is right next to the Post Office lot, which is even more of a nightmare.
That tourist family and many others must have quite an impression of the Grove these days. Sickening.
This morning I was at the Subway on Grand Avenue and as the girl tried to serve people, this annoying homeless dude kept coming in, going up to people eating, and asking for money. The girl would politely ask him to leave and he would then stand outside the place and accost people leaving.
Then all of a sudden, this same dude decides to sprawl out right on the entrance of Subway. He just lay out on the sidewalk with his hands and feet spread out. I was tempted to take a picture of him, but I didn't want to give him any more attention, which is what he was craving.
Families were getting out of cars and seeing this and were aghast. One SUV full of a family of tourists from out of town (the license plate said Virginia), got right back into their SUV and left.
Many people seem to worry about bar closings at 3 or 5 am or information booths or whatever, the the real problem seems to be guys like this bum who felt like putting on a show and scaring people away on early Sunday mornings. Ironically, this is right next to the Post Office lot, which is even more of a nightmare.
That tourist family and many others must have quite an impression of the Grove these days. Sickening.
posted by Tom Falco at 11:30 AM
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44 Comments:
This post really makes me pause on this beautiful Sunday morning and wonder why we have grown so callous. Is the bottom line of Coconut Grove being the perfect tourist trap the sole purpose of this blog?
This is the perfect example of a real poor (read destitute) person in dire need. Instead of being appalled and aghast why didn't you have some compassion for God's sake!
If the "bum" needed money, why didn't you give him some? (Is paying other people's parking meters or buying the guy behind you coffee at Starbucks your only idea of giving?) If attention is what he needed, why not spare him a moment? People are hurting in this world - all over, and yes, right on our very doorstep of the Grove. It was an opportunity to be kind...
All residents of the Grove make up the diverse tapestry that makes us unique. Some are needy, some are wayward, some are addicted, many are alcoholics (especially the rich ones), and all of us need love and attention and yes, food shelter, and money.
I am so glad you didn't further disgrace this man by taking his picture at such a low point in his life. Instead of casting judgement, and worse worrying about tourists from Virginia (who I'm sure have seen homeless people before - it's a nationwide disaster) you may have tried helping this real live desperate needy person right in front of your face - and blogged about that instead!
Why did you just step over him? We all have probably seen him a hundred times before. Why not help him up, dust him off, look him in the eye, give a kind word, a few bucks, a handshake, a blessing and a prayer of thanks that this isn't YOU in this predicament, with some uncaring guy wondering whether he should document this "scene" to make some blithering judgmental point on his blog.
That my dear is SICKENING.
Well first off Mr./Ms. Know it all. I DID GIVE HIM MONEY. And a few other people gave him money. And rather than take the freaking money and go get something to eat or drink he proceeded to mock us, put on a show and scare away everyone in sight.
And I didn't step over him, he was standing up, sober and knew exactly what he was doing.
When people stopped giving him money, he took it upon himself to lay on the floor and put on a show. He wasn't drunk, he wasn't incoherent, he knew exactly what he was doing.
He could easily get a job, maybe as a performance artist on Lincoln Road.
He didn't belong there bothering people.
Grape - I think you missed the point being made, but I wouldn't take it personally – I'm sure you did your best. Seems the BUM needed more than money and turns out he wasn't freakin' hungry. Is he mentally ill?
I'm sure it was shocking to all who witnessed such embarrassing antics. We sure have some incorrigible characters roaming our Groooovey streets!
That guy is out there every day. He knows exactly what he is doing. His point is to shock people. He likes being "on stage".
most of the 'homeless' have mental health issues, so doing anything but baker-acting them is not helping them.
but fear not: miami's leaders have enacted a $100 fine for panhandling downtown! brilliant!
if they are panhandling, it's likely because they have no money. so i think we know what they will do with their 'fine'....
that little plaza is disgusting...
for years i was amazed that the convenience store had a sign in front that said "Police Substation", yet they sold a wide assortment of crack pipes under the glass case in the front of the store.
There are people in need all over, like "do unto others" says. And whether the tourists get disgusted is really not the point at all. Going to that convenience store (a place that is anything BUT convenient because it is dirty and badly stocked of anything remotely convenient) is a hazard. There are quite a few drunks who hang out there right next to a parked police car. They hassle people and are a nuisance to everyone. I've often wondered why they can't be helped in some way but I suppose that there is a definite "arrangement" with the police. Don't know how that works but I just can't understand how a policeman doesn't see what they are doing (certainly disturbing people and intimidating them at times getting real close to the cars and walking up close as you get out of your vehicle.)
I also feel compassion for them but I really don't believe that giving them a dollar or two is going to solve anyone's problems. Some sort of social service should be in place and available to help them.
dont the cops have a little office in the mini mart next to subway? and while it is true the homeless have mental problems, from when i worked at the walgreens liquor store years ago i found out pretty much all of them smoke crack (the homeless are very open with their liquor retailer)so i'm not too sympathetic anymore
Although I completely respect the first posters thoughts, I think he/she is more than a bit naive.
First of all, there is no denying that Florida's economy is largely based on tourism. To simply dismiss the presence and actions this homeless person, as if THEY are the only victim is nonsense. It is common sense that if people, whether tourist or local, has to be regularly harassed by panhandlers, they will find somewhere else to go. Would that be in the best interests of the grove?
"What I Did on My Summer Vacation" -- by A Nice Kid from Virginia.
Okay, what we did was, my mom, dad and I got into our SUV and drove all the way to Florida!!! OMG, it was so hot!
Then we wanted to eat and there was a Subway so we were like okay cool. BUT there was this man who STUNK in front of Subway. My mom was like, Is that Jared? I was like, I don't think so, he's kinda thinner. But I saw another sandwich shop right there with rabbits and carrots in the window and ingredients I haven't seen on Nickelodeon. But my dad grabbed me and threw me back into the SUV and said if they want our business they will engage in millions of dollars of marketing and advertising, and then we will consider.
So we drove back to Virginia and there were lots of Subways off the Interstate. Thank god!!
THE PANHANDLING IN THE CENTER GROVE IS OUT OF CONTROL, SHOP LIFTING IN THE RETAIL STORES ARE UP,,, THE STREET CRIME IN THE GROVE IS UP WE NEED MORE OF A POLICE PRESENCE ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, THE WEST GROVE IS DESTROYING THE CENTER RETAIL GROVE CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM TO RE DEVELOP GRAND AVE
The point is that all these homeless like to hang around in the Grove. They actually do get free food at the homeless shelters (which taxpayers pay for) but they like to hang around the Grove and get drunk, some people actually feel sorry for them but the truth is they ask for money to get drunk or get drugs. And its always the same homeless/drunks/locos who thrive off of the little plaza!! Does South Miami, Doral, Brickell, Kendall, Coral Gables etc. have these homeless?? NO - just the Grove between the little plaza Kwik Stop and US1, truthfully its disgusting! I think its a matter of feeling safe and being able to walk around the Grove without having these people bothering others. I personally have seen them peeing on the streets, getting into fights and just being obnoxious!!!!!
To 6:43: "All these homeless" in the Grove is less than 5 (and some of them are the same guy several times, like the one who always asks for 80 cents to get on the bus). That is not so bad. In San Francisco, where tourism like here, is the number 1 industry, there are so many homeless in the tourist areas that the city has a campaign of signs targeting the rest of us (havehomes?) to have some compassion-- as if they were pigeons. Google even gives them free voicemail.
It wasn't that way back when I starred at the Shubert Theatre ... oh, wait, what am I saying, San Francisco does not have a a Shubert Theatre!
Margot Channing
This guy was threatening. That is why I brought it up. There are panhandlers by the Loggerhead who look like old Grove hippies. They are not threatening at all and I feel good when I help them out. They are part of the Grove community.
This dude today at Subway was deliberatly trying to scare and threaten people.
In response to anon @ 6:43, et al: which says, "I personally have seen them peeing on the streets, getting into fights and just being obnoxious!!!!!"
I must agree with you, but let me assure you these are not homeless, alcoholic, crack addicts, like the now infamous Subway Bum, but our very own wayward youth (17 to 45 year olds) on a regular Thursday - Sunday night partying in the Grove! The only difference is that these guys don't have to ask for handouts for their booze or drugs (which they openly purchase in the God forsaken West Grove) they just use their hard earned (parent's) money. Does this make their inebriated pastimes more tolerable for us with the delicate Subway-loving sensibilities? I've dodged, and even stepped over many a stumbling drunkard in designer jeans! Uh, yeah.
...To me the whole point of this – Grapevine's current hot topic – seems only to try to highlight the disgusting behavior of this now singled-out, attention-needy, homeless(?), drug-addled(?), stinky, dirty, obnoxious, destitute, unappealing, tourist-repelling, alcoholic(?), loitering, and above all, SICKENING!!!, BUM!
Congrats! We the captive audience have read, and bled the words...
Sorry folks, I still feel for the BUM, and even more still love the post on the tongue in cheek: "What I did on My Summer Vacation" by the "Nice Kid From Virginia."
Who needs cheap-ass tourists that choose Subway over all the great Grove restaurants anyway. I say, I'm glad they got a taste of reality - Coco Grove style.
Grape: How threatening could this guy be all "sprawled out on the sidewalk with his hands and feet spread out?" Anyway, you should feel good about helping any human in need, not just "old Grove Hippies" dude.
Compassion could be the werd of the week starting on this Sunday the 13th!
I helped him out, about 10 people helped him out. He was up and walking and talking and coming into Subway and bothering people.
Then when everyone started to ignore him, he threw himself on the floor and made a scene. That was the disgusting part, not the panhandling part. He deliberatly threw himself on the floor to get attention when people stopped paying attention.
And as for Subway, try to find something to eat on Sunday morning in the Grove. Not many choices. I would be at Fococcia next door, but they are closed on Sunday.
Please don't be defensive of your knee-jerk reaction to such a "disgusting" experience at your early-morn local Subway, but rather take a deep breath and strive for more tolerance for the now highlighted rancid unwanted of our beloved community. And yes, they may not be your old, friendly, harmless and peace-loving Hippies, but they are just as much a part of this Coconut Grove community, whether you welcome them or not...just like you and me brother Grape.
The key is not to be afraid. Fear is the killer of all things, and in this case tolerance and compassion for a F'ked-up fellow human being.
I've been in need, and am forever grateful to those who saw through the physical dysfunction that can befall any of us at some inopportune moment. May you never be in such a predicament.
i have no problem supporting drug treatment programs, homeless shelters, job training, etc. Please by all means use my tax dollars. But i want to smack the people that give handouts to most of the street beggers. First off most are not in fact homeless, and they are out there day after day especially on bird and us begging. They are not buying food with that money they are buying crack. And by giving them money you are merely feeding their drug habit and exacerbating the problem. I was confronted by a women who i used to see all the time outside starbucks. She was telling me how she was beaten by her boyfriend and had all these kids. I happened to just watch some country program on the Miami Dade channel which talked about how Miami Dade has a lot of open spaces in shelters and battered womens clinics but people do not use them because they can continue their habits by begging on the street. I asked her if she had gone to the local women's clinic and she said no because they have a 1am curfew. I went into a long lecture about how she needed to get her act together, and how she is wasting her life in a country that has soo many opportunities. I told her how I am a returned peace corps volunteer from west Africa and how the people over their would give anything to have the kinds of opportunities we have here. She listened and she left and I have never seen her again. I dont know if she went to the shelter or not and made the changes. I would be probably be foolish to think so, but i still hope.
aside from the people with mental illness who may not be able to help themselves, the rest of the begging, drug addicts and straight up bums need to get their own act together. Giving them money is helping YOU feel good, but as a community it is making the problem worse. If we stop paying they will either get some support or move somewhere else.
Its like i said, i am willing to help those who are willing to help themselves.
That's brilliant, just stop helping and they will move somewhere else.
You lack the most important ideal of Sargent Shriver's envisioned Peace Corp worker - that of COMPASSION.
...Besides that, you really should have stayed in college. It's hard to take people who can't spell, seriously. This is, after all, Affluent Coconut Grove - residence of intellectuals, and bums.
The peace corps is not about compassion, its about helping others and exchanging cultures. Giving handouts is not the answer be it to an individual on the street or an entire nation state. Believe me, there are plenty of countries around the world ready and willing to just throw dollars at the developing world and say they did their part. In my opinion our own city/county policymakers could learn a lot from our international programs. Peace Corps and other US international programs such as USAID all follow the underlying principle "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".
For example, let's say you want USAID to build a water pump in your village. USAID will condition their funding on the village making certain commitments. For example, USAID might buy the supplies and provide an engineer to help guide the project, but you have to sponsor the man power. They also do something which most other countries fail to get. They actually include local people in the construction and installation, so that when they break or when they need to build a new one, they actually have people in the village capable of doing it. It is usually the case that countries particularly in Africa will come in construct something like a pump and leave. When it breaks, it will just sit idle forever.
As i said, i have no problem with funding programs and donating to organizations that offer tools be it free drug treatment, job training, or free child care to help people get back on their feet. Nor do I have issues giving my own personal time to help those people. But giving out handouts is not the answer. It is a self-serving act that may make you feel good and may make you feel compassionate, but does nothing to solve the underlying issues.
PS
here is the actual mission of the peace corps.
Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
anonymous said...
The peace corps is not about compassion, its about helping others and exchanging cultures.
Sum-body help me here. I am at a loss.
ALBERT EINSTEIN:
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
Compassion is the basis of morality.
"What I Did on My Summer Vacation" -- by A Nice Kid from Virginia.
Aw man, that was BRILLIANT! Hats off to whoever wrote that comment. That was the cherry on the top of a great day for me haha.
To the person who wrote that they want West Grove to get developed: First of all, the West Grove built the Grove. These are the people who's relatives came and started the Grove. There is more history of the Grove in the West Grove than anywhere else.(Sorry, I had to laugh when this blog didn't know who Rolle was.) Who do you think built and serviced the Barnacle, Peacock Hotel, the Library, etc. etc. etc.? As the white people and black sell-outs try to gentrify the West Grove, they take away all the affordable housing. Regular families are selling (sold) and have moved on. This leaves a large population of poor people that don't have affordable housing, and now, with this economy, no jobs.
So, now that the economy is down, what do we have in the West Grove? Torn down affordable housing and empty lots with "For Sale" signs on it. Viva Development!
To find our path to the future, we must look to our past. Maybe instead of "Where is this?" Grapevine could ask "Who is this?". That way when some ask "Who is Billy Rolle?", they could get a prize and enlighten people on our history in the Grove, black and white.
to do unto others
remember the days when the park had water fountains ?? One day they were there the next they were gone. To get rid of the unsightly
who actually needed to quench their thirst.
Where were YOU?
Why not clean the guy up, put a uniform on him and place him in one of the tourist booths?
Surely he knows the Grove better than the people currently sitting in the booths.
That way, we can kill two birds with one stone. Help the homeless and help the tourists.
I have compassion, but compassion alone solves nothing.
"It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There are two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions of your own mind, that is, in terms of calming and eventually dispelling anger. This is action out of compassion. The other is more social, more public. When something needs to be done in the world to rectify the wrongs, if one is really concerned with benefiting others, one needs to be engaged, involved" Dalai Lama
I think this is one of the most productive posts on this Blog in months!!! It is such an important topic that desperately needs a working solution – especially because we are faced with the homeless every day.
I didn't realize San Francisco had a "Compassion Campaign." That is so forward thinking, and necessary because even when I lived there years ago, there really were a prolific amount of people down on their luck.
Later today I plan on going to the Subway to see if Mr. Bum is there loitering around. I am so curious to see if he is a familiar face. I've been in the Grove long enough to know many of my homeless brethren, not necessarily by name, but often by toothless smile. I don't care what they do with the five bucks I give them - that's not for me to decide. All I know is that I personally have been very blessed throughout my life and afforded wonderful opportunities, many of which I have taken for granted. I've spent more than my share on beer and wine at Smith & Wollensky prices. I too drink with friends to alleviate stress and have a good time. So let him buy what he wants with my small gift. His problems are probably so much more acute than many of us on this blog could handle without our anti-depressants, Valium, Yoga, etc. I give humbly, with a smile and without expectation. I try to connect with the person in front of me. Maybe that's what this guy needed - some validation that he wasn't invisible? Like a child he was acting out?
I feel empathy and compassion right there in the moment, and while it may not solve any problems, it opens my heart and transmits Universal Love - making our world a better place - for just a little while.
It's so much better than walking away from a situation with enough vitriol to call the whole episode "Sickening."
...but it started a great dialogue, and maybe some awakening.
money can't buy love,
You're right on. Who was it that said never judge a man until you walked a mile in his shoes?
Let me ask you a question, and i am trying to be completely candid here. If they take that 5$ and go back into their community and buy crack, do you care? Do you care about all those people in that community who have to deal with the consequences of that drug market on a daily basis. When people are giving the guys out on Bird Road and US 1 money which will be used to buy drugs, do you not hold some part reduction of quality of life for the majority of people in that community? Moreover, do you owe any responsibility to that person themselves who is slowly and literally destroying their own life by not facilitating that act?
I just cannot give like that knowing what I would be contributing to. Its not fair to the parts of that community especially the women and children who serve as the backbone and try to hold everything together.
Every homeless person is not an alcholic or on crack. My priest says to give the money to them, it is none of your business what they are doing with it. Give.
It is, indeed, a fact: not everyone who is homeless is a drug addict or an alcoholic; there are lots of just mentally unbalanced people who do choose that life. It is not a sane choice (ergo, they are mentally unbalanced) but many people do resist living in any kind of shelter.
Use your best judgement and, if you really feel that you ought to NOT help that homeless person, then don't. But if you are not helping out of knee jerk reaction, that is bad karma
I really feel bad for the homeless in our town, and I do what little I can to help. I donate time & money to Camillus House, which is a great organization, and I hand a buck or two to the local guys who don't hassle people on the street.
BUT,
tourism is the lifeblood of our community. If you want mom & pop's to thrive downtown, you have to help make it an inviting environment for tourists. It really is as simple as that. Panhandlers scare people away, period, and when I see somebody doing it in front of one of the many local establishments whose owners I consider my friends & neighbors, I do not encourage the problem by giving them money.
Well, if that's your best judgement, then that's your best judgement.
Anon @ 3pm needs to realize that the crack marketplace is not fueled solely by the denizens of West Grove, nor the destitute homeless! We all know that it's white bread USA who love their drugs - right? Right?
Five bucks can't buy very much these days, but it may make the person feel a little more validated than just tossing him loose change. That is so humiliating to both parties, especially if we're behind the wheel of some slick shiny gas guzzler, and he's truly working the pavement for your parking meter quarters. Sickening!!! I'm sure none of us need to walk a mile in his busted out stinky shoes to understand that we have no business judging, or for that matter, trying to discern and control what he does with his new found wealth.
I don't think anyone is exacerbating "the problem" (the moniker the homeless have now been reduced to) by giving a person more needy than ourselves something, anything, the easiest being money. That said...
If tourism is the lifeblood of this savvy community, I say we have some serious bloodletting to do! From the view in my foggy goggles Coconut Grove does not depend upon visitors to keep us afloat - it just wouldn't be viable. There isn't enough of an attraction to keep the attention of the ADHD masses. When I'm out and about, I see local faces (homeless and not) at our local restaurants and bars. I could be wrong, but if I was a tourist I'd be on the beach - literally. And, I wouldn't be dissuaded by the hordes of homeless chillin' out on the boardwalk and Ocean Drive. That's just a fact of life in this day and age, especially under the Bush administration - where social services have been cut, shredded and cast out!
Pay yer taxes, we have bombs to make!
All judgments need to be annihilated - there are no judgments that are better than others.
Anon @ 3pm may need to realize that the crack marketplace is not fueled solely by the denizens of West Grove, nor the destitute homeless! We all know that it's white bread USA who love their drugs - right? Right?
Five bucks can't buy very much these days, but it may make the person feel a little more validated than just tossing him loose change. That is so humiliating, especially if we're behind the wheel of some slick, shiny, gas guzzler, and he's truly working the pavement for your parking meter quarters. Sickening!!! I'm sure none of us need to walk a mile in his busted out, stinky shoes to understand that we have no business judging, or for that matter, trying to discern, much less control what he does with his new found wealth.
I don't think anyone is exacerbating "The Problem" (the latest moniker The Homeless have now been given) by giving a person more needy than ourselves something, anything, the easiest being money. That said...
If tourism is the lifeblood of this savvy community, I say we have some serious bloodletting to do! From the view in my foggy goggles Coconut Grove does not depend upon visitors to keep us afloat - it just wouldn't be viable. There isn't enough of an attraction to keep the attention of the ADHD masses. When I'm out and about, I see local faces (homeless and not) at our local restaurants and bars. I could be wrong, but if I was a tourist I'd be on the beach - literally. And, I wouldn't be dissuaded by the hordes of homeless chillin' out on the boardwalk and Ocean Drive. That's just a fact of life in this day and age, especially under the Bush administration - where social services have been cut, shredded and cast out!
Pay yer taxes, we have bombs to make!
I'm a 42yr old Resident of Brooklyn,New York That's been A Regular Coconut Grove Visitor since 1986. I always visit the grove when I'm in Miami(which is a lot)
And I always tell my friends to Make sure they check it out when they go. I consider Miami my Home away from home and when I'm there i'd much rather hang with Locals than with tourists so i always
Hit the Grove.
Since 1986 the only problem I have ever had with the Grove was with the Panhandlers. I'd just like to know if the person who wrote that extremely long winded pack of sarcastic insult's up at the beginning of this page can tell me exactly how compassionate we have to be. is there a required minimum or do I play it by ear??Whenever I park my car in the Outside lot a few blocks from Cocowalk I get stopped by agressive panhandlers at least 3 times before I get to the sidewalk. I especially love it when they tell you they'll "keep an eye on your car for you while you're gone" My buddy was gonna give one of them money once till I pointed out the guy was wearin a pair of sneakers that cost more than both of ours put together.
Whatever you want to call them Homeless,Panhandler's, Bums.
They're just like pidgeons(flying rat's) If you don't stop feeding them,throwing them your breadcrumbs,or in this case giving them money they will never go away!! The more people give them money the more they will come.
So what's the deal exactly, do I have to line all my pocket's with Dollar bill's as if I was going to a gentlemen's club just to get from the lot to Cocowalk?? Or can I just get some extra Cajun chicken egg rolls and Teriyaki steak skewer's at Tango's and distibute them evenly on my way back to the car??(MMMm, making myself hungry!)HMMm? Please tell me. Maybe you can tell me what an appropiate tip would be for the extortionist that's "watching" my car for me?? I would not want to insult him or embaress myself by giving him too little.
Your Brooklyn attitude leaves lots to be desired. You missed the whole point.
Your long-winded diatribe is insulting and counter productive. People with superior attitudes as your own do not make the world a better place. I guess you think you own the world, and "panhandlers are not welcome in it.
I too am not welcome in your world.
How about the guy that asks me everyday for 80 cents for Bus Fare? He is always here and isnt the bus Free? I wonder if he will ever get out of Dodge.
anon at 11:52,
I actually went off on that bus fair guy after he was aggressively targeting some tourists. Firstly, he is out there daily on either grand near Mayfair of down on bayshore with the same trick. Second, the bus fair is 25 cents. The tourist appreciated it and the guy got lost. He is out there ripping people off for god knows what.
The people in the West Grove are simply doing what is needed to survive. The Black, White, and Hispanics living are all simply living the best way the can for themselves and for thier familes. Living in the West Grove I see all these deals being made outside of my window, on the corner of the street, on the sidewalks, & drive by pickups. I'd say about 65% of all the drug sales go to the wealthy who only venture into the West Grove to cap some drugs in their Bentlys. Everyone everywhere is so concerned on making places better and are kicking the people who have spent their ENTIRE LIVES in and around the Grove. Poverty will always be an issue when you have people calling others "scum" simply because of where they live and where they came from.
I wish I could make good of all the ignorance that causes harm.
To "I Live There": I hear and commiserate with you. Who determines what is "better" anyway? New buildings and homogeny on the perfectly-paved streets does not equate to better. In my opinion it mirrors the soulless.
The Grove should have a community center or homeless shelter. Why push "problem" homeless people to downtown or lincoln road? The grove should set an example and provide showers and social services, a place to sleep and regroup for people like this. I think it's twisted that you mock this mentally challenged man and say he should go to lincoln road as a street performer. The grove obviously needs its own camilus house for people like this. Maybe it coudl be built in some empty storefronts instead of keeping so much space as wasted.
Just stopped to get ice cream with my nephews and I'm hit up for "spare change" again.( 3rd time since we parked.) would the self rightous pissheads who did not like my "Long Winded Diatribe" from earlier please tell me exactly how many extra singles i should bring with me to keep the half dead zombie men at bay? I've got linen shorts on so I guess I could wear a fanny pac full of money (and possibly bread crumb's)You were right, there's no room in my world for pisshead's like you or your homeless Pidgeon/rat/Zombie men that you love sooo much.
I'm not completely heartless though, you can go Live with them on a beautiful carribean Island somewhere. carefull where you sleep though, they seem to always be peeing somewhere they're not supposed to be peeing.
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