This evening, as I was making my way home from work, I stopped at the market to pick up a few essentials. As I was walking towards the entrance of the store I noticed two people, a man and a woman, approaching people returning to their cars.
Just as I was about to enter the store I witnessed one man aggressively say "No!" to the young woman, get into his vehicle, slam the door shut, and almost violently speed away.
I saw that, and all I could think was..."Yes!"
For I knew the couple in the parking lot were addicts - crack, meth, or a similar integrity-stripping affliction, and they were working the lot to get enough cash to satisfy a mind/body craving that would eventually kill them if they were not lucky enough to get help.
These were not people in need, not a young couple who were stranded because their car ran out of gas and they just needed a few bucks to get back to...who knows where. They were not a couple down on their luck who needed a hand-up-not-a -hand-out (they would emphasize that distinction in their pitch), not a young couple who had just lost their jobs/benefits/house...
They were addicts scamming, and they still are, somewhere out in the 'burbs of Denver.
As I shopped for the few things I needed I thought of what I would say when the young girl approached me when I left the store. I knew it would be the young girl, not the young man, because the young man would be targeting women, usually older women who looked like they might have a son his age.
I also wondered what she would say to me. Would it be the plea for a few dollars for gas or a few dollars for the essential part that needed replacing? Would it be the "I'm from out of town and just need a few dollars for bus fare to get home"? Or would I hear, for what would now number well past the thousandth time, the claim that she has children at home and her old man ran out on her?
Scamming addicts approach people who have made small purchases as they leave the market because they know small purchases are usually paid for in cash, and the change from said purchases is usually shoved hastily in a pocket.
Their target was that change. They wanted that change.
Having been fortunate enough to get around a bit, and preferring to walk about every place I visit, large or small, I have been approached by scammers in at least 35 different states and 8 or 9 different countries on a couple of different continents.
The pitches are universal, as if they are part of a scamming handbook.
I have also been intrigued by the homeless for a few decades now, so much so that I have volunteered at homeless shelters and rescue missions just about everywhere I have ever lived for any sufficient period of time.
That's actually kind of a payback thing, as...for those who don't know, I have also been homeless. It was a long time ago, but...it happened.
What does all that mean? It means I learned a long time ago the difference between a person who has fallen on hard times and an addict.
Homeless people usually stay close to shelters or missions. They will usually have all of their belongings with them (bedroll, clothes,etc.) and they will usually look very, very defeated and somewhat ashamed. They also never, ever have a story, they just ask for some change.
It might go to drugs or alcohol, but they don't try to church the plea up. They just ask for change, or they don't even ask - they just stand there with a hand or hat out. They never canvas parking lots.
Scamming addicts will actively pursue a mark. They size people up, targeting older people. They also have canned pleas that they have learned from other addicts or travelers.
They will also usually be a bit presentable, so as to not scare the marks.
I've been approached by people asking for money for food, and when I've offered to buy them food they have walked away. I've offered to drive people across town to the apartment where their wallets are and they have walked away. I've offered to take people to the bus station, buy them a ticket and see them on their merry way. No takers.
I usually look right at the shoes of anyone who approaches me. Shoes are a telling feature. There are a few other tells - hair, fingernails (fingernails are a biggee - addicts tend to bite their nails down to the quick, homeless people have dirty nails).
So I was thinking all this as I left the market...and sure enough the woman made a bee line right for me (my one small bag being the tell).
She was about 15 yards away before she started with "Sir, could you spare a little change? I have three small children at home and I need to get enough money for food and anything you could..."
That's when I turned to her and said "Shut up. I don't enable addicts. Aggressive panhandling is illegal here, so you had better get going."
She stood her ground, replying, "I'm not panhandling, I have three hungry children that I need to feed."
That probably worked on quite a few people. But the evidence of her duplicity was readily apparent.
It was 45 degrees out. It has warmed up a bit this week, but it's still February in Colorado. It was cold. She was sweating. Her skin actually glistened.
I know an addict when I see one, trust me on this.
Looking straight at her, I repeated "I don't enable addicts. You can get help. Right now you are aggressive panhandling and I think I'm going to call the cops."
As soon as I said "cops" she turned around and walked to a car a row over. The guy she had been with earlier must have been sitting in the front seat, because she got in the passenger side as the car started up. Then they drove off.
Never, ever give an aggressive panhandler a cent. Want to play altruistic lover-of-humanity? Volunteer your time at a shelter, or, at the very least, donate a few cans of non-perishable food or maybe some toiletries - they always need soap, toilet paper, toothbrushes, etc.
But do not, under any circumstances, aide and abet an addict in killing themselves. There is the very real possibility that there is an intelligent person being held captive by the addiction, and they need to hit bottom in order to break free.
Step out of the way and let them fall.
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