How To Deal With Extremely Aggressive Panhandlers?

[lamarque]

Funny anecdote, 2 years after comming to Buenos Aires i saw that a woman drop her wallet by accident i start yelling at her to tell her that she loose it but she just keep walking, so i went pick up her wallet and run to her to give her back the wallet, when i was near to the woman she turn around drastically and told me in a very bad spanish to go away or she call the police, i try to show her the wallet and she start yelling so everyone turn around to see what happen (i'm glad this paranoid Texan girl didn't have a peper spray or something like that lol), i froze there and feel so angry about her reaction that i drop her wallet to the flor say her in english ''go to hell'' and turn around and went away walking just then she realize that i was trying to help and she comes to apologise and explain me that some one told her to act that way in that kind of situations.

 

[JamJam]

What do you suggest? That we just let people attack us and turn over our valuables? Yes, here, take my things. Yes, please, go ahead and knife me. Come on in, rob me, rape my wife, kill my children.

As a North American I think Flight 93 has shown us all of the need to fight back and defend ourselves. I think it is very dangerous to believe that we are not responsable for our own defense or for defending our families. If you wait for the government to come and save you, you'll be dead.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Flight 93 is a load of bollocks. We all know that the government shot it down.
This guy tried to fight back, I don't think pepper spray would have made a difference.

http://en.mercopress.com/2012/02/08/french-photographer-stabbed-to-death-when-taking-pictures-of-buenos-aires-malvinas-memorial

 

[nlaruccia]

WTF!!! Are you american or something?

What a lame comment. What's your problem?

 

[Shwidelson]

JamJam, nobody cares. It's you who is embarrassing themself. Nothing you say is helpful to the converation. Why don't you take your ignorance, offensiveness and mediocrity somewhere else?

 

[NYKate]

Good post, Kate. I think that's summed up your position well. I now see where my 'treat people well when you have the opportunity to do so' mantra falls down. All the best.

SO you open the door to your apartment and start saying hello to EVERYONE on the steet that passes you by? I know the people in my neighborhood that I am friendly with and we exchange hellos - the people from the cleaners, the vegitable stand, the owners of the empanada store, the panaderia owners, the people who work in Coto, the people in my building, fellow dog owners on the street - however I am not going to go over and say hello to the paco users on the corner or the kids who hit people outside of the train station when people do not give them money because I am living in their country. Thats just plain stupid.

 

[NYKate]

You gotta love the 'everyone for them self' attitude of some americans. Probably why they have such a rotten healthcare system and are brainwashed in to believing its good that the poor die. Less of them to make the streets dirty...

We will not negotiate with trolls....

 

[JamJam]

We will not negotiate with trolls....

A statement that means you don't want to engage in an argument that you know you can't win.
I think your the real troll here.

 

[robwerwe]

SO you open the door to your apartment and start saying hello to EVERYONE on the steet that passes you by? I know the people in my neighborhood that I am friendly with and we exchange hellos - the people from the cleaners, the vegitable stand, the owners of the empanada store, the panaderia owners, the people who work in Coto, the people in my building, fellow dog owners on the street - however I am not going to go over and say hello to the paco users on the corner or the kids who hit people outside of the train station when people do not give them money because I am living in their country. Thats just plain stupid.

I think it has a lot to do with your attitude here. Your post could have been seen as very cold and 'typical' of an American point of view.
No one is saying you just just hand over your cash when asked but violence isn't the key.

 

[syngirl]

One day there was a person outside our building, pressing all the buzzers and asking if we had any clothes to donate. By chance, I did have a few random things I was going to get rid of anyway, so I thought, "why not?" BIG mistake.

I was a little surprised (and admittingly naive at the time) when the bag of clothes was just snatched out of my hand and not even a "gracias." I had forgotten about it... Until the next thing you know, the buzzer kept ringing. And ringing. And ringing. I'm sure that we all know why.

My Argentine husband is a very decent and generous guy, but he knows here it can get very dangerous, very fast, especially for a woman who only means well. He's a calm guy, and it's extremely rare that he ever "puts his foot down" with me, but he has told me (as in, non-negotiable, DO NOT, because I forbid it) that I was NEVER to "donate" clothes like that again, especially because one sudden push when I have the building door open just a few inches and we're all in serious danger. Like I said, very naive on my part, but well-meaning.

I was with you up until the clothes donation point -- everything else I agree with. However the buzzer wasn't ringing and ringing and ringing because of you and your donation in particular, it's that typically on weekends women walk the barrios asking for donations. At least once a weekend our door get buzzed, if not various times on the same day. We usually have a bag going of clothes to give away in the closet and when someone rings the bell we give. My husband will also keep old work shoes etc and if he sees a cartonero out front he'll ask if he wants any of the stuff. They are generally very respectful. We've given away a lot of our baby stuff that way too -- we'll usually ask them over the buzzer if they have a baby and if they do we pass on some of the clothes etc.

If you're not donating clothes this way, please be aware that you can either take them to a church or call Salvation Army and they will come to your house and collect:

www.ejercitodesalvacion.org.ar

 

[PhilipDT]

Completely off topic, but does anyone know the story behind the Salvation Army "castle" on irygoyen(sp) ? What a cool building