How To Deal With Extremely Aggressive Panhandlers?

[Rich One]

Around El Ateneo on Sta. Fe Ave. a man begs with a baby in his arms, he asked for money to buy milk for the child at Farmacity, I handed him $5 , he said not enough the milk is over $20 ..... Special Milk for babies :wub: True"

 

[BienTeVeo]

I go case by case. Sometimes I just can't help it (old ladies, like someone here said, or a young down and out couple with a baby, the blind, maimed, and all the other variations of genuine human misery in this city). Other times, for whatever reason (security, bad vibe), I just either put on my best mid-80s-NYC-don't-mess-with-me face and keep walking - fast, like I've got somewhere to go. When in a car, if I don't feel secure (like at that left turn to get onto the La Plata highway, down past Parque Lezama), I just keep the windows rolled up, try to look like a badass, and ever so slightly give them a little negative finger-wag above the steering wheel. Basically, acting 101. I can't see myself carrying around pepper-spray, though I understand that for women it may be necessary. Been here almost 13 years and have never had a problem. Off to knock on some wood....

 

[Gringoboy]

It's not just begging for money, it's also those types who carry a large bag full of cleaning materials/toys/torches/shoulder mounted rocket launchers etc.
I usually keep my shop door open during daylight hours since this is a pretty safe area and in a galeria.
But come about 1500 and they get off the train with their sob stories and they tell you how much you need to buy some of their wares.
If I wanted to buy their stuff, I would.
Last week a Russian bloke came in, quiet as a mouse and I bought a very nice torch of him. He's got a degree in biology and he's a travelling salesman.
But when they get really pushy to the point of aggression, they simply have to go.

 

[arlean]

I was with my son in a pizza restaurant one day and a woman came in with a child on her hip and asked for money. He smiled and shook his head no. She insisted that she was hungry--so he handed her the pizza. She went off down the street eating the pizza.

But a lot of them are just panhandlers and I suspect that woman was one of them. Don't ask me why. Just intuition. They have learned that asking is receiving so why not ask.

I really really think that el_expatriado is pretty much right. But it's still a dilemma. I don't know if any churches in my area are doing anything. Do any of you? I mentioned to an Argentina friend here people should be able to get help from the Catholic church and she said, "the Catholic church does nothing!" I don't know if that's true or not. Overall I don't trust charities. I've had inside dealings with charities and I have found out the money OFTEN does not go where you thought when you gave it. So I resolved to quit giving where I don't control (or know for sure) where it goes. So I still see it as a dilemma. I FULLY agree with El_Expatriado about not giving money to the children. He is completely right. If it didn't pay, a lot of these kids would be in school--maybe.

 

[shoush]

well heres a cute story about the kids that ask for money in plaza serano (they're always the same ones!)
i was having a drink with a friend and one of the little girls that beg for money came to our table and asked me if i was shakira ( I get that i look like shakira quite a bit in Buenos aires) anyways, i told her "yes, but dont tell anyone, i just want a break tonight, and a quiet drink", suddenly she went to all the tables around us, super excited and she was like "shakira is here" and then she went to the kiosk and with all the change she had collected, she bought candy, she came back and she's like "i want u to have this" and she also got borrowed a pen from the kiosk to get my autograph!!! well i felt so bad, i told her, you keep it and ill i gave her 10 pesos. and well i signed it, just to have her believe that she met shakira!
but that was too cute! anyways I've come back since and she knows now that I'm not shakira now, (1 year later) but i just love that story!!! usually these kids can be so aggressive but the fact that she went and bought me something with all of her change was adorable!

 

[mrporoto]

Always thought shagira was a bit of a tart!!

 

[stevec]

You do not owe anyone anything, a smile, a hello etc. (unless you know them)

An incredible, and deeply unfortunate, attitude. And in someone else's country, no less. Quite astonishing.

 

[Crema Americana]

I think the best policy is to avoid beggars the best you can... not making eye contact, picking up the pace and not engaging. I understand wanting to help and most of us have given out of pity, but being forced to give through intimidation goes beyond begging into harassment and coercion. At that point it's often too late to back out without a tense moment. Best to avoid being in that situation altogether.

My husband and I have on ocassion given to beggars, but not the ones that try to grab you or talk you into it. Performers or the ones that pass out slips of paper or small token items are much easier to deal with - and thankfully the more common type around us. Overly aggressive and demanding beggars are simply thieves.

 

[Vagrant Violet]

It's just a very sad, sad situation in general.

When I first came here, I was a definite soft touch when I saw people of all ages begging, I mean, it got to me, especially because there are indeed some people who really don't have a means of supporting themselves.

In the beginning, I gave up quite a bit of change/$2 peso bills, but that got phased out pretty quickly. When I did give up a single moneda to any beggar, even without saying a word revealing an accent, the next thing you know, I had just pretty much invited a slew of other people to start demanding what they felt they had coming. Not surprisingly, each new person got a little bigger and more intimidating. And it's gotten so bad that even on the subway, when I used to feel okay just giving a little kid an alfajor or something small to eat, it normally wound up putting me in a potentially dangerous predicament, especially because you can't just flee from the confrontation when you're in the subway car.

It hasn't even been limited to just giving change on the street. 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.

One of the worst incidences for me was a couple of months ago. I was only in my first trimester or so, not showing any visible signs of a pregnancy, but I went to a take out place a few blocks from my house to buy a box of empanadas to go. Shortly after I left, I started getting seriously heckled (thankfully it was only verbally) by a pregnant woman who had a toddler in tow because I wouldn't stop to give her the food. Now more than ever, I mean, that really gets to me. But after awhile, I just feel fed up and a part of me wants to say, "No, I won't give you my empanadas that I bought with my own money because you won't LEARN anything!" But of course, I don't.

Agreed with prior comments... It's not even an acute "to give or not to give a coin" issue... This issue needs some serious consideration and investment (how/from whom, I can't say, but it can't always boil down to a person-to-person confrontation every single day!).

 

[NYKate]

An incredible, and deeply unfortunate, attitude. And in someone else's country, no less. Quite astonishing.

There is nothing unfortunate about it. I am very fortunate what happened to me in Parque Chacubuco was not worse. I have been very well educated as to the way to react and act on the street. Needless to say, I am laughing at the someone else's country bit. Do you see Argentinians saying hello to everyone on the street and giving money to everyone who asks, no of course not. Its not okay if I feel threatned or if I do not get a buena onda from someone I do not owe a radom person on the street a hello because I am living in "their" country. Its quite nieve to think so.