Beggars or Trafficked Persons?

I have a strong suspicion most if not all those begging for donations outside Comerica Park, Ford Field and other downtown Detroit locations, many of them wheelchair bound, are not just destitute, but that they are trafficked persons.

I shudder to think what else they are made to do for money.

You often see the same ones in their regular spots at Copa, but also outside JLA / Cobo Center for their events.

It is obvious many would need handlers to get them there and back, so if they're not being trafficked for the money, at the very least they're being abused by their care providers. Seriously, if you're going to bring someone all the way down to the game, at least buy them a damn ticket once in awhile so they could enjoy it.

Where do you think they live?

Most of the regulars are homeless who stay somewhere downtown.

Doorways, under overpasses, shelters.....those sort of places.

Why would you assume trafficked instead of entrepreneurial? Some panhandlers take home more cash in a week than I do working a legit job.

If you really want to get cynical, for some of them the wheelchair might be nothing but a prop.

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Originally Posted by 2blocksaway

Where do you think they live?

Most of the regulars are homeless who stay somewhere downtown.

Doorways, under overpasses, shelters.....those sort of places.

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Doorways, overpasses, federally subsidized group home[[s) ... in any case I assume they live in squaller somewhere in the area.

Then why would you assume that someone was bussing them downtown from somewhere else?

Every so often I see a street person who's off the clock pushing his wheelchair down Lafayette on his way home.

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Originally Posted by lilpup

Why would you assume trafficked instead of entrepreneurial? Some panhandlers take home more cash in a week than I do working a legit job.

If you really want to get cynical, for some of them the wheelchair might be nothing but a prop.

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Have you been down to a game lately?

These aren't the same panhandlers you see coming off the freeway holding their sign, or the ones in Bricktown who wash your windshield and take credit for guiding you into your parking place along the street.

The ones I'm referring to are moderate to severe physically / mentally challenged, and much more vulnerable to this type of abuse. These individuals are not acting.

If it were merely entrepreneurial, I would expect to see competition.

I remember a customer who happened to work for a law firm doing investigations telling the story of a guy who panhandled outside the Guardian Bldg for years witnessed getting into a late model car parked on the fringe of downtown [[E Larned several blocks east of I-75) When he ran the license plate it was registered to a nice Sterling Heights address...upon further research the guy did live with his family in the burbs and panhandled downtown Monday thru Friday...tax free income... A bartender at the Post bar years ago said they rarely went to the bank for quarters as the pandhandlers would cash out their take and for some of the folks 100.00 per day was not uncommon. Some of the folks are in need...some are scam artists. Try an experiment...buy a couple of 1.00 gift certs from McDonalds and offer them instead of cash...see what the reactions is...I'll bet it will be a real surprise.

One can speculate endlessly on what the story of a panhandler is. The only way to know is to get to know one personally or do an investigation. Maybe they are agents of the gods, sent to see how truly caring, kind and understanding we are. All of the guesses above are probably correct or one or more of them.

Where do they stay? Places like this.
http://detroityes.com/webisodes/2009/Homeless-07021.jpg

I saw one dude in a wheelchair get out of the wheelchair and beat another panhandler's ass.

I saw a panhandler get out of a cab to "go to work" on Michigan Avenue in Corktown.

I love the panhandlers in DC. Guy wanted subway fare. I gave him a all day pass for the subway. You should have seen his face. Came back, he was still there. All I could do from laughing.

A guy , nicely dressed, used to get out of his car, which was newer and nicer than mine, and panhandle. Some people just run the scam, and do it well.

Admin, please change the title of this thread to "Absolve your guilt here."

Why do you have to feel guilty about?

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Originally Posted by East Detroit

Admin, please change the title of this thread to "Absolve your guilt here."

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Don't make eye contact, donate to the Salvation Army or the local soup kitchens. There is help available, through legit
means. You shouldn't feel guilty for refusing to promote
pan handling.