29 May 2012

Kids these days... (what to do with the Civic panhandlers)

| DrKoresh
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So as I walked past the new Macca’s at the city interchange on Saturday night, I was asked for “$2 for tha bus?” by a girl of 12 or 13. When I just said “no.” she responded with a string of expletives that was so unnecessary all I could do was laugh. That was apparently the wrong thing to do, because a little friend of hers, a boy who couldn’t have been older than 12 years of age all dressed up in his gangsta hoodie and ball-cap threated to fight me.

I kept walking at this point because who needs that kinda crap when they’re out for a night of fun? But it’s got me wondering, what’s the right thing to do in that situation? I mean, when actually scary people try and muscle me for money I’ll give them the 50 odd cents in my pocket so they’ll leave me alone but these were children, I wouldn’t even call them teens.

Have any of you had the pleasure of encountering these little s***s, or ones like them? What did/would you do? I almost regret not letting him take a swing at me and then punching him right in his vile little head, but then, I was headed to my mate’s 21st and I wasn’t sure how well the local constabulary would handle a grown-man punching a child (however much they were asking for it). That, and then there’s always the possibility of equally devo cousins, older brothers etc. seeking to even the score.

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EvanJames said :

aceofspades said :

I only wonder what ever happened to their pride.

They take their pride in fleecing people and tricking them.

What a cleverly thought out and conceived con. “Can I have $2 for tha bus?”. Obviously a scam so noteworthy it should have been included in “The Sting” or “Paper Moon”.

aceofspades said :

I only wonder what ever happened to their pride.

They take their pride in fleecing people and tricking them.

last time someone approached me for money for food – i pulled an apple out my bag and offered it to them. Then I got “Eff Off B**CH” in response. I guess they weren’t really that hungry….

Buster said :

“why am i judging this person when all im going to do is probably spend the money on the same thing myself.”

I earnt the money and hence can spend it on whatever I please, I am not a behaving like a parasite on society. I only wonder what ever happened to their pride.

One of the more prominent female interchange beggars asked me if i could spare any money last week whilst i was standing in line at mcdonalds. The really funny part was she had just bought herself a meal & was in the process of wolfing down a burger when she asked me. All i could say was “You have got to be kidding”. If i may offer a few bits of advice though, dont laugh at beggars, no one likes being laughed at, all it usually does is make the person being laughed at madder. Also be carefull with the suggestion to ignore the person/avoid eye contact. I suspect that this would only make you appear vulnerable/ weak and mark you out as a potential easy target to someone with a predatory nature. Finally, dont presume to know what someone would have spent there panhandling proceeds on. Next time a bum asks you for money & you presume its only going to get spent on alcohol/drugs, stop to ask yourself this “why am i judging this person when all im going to do is probably spend the money on the same thing myself.” Oops sorry, please forgive that last presumption, im sure the latte guzzling, chardonnay quaffing users of this forum dont engage in any illegal pastimes.

Life_in_the_Can6:53 am 31 May 12

What is it with 24hour McDonald’s outlets & Bus stops always attracting the dregs of humanity? I hate having to walk around this part of civic, it’s either the aggressive beggars or aggressive junkies who seem to have a ‘native title’ like claim on this area. Do they have immunity from Police? I have never seen them moved on or even hassled by the Police. Don’t worry, eventually they might get moved on, but it won’t be till innocent people are attacked physically or seriously harmed.

wildturkeycanoe11:05 pm 30 May 12

If you had fifteen minutes to spare and could just remember a little more than “Have you been born again? Do you that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the light?”. They will either run the other way or change their ways….

gentoopenguin9:27 pm 30 May 12

Perhaps you should have rushed to the nearest Bunnings and brought a window squeegee and a bucket before gifting it to the mini-grifter along with directions to Northbourne. A modern day take on giving a man a loaf of bread and all that…

“Perdon, no hablo Inglés”

VYBerlinaV8_is_back1:54 pm 30 May 12

maniac said :

Behaviour of this sort should never be tolerated in our community and I am surprised at the number of people who simply ignore it. This especially refers to the authorities. I was reading today about a 93 year-old woman who was beaten in her own bed and died of her injuries in the UK. It might not have been kids who did this, but one very sick adult. However, it is very easy to see the connection between anti-social behaviour as a child and the failure to respect people throughout their lives. Why let this type of behaviour happen and continue. Canberra is an elite city, yet we are forced to yield to the lowest common denominator and no one does anything about it. Why can’t we, as a community, stand up and say no to the disgusting behaviour of these people from when they are children. Don’t feel sorry for the children who behave like this, it is their choice and they know the difference between right and wrong. Anti-social children grow into anti-social adults, unless something is done to intervene.

Can’t somebody ELSE do it…?

Behaviour of this sort should never be tolerated in our community and I am surprised at the number of people who simply ignore it. This especially refers to the authorities. I was reading today about a 93 year-old woman who was beaten in her own bed and died of her injuries in the UK. It might not have been kids who did this, but one very sick adult. However, it is very easy to see the connection between anti-social behaviour as a child and the failure to respect people throughout their lives. Why let this type of behaviour happen and continue. Canberra is an elite city, yet we are forced to yield to the lowest common denominator and no one does anything about it. Why can’t we, as a community, stand up and say no to the disgusting behaviour of these people from when they are children. Don’t feel sorry for the children who behave like this, it is their choice and they know the difference between right and wrong. Anti-social children grow into anti-social adults, unless something is done to intervene.

PBO said :

Make your responseto the little turd into a performance.

Just grab the little “gangster” by the neck and testicles and pretend to throw him under an oncoming bus while screaming; “This is how I roll, wigger, you’s got’s to earn that cash from me!”

Then turn to the GF and make her give you $2, then tell her it’s not enough and scream expletives at her face until she bursts into tears with the realisation that the world can be a really scary place and her “gangster hard-man” BF isnt man enough to fill his own hoodie.

If anyone gives you any grief, make them give the kid $2.

😀 WIN!

devils_advocate11:43 am 30 May 12

PBO said :

Make your responseto the little turd into a performance.

Just grab the little “gangster” by the neck and testicles and pretend to throw him under an oncoming bus while screaming; “This is how I roll, wigger, you’s got’s to earn that cash from me!”

Then turn to the GF and make her give you $2, then tell her it’s not enough and scream expletives at her face until she bursts into tears with the realisation that the world can be a really scary place and her “gangster hard-man” BF isnt man enough to fill his own hoodie.

If anyone gives you any grief, make them give the kid $2.

Make the kid spell out his name while doing pushups.

W-I-L-L-I-E.

TheDancingDjinn11:40 am 30 May 12

PBO said :

Make your responseto the little turd into a performance.

Just grab the little “gangster” by the neck and testicles and pretend to throw him under an oncoming bus while screaming; “This is how I roll, wigger, you’s got’s to earn that cash from me!”

Then turn to the GF and make her give you $2, then tell her it’s not enough and scream expletives at her face until she bursts into tears with the realisation that the world can be a really scary place and her “gangster hard-man” BF isnt man enough to fill his own hoodie.

If anyone gives you any grief, make them give the kid $2.

+ Eleventy billion – LOL i love you.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back11:18 am 30 May 12

“I’ll give you 2 dollars if you lean forward, wiggle your elbows and cluck loudly like a chook for 30 seconds.”

Ahh, good times.

Make your responseto the little turd into a performance.

Just grab the little “gangster” by the neck and testicles and pretend to throw him under an oncoming bus while screaming; “This is how I roll, wigger, you’s got’s to earn that cash from me!”

Then turn to the GF and make her give you $2, then tell her it’s not enough and scream expletives at her face until she bursts into tears with the realisation that the world can be a really scary place and her “gangster hard-man” BF isnt man enough to fill his own hoodie.

If anyone gives you any grief, make them give the kid $2.

farnarkler said :

They’ve probably already got Hep B or C so be careful…

Precisely. If one of those little piles of garbage spits on you, that could be curtains for you.
Best to ignore completely, not make eye contact, avoid any kind of interaction altogether. no matter how much they need some swift interaction, it’s a risk you can’t take.

They’ve probably already got Hep B or C so be careful about physical contact. I’ll be the parents were in an inner city Housing ACT property, stoned or pissed out of their minds. The way these kids are going they’ll end up dead or in jail. Take them away from the parents and into state care and they might have a chance. A year working at Housing ACT has made me a cynic.

You did the right thing, as hard as that must’ve been.

Muttsybignuts said :

When they ask for 2 bucks to catch the bus, look at them with a deadpan expression and ask, “Where are you going. Ill give you a ride home…” and then giggle a little to yourself.

I can point you in the direction of a guy who’d love to give you a lift.

neanderthalsis4:23 pm 29 May 12

DrKoresh said :

Muttsybignuts said :

When they ask for 2 bucks to catch the bus, look at them with a deadpan expression and ask, “Where are you going. Ill give you a ride home…” and then giggle a little to yourself.

This has to be the best suggestion of the lot! 😀 Next time it’ll be “Nah, but I’ll drive you, just walk with me to my van…”
Thanks for that one,

Probably not advisable to say to a 12yo trollop, she’d either cry paedo or quote an hourly fee.

Muttsybignuts said :

When they ask for 2 bucks to catch the bus, look at them with a deadpan expression and ask, “Where are you going. Ill give you a ride home…” and then giggle a little to yourself.

This has to be the best suggestion of the lot! 😀 Next time it’ll be “Nah, but I’ll drive you, just walk with me to my van…”
Thanks for that one,

Muttsybignuts2:32 pm 29 May 12

When they ask for 2 bucks to catch the bus, look at them with a deadpan expression and ask, “Where are you going. Ill give you a ride home…” and then giggle a little to yourself.

It’s all in the approach, “naah bud!” works better than “Pfft not for you”. If they get lippy from there then its shame and discredit time.
The more stinging and inteligent the better.

If they throw a punch, kick their arse. It will be well deserved, plus when I (and most of you) grew up, if you were rude or disrespectful there was no end of Uncles, Aunties, family members or friends to give you a clip under the ear and tell you to pull your head in.

It sure it worked for most of us.

Bring back the cane in schools, Police who were not affraid to give you short thrift and most importantly parents who actively engage with and monitor the behaviour of their spawn.

In all honesty it is a parental and societal problem, most of these “kids” (read disfunctional little brats) need to be put in their place and reminded that they are a part of a society that does not approve of bludging or poor behaviour.

You were walking through the interchange on a Saturday night and the police weren’t set up? Have they found a new haunt?

Postalgeek said :

Expressing a desire on an internet forum to punch a 12 year old in the head because he’s a bit lippy?

Tough man.

Just be sure not to lose your bus money next time and make sure you pinch enough smokes from Mummy or Daddy before you go out.

I had a couple of tricks.

PH : “Hey mate, can I buy a smoke off you?”
Me : “Sure. $2.50 each.”

You know when they can afford $5 for two cigarettes, you’re both winning.

PH: “Can you spare a dollar? My car broke down & I need to catch the bus”
Me : “Sure.” *flips coin as high in the air as possible and walks away*

Ahh, fun times.

Pull him into an alleyway and slap him until he tells you where his mother is. Then go to wherever the mother is (probably the casino) and give her a good beating also.

Chuck $20 bucks on black/collect/walk out, etc, etc.

You did all you can do, just keep walking. And they’ll keep asking… I know all the usual suspects around Civic and frankly it angers me to see how regularly people do give them money. Do not feed the seagulls!

Postalgeek said :

Expressing a desire on an internet forum to punch a 12 year old in the head because he’s a bit lippy?

Tough man.

Feeling the desire to punch some dickhead in the face, admitting to yourself that you have that feeling, then refraining from that impulse and discussing it with others does not make someone a bad citizen. It makes them a good citizen.

It isn’t “begging”, it’s “bludging”. And bus riding is never what the money is for.

You did the right thing. Nufties can’t be reasoned with, so it’s pointless to try. Best you can do is try to be amused by their haplessness.

Having said that, it’s sad that these kids are so poorly parented that they are able to end up thus. On the upside, you’ll get to give them plenty of $$ when they’re old enough to collect their own welfare.

Kick the little s*** in the nuts hard enough to ensure that he never reproduces.

Take him up on his offer of a fight, next time. When he wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no hoodie, no shoes, and the words “this is what I get for acting tough” written on his his arms in permanent marker, he may learn a valuable lesson.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd10:07 am 29 May 12

I would have just lolled at him and walked away. Embaress him in front of his lil gf. Sadly for some peeps this isn’t a option so I guess just walk away.

Truthiness said :

I wonder if making the busses free would help with this? The bus system already makes a loss, so why not make a loss AND have free busses ?

I usually just offer to buy them a bus ticket.

I think it is unlikely the $2 was destined for use on public transportation.

Postalgeek said :

Expressing a desire on an internet forum to punch a 12 year old in the head because he’s a bit lippy?

Tough man.

You’ve obviously never had the displeasure of dealing with a little thug…

I have once, I ended up copping a black eye for my troubles and when I went to the cop shop to report the incident to the police they couldn’t have cared less. (The old coppers exact words where “I’ve seen worse injuries from playing footy” before dismissing me)

Expressing a desire on an internet forum to punch a 12 year old in the head because he’s a bit lippy?

Tough man.

I haven’t had this problem in Canberra myself, but just getting out of there is usually the best option.

I had a similar case which ended up with me defending myself against multiple teens who attacked me when i refused, the result was a few bruises to all of use and a lot of wasted time in court, with no discernible result more than a “don’t do it again”.
Its easy to fight back but it wont help anything so I now just walk away or run if I have to, its just not worth it.

People have been begging there for, 20 years? More? It’s a shame we don’t have police any more, or the area would be patrolled and when you were bailed up by threatening little thugs, there’d be a police-person to go to and they could apprehend the thugs and you could say “yes officer, that was them”.

As it is, the rule of law has been suspended and these little thugs can do what they like.

I see them everyday at Civic. Just keep walking…

One thing that gets me is that every capital city in the country has high police visability civic malls. eg. Queen St Mall in Brisbane have police that walk up and down and help deter any antisocial behaviour.

While not wanting this to turn into an AFP bashing thread, I’ve never, ever seen the police during the day at the civic centre. They need to stick a police centre right in the middle of the place and cut this crap out.

Ignore them, chances are that little 12 yo POS has been in and out of cop shops since they where 8, and thus knows the system and doesn’t care. You on the other hand are now over 18, and thus have a reputation which a night in the lock up plus a conviction (remember that the “I come from a hard background” story also works against people who give these POS the beating they deserve) and it will cause you a lot of long term pain (esp if you want to travel or get a gov’t job).

Just ignore them and keep walking…

What’s the point of getting all worked up for no reason.

If people were to ignore them all day they’d get bored and move on.

I wonder if making the busses free would help with this? The bus system already makes a loss, so why not make a loss AND have free busses ?

I usually just offer to buy them a bus ticket.

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