Beggers

BraziliaNZ

Had a friend over from London for the weekend and took her into town on Saturday. She's been here a few times but I was almost ashamed at the amount of beggers on the streets these days. It seems about 90% of them are Roma too, so you can't really blame the economic downturn forcing unemployed people onto the streets. There are a few Roma operating that don't wear shoes while they're begging, or socks, even during this weather, and try to give the impression that they've hit rock bottom poverty. Either way it just looks nasty.
About every 30 meters or so around Dawson/St Stephen's green, Grafton St, the area around Wicklow st, we encountered beggers (again mostly Roma).
Is there no way we can clean this up? I know some people are destitute but it's no way to have our capital city really is it? Can the Garda not move them on? I know that's a short term solution but it looks REALLY bad. I've been all over the world and for a so called developed country, I really can't remember seeing as many beggers anywhere.

maxxie

There is a house near me full of roma people! They drives two cars, one of which is a 3 ltr merc.. I see the female members of the house begging locally a good few times!
Only a couple of weeks ago romas broke into a neighbours house who is only 3 doors down from them!

I know there is good and bad in all walks of life but they take the biscuit!

John_Rambo

Another beggar, Roma thread.

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

HI've been all over the world and for a so called developed country, I really can't remember seeing as many beggers anywhere.

You don't get much able bodied beggars in developed countries. I have seen Roma in most European cities, but I guess Dublin is getting it's plague now. They don't really bother me, I find some of them quiet pleasant on public transport.

Maxie, a three liter Merc means jacksheet, particularly if they don't tax or insure it!

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/300-D/E300-Die/201044200098812/advert?channel=CARS

longhalloween

There was 6 beggars on the Clerys side of O Connell St. yesterday afternoon.

5 of them were Roma.

Says it all about the state of the capital city and the powers of the gardai when these people cant be moved on to somewhere else. If first impressions mean anything many tourists wont be returning to Dublin again.

BraziliaNZ

John_Rambo wrote: »

Another beggar, Roma thread.

I didn't see any recent ones in this forum. I just think there are far too many people on the streets begging and something needs to be done about it. Did I hear something about legislation being brought in to make begging illegal?

Awful_Bliss

maxxie wrote: »

There is a house near me full of roma people! They drives two cars, one of which is a 3 ltr merc.. I see the female members of the house begging locally a good few times!
Only a couple of weeks ago romas broke into a neighbours house who is only 3 doors down from them!

I know there is good and bad in all walks of life but they take the biscuit!

I feel your pain buddy. I had a family of 5-6 living 2 doors down from my old house. Like you said, they had the top cars, changed them every 3 months and had the place in a state. To the person who said they beg in bare feet I don't have the slightest bit of sympathy for them. It's a ploy to make people sorry for them. I remember being outside the church in Mont Martre in Paris. Two Roma weeping but no sign of tears.

BraziliaNZ

Ok boards.ie loves Roma people and think they behave like all other people and that every group has bad seeds and they are no different, so can we try not to generalise etc. I'm just wondering if there are any solutions or plans to deal with the "begging" problem in town?

I-Shot-Jr

make Nicolas Sarkozy Taoiseach and send the cnuts home.

Wile E. Coyote

longhalloween wrote: »

Says it all about the state of the capital city and the powers of the gardai when these people cant be moved on to somewhere else. If first impressions mean anything many tourists wont be returning to Dublin again.

What would you like the Gardai to do and where would you like them to be moved to? If you don't like it then ignore them. I've been to plenty of cities and I wouldn't base my experience on seeing a few beggers.

Inbox

Well there would be no beggars if the numptys that give them the money stopped giving them free money.

John_Rambo

I know it's very fashionable to hate the Roma and to tell people what you would like to do to them etc... but as long as people give them cash, they are here to stay. Dopey nuns and religious oul ones that wouldn't give a hard working waiter 2 cent are always giving shivering barefoot money. The budget dole cuts might send a few packing. BraziaNZ complaining about them on boards.ie isn't going to achieve anything. You need to complain to TD's, Gardai and traders associations if it bothers you that much.

longhalloween wrote: »

tourists wont be returning to Dublin again.

They will and they do.

Have you seen/heard the Native Americans with the stereo system and the amplified panpipes? Now that IS criminal.

I-Shot-Jr

John_Rambo wrote: »

I know it's very fashionable to hate the Roma and to tell people what you would like to do to them etc... but as long as people give them cash, they are here to stay. Dopey nuns and religious oul ones that wouldn't give a hard working waiter 2 cent are always giving shivering barefoot money. The budget dole cuts might send a few packing. BraziaNZ complaining about them on boards.ie isn't going to achieve anything. You need to complain to TD's, Gardai and traders associations if it bothers you that much.



They will and they do.

Maybe make it an offense not to beg but to give to beggars in that case?

RMD

Really wish we could take France's approach and just round up everyone one of them and ship them home.

Before people start shouting "OMG Xenophobe" and such crap, I'm extremely open to immigration occurring as long as the immigrant is a benefit to the country, Ie working and paying taxes. If they want to come here to beg, take welfare payments, run organized petty crime rings etc then round them up, ship them off. That goes for everyone, regardless of ethnic background.

Obviously asylum seekers are a different case, but time and time again I've read stories about Romas who have no cause for asylum at all.

arybvtcw0eolkf

I-Shot-Jr wrote: »

make Nicolas Sarkozy Taoiseach and send the cnuts home.

Be careful.

Damn you BraziliaNZ for starting this thread on my drinking night :P

Lads, just a reminder - have a look over the forum etc, in case we've to release Des on your ass!.

John_Rambo

I-Shot-Jr wrote: »

Maybe make it an offense not to beg but to give to beggars in that case?

I don't know. There are a lot of needy out there. Maybe an offense to give them cash? Food, hot drinks, clothing (socks) would be ok? You might be on to something there I-Shot-jr.

mikemac

Used to see them on the Luas every morning.
Getting their spots, seemed to me there was a couple, probably married (fierce looking imo) in charge. The kind of people you wouldn't cross.

It's organized anyway

Pavee Point take some responsibility on themselves here and have information if anyone wanted to follow up. But you know the answers they will give already

Awful_Bliss

Am I wrong in thinking there was a law introduced against begging? Or was it aggressive begging?

mikemac

It's gone the other way Awful_Bliss
There was a law against begging.

It was repealed last year. Now perfectly legal to beg.

Though being aggressive certainly isn't acceptable

Degsy

It is however illegal to beg at ATM's..the Lord Mayor is attempting to make begging in Dublin a crime again so we'll see how that goes.

I-Shot-Jr

Madalyn Hissing Bandstand wrote: »

Be careful.

Damn you BraziliaNZ for starting this thread on my drinking night :P

Lads, just a reminder - have a look over the forum etc, in case we've to release Des on your ass!.

Sorry for the expletive, but these begging roma gypsies really have no place in our society. The sooner we get rid of them the better. They are a drain on already limited resources.

Twee.

I have a very big issue with the sob stories, "Money for the baby" and all that crap. I regularly see these Romas on the bus at night out to the suburbs, obviously going HOME to their houses, and know some people who live next door to these families. It's such a scam. They also skulk around outside night clubs, going into handbags and the likes. My mate caught one by the hand in her bag, and they started shouting that she was accusing her of robbing! Her hand was IN the bag!

I know they're not the only people that beg, but they're the ones who get in my way, get in my face looking for money, are banding together to work in a cottage industry of petty crimes.

The idea of not being able to give money, only food/drink/clothing is very interesting. Some beggars, any nationality, will refuse food or tea if you offer and just ask for the money. I'd be inclined to think the money they want will go towards something a bit sinister, and sure if they don't need food or drink, well they must be alright.

cosmic

Degsy wrote: »

It is however illegal to beg at ATM's..the Lord Mayor is attempting to make begging in Dublin a crime again so we'll see how that goes.

Hey Degsy,

Do you have a link to where this is stated? I'm not doubting you, I'd just like to know what it fully entails.

Cheers

ams

Has anyone been reading the letters page in the Metro Herald over the last few days re the barefoot pantless guy that begs on Grafton St/Dawson St.

I saw him a couple of weeks with just a zip up top pulled over his legs shivering like a washing machine on the spin cycle. My friend at the time wanted to go back and give him money but I told her that its just an act.

Two people wrote into the Metro Herald saying that they had bought the guy shoes & socks etc - he threw them back at one girl and the other guy walked back 20 mins later and he was barefoot again.

Someone else today said they rang an ambulance for the guy but he was well known!:rolleyes:

Fuinseog

longhalloween wrote: »

There was 6 beggars on the Clerys side of O Connell St. yesterday afternoon.

5 of them were Roma.

Says it all about the state of the capital city and the powers of the gardai when these people cant be moved on to somewhere else. If first impressions mean anything many tourists wont be returning to Dublin again.

sure its a job and we shouldnt begrudge anyone trying to work. its not easy hassling people all day for money and ireland is still very rich.

Monty Burnz

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Ok boards.ie loves Roma people and think they behave like all other people and that every group has bad seeds and they are no different, so can we try not to generalise etc. I'm just wondering if there are any solutions or plans to deal with the "begging" problem in town?

So the same proportion of Irish people are beggars? How odd. They must be doing it very covertly, or else in disguise, because most beggars in Dublin sure as hell look like Roma...

OR...we could forget the PC nonsense and acknowledge that most of the beggars are Roma and that begging is unpleasant and most people would like to see the back of it.

jdivision

Most of the beggars are Irish, there's two groups of Roma that's it. The reason there seems to be so many is that the Irish ones, who are also pros, have stayed home in their government funded flats because of the snow.

cosmic

As an aside, there's a woman who's been begging around Dublin for years and years now and she does my head in.

She normally sticks to Grafton St/Duke St/Dawson St areas. She stands there (with her buggy) crying out "Won't somebody please help me" like someone's just stabbed her and ran off with her shoes. She looks so pitiful, especially with the constant crying and wailing, that people constantly hand over notes to her.

This woman, though, has a nice house and her husband owns and drives a nice van. They live (or at least used to) near a friend of mine in Newbridge.

She's an utter disgrace. I hate her for so many reasons, the fact that she cons people into giving her money, the fact that there are people who need the money more than she does, but mostly the fact that she keeps a child with her at all times. When I worked in town, around the three streets I named above, I reported her, numerous times, to foot patrol Gardai for having a child with her while begging but she never went away.

I-Shot-Jr

John_Rambo wrote: »

I don't know. There are a lot of needy out there. Maybe an offense to give them cash? Food, hot drinks, clothing (socks) would be ok? You might be on to something there I-Shot-jr.

Thats exactly what I would be after. I think that Ireland for all its faults and problems is quite adept at providing for those that really need it. Of the many beggars I see on the streets I believe that only a fraction are genuinely homeless. And if they are on the street, they are not to be trusted with cash. It will only worsen the problem, give them food and a hot drink if you must but be prepared to have it thrown back to you. I used to give to beggars on a fairly regular basis but I decided that I was pissing in the wind, I decided to just set up a standing order with Barnardos as I figured it was a far more effective means of being charitable than handing cash to thugs and addicts.

If you really must help the homeless than I suggest you donate to homeless charities who will use your money to provide for those that are genuinely homeless and need your help.

Looking back at my first post on this thread I probably seem like an asshole but seeing Roma on the streets really gets to me. They have no intentions of contributing to society, only detracting from it. Fair enough they are not the only ones but I believe they are pure scum.

Bubs99

I have a few ways in telling (in my opinion) if they are really in desperate need or not.
You can usually tell a junkie by they're eyes, teeth and other stuff but many so called homeless often have nicer, cleaner footwear than myself and expensive clothes like branded sports wear and jeans so thats a no no when I see them.
Ive often had men coming up to me asking for money, but due to them having snow white "le coq sportif's" , I ignored and walked away.
As for the Romas, one day i noticed, the lady wasn't holding a real baby in her arms but a DOLL!!!
That was the last straw, I said no way from now on. I support several charities as it is and I do what i can, sorry but i cant support everyone.

arybvtcw0eolkf

I-Shot-Jr wrote: »

Sorry for the expletive, but these begging roma gypsies really have no place in our society. The sooner we get rid of them the better. They are a drain on already limited resources.

I agree with you completely, I just have to bear it in mind that other's hear are offended by such language and are quick to hit the report button.

Awful_Bliss

People ALWAYS give them money on the Dart when they come from carriage to carriage with their fiddles and accordians. They must make a fortune. As I said they were living in a nice estate and had nice cars. What kind of person gives them money and the housing?

BraziliaNZ

cosmic wrote: »

As an aside, there's a woman who's been begging around Dublin for years and years now and she does my head in.

She normally sticks to Grafton St/Duke St/Dawson St areas. She stands there (with her buggy) crying out "Won't somebody please help me" like someone's just stabbed her and ran off with her shoes. She looks so pitiful, especially with the constant crying and wailing, that people constantly hand over notes to her.

This woman, though, has a nice house and her husband owns and drives a nice van. They live (or at least used to) near a friend of mine in Newbridge.

She's an utter disgrace. I hate her for so many reasons, the fact that she cons people into giving her money, the fact that there are people who need the money more than she does, but mostly the fact that she keeps a child with her at all times. When I worked in town, around the three streets I named above, I reported her, numerous times, to foot patrol Gardai for having a child with her while begging but she never went away.

I think I know this one. She sounds like a traveller. I used to work on Nassau st and she'd be outside that tacky record shop beside Setanta House all the time with a child. Absolutely disgraceful, called the garda twice but nothing was done. That poor child.

cosmic

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

That poor child.

She has a few of them. She pops out a new one every few years. Some people shouldn't be allowed to have kids

gurramok

Awful_Bliss wrote: »

What kind of person gives them money and the housing?

HSE I suspect. A load of them live in a house Mountjoy Sq and do their 'work' on Dorset st every day. As far as i'm concerned, you paid for a long flight to this country without a legal right to work so you are not a genuine case at all.

Under A Funeral Moon

Wile E. Coyote wrote: »

What would you like the Gardai to do and where would you like them to be moved to? If you don't like it then ignore them. I've been to plenty of cities and I wouldn't base my experience on seeing a few beggers.

It's not always that simple. Any time I've been around the Grafton Street area on a Saturday night, the place is crowed with beggars, the majority of whom are Roma. From my own experiences, I've found the majority of them to be pig ignorant. I even had one of them spit in my face because I refused to give her money. Classy, huh? I have absolutely no sympathy for them. How they're still getting away with their aggressive behaviour is beyond me. :mad:

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

gurramok

The rampant begging in the city centre is a disincentive to shop there. I have never ever seen a single beggar in Blanchardstown centre once in all my years regularly shopping there hence my incentive to spend my cash there instead of town.

Private security guards are probably the reason why the inside of suburban shopping centres are free from beggars.

dfx-

I think it's the intimidating - or perhaps desperate - nature of the begging that's most noticeable here rather than the begging.

All over Central London last week, I was in depressing places, the West End, grime-y Tube stations, but I don't recall coming across a single beggar. Once, a friend was asked for a cigarette around Piccadilly Circus, that's it. Living in Munich a few months ago, I remember seeing one beggar (and strictly speaking, he was in Stuttgart train station).

But it's lot more noticeable and sustained in Dublin.

John_Rambo

gurramok wrote: »

I have never ever seen a single beggar in Blanchardstown centre once in all my years regularly shopping there hence my incentive to spend my cash there instead of town.

Right... I'd take beggars any day before becoming a mall rat! As for no beggars in Berlin? Bullsheet, mate lives there, I visit him often enough to see them. Google Beggars in Berlin. Google Beggars in London. The same threads as this one almost!!

gurramok

John_Rambo wrote: »

Right... I'd take beggars any day before becoming a mall rat!

Safety is paramount. To get away from the aggression of beggars, a shopping centre is far more preferable.

Coriolanus

Earphones in, sunglasses on (weather permitting, a brisk walking pace and a steely gaze deters any I encounter.

Degsy

Nevore wrote: »

Earphones in, sunglasses on (weather permitting, a brisk walking pace and a steely gaze deters any I encounter.

How can they see your "steely gaze" if you have your sunglasses on?

John_Rambo

gurramok wrote: »

Safety is paramount. To get away from the aggression of beggars, a shopping centre is far more preferable.

Ah, come on, they are not tyrannosaurs rex's. If you are afraid to go in to your own city because of beggars you might as well wrap yourself up in cotton wool. They are harmless. Annoying, but harmless.

koHd

Mall rat? haha

Are you 15?

Some people go to shopping centres to buy stuff.

Coriolanus

Psh, weather permitting.

Stop poking holes damnit!

gurramok

John_Rambo wrote: »

Ah, come on, they are not tyrannosaurs rex's. If you are afraid to go in to your own city because of beggars you might as well wrap yourself up in cotton wool. They are harmless. Annoying, but harmless.

Menacing and aggressive, don't need that when I shop.

Degsy

John_Rambo wrote: »

They are harmless.

Not always..junkies can turn on you very easily if they think they can get away with mugging you and Roma gypsies can be violent if provoked..especially the teenage males(easily spotted by the bumfluff beard,tracksuit bottoms and rucksack)

I dont think people should be afraid of them as such but they can be dangerous and i think they are going to become increasingly aggresive in thier begging as they get more confident and pickings become slimmer.

Anyway people shouldnt have to run a gauntlet of beggars everytime they go out..the cops should clean the city up,its a disgrace.

George83

Tbf I've always found the beggars in London more intimidating & higher in number than in Dublin, but, in Dublin there always seems to be more foreign beggars.

Bronaaagh

RMD wrote: »

Really wish we could take France's approach and just round up everyone one of them and ship them home.

Before people start shouting "OMG Xenophobe" and such crap, I'm extremely open to immigration occurring as long as the immigrant is a benefit to the country, Ie working and paying taxes. If they want to come here to beg, take welfare payments, run organized petty crime rings etc then round them up, ship them off. That goes for everyone, regardless of ethnic background.

Obviously asylum seekers are a different case, but time and time again I've read stories about Romas who have no cause for asylum at all.

Agreed. But, in regard to what the thread-starter first said in regards to a friend from London...have you been to London yourself? There are thousands and thousands of people begging on the street there. Any major city will have them.

BraziliaNZ

George83 wrote: »

Tbf I've always found the beggars in London more intimidating & higher in number than in Dublin, but, in Dublin there always seems to be more foreign beggars.

I'm there every few weeks and I have yet to see a begger since I've been going in July. East, West, Central... None! I'm sure they're out there but nowhere near the scale of here it seems.

George83

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I'm there every few weeks and I have yet to see a begger since I've been going in July. East, West, Central... None! I'm sure they're out there but nowhere near the scale of here it seems.

Really? I was there last week around Oxford St & I got the tube from East Finchley with a couple of stop offs on the way through - loads of beggars in the tube stations & Camden Town in particular.