I've heard people say the homeless are only homeless because they have a combination of poor life choices and an unwillingness to work. But here we have proof it's not true, the homeless have an entrepreneurial spirit too!
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Yeah, the homeless issue has gotten really out of control here.
There used to be one or two panhandlers on a few street corners, with the number increasing as you got closer to downtown or at least Colfax.
Now, well...since the Wu Flu lockdowns crashed the economy, been a heck of a lot more. More disabled folks than I'd seen before as well, and more senior citizens in the ranks of panhandlers.
The old joke was that 90% of the panhandlers actually lived in nearby ranch-style suburban homes and were able to panhandle enough off liberals in the area they could make more money on the the street than at a low-paying job, even with taxes involved.
Now, well, that joke ain't reality or close to it. Not sure how many homeless are locals on hard times or people from out of town who heard it was safe/easy to live on the streets due to liberal generosity, but the numbers and tech I'm seeing the homeless use, I think it's more like a lot of these folks are genuinely on hard times or in a situation where living on the street is the 'least bad option' they feel.
I think we are headed for something like the DS-9 'Bell Riot's' type Sanctuary Districts or worse in many liberal areas.