You have a good heart, Wishful, and I won't fault that, but it's time to get your smarts engaged there, too. In my experience, anyone asking for anything on the street is a scam artist. This is a percentage nearing 100 so close as to not be worth mentioning. The truly needy either know where to go to get help and don't need you giving them stuff in the street or they're too proud to beg in the street for what they need.
Just the other day I came up behind a woman stuck at an intersection. She claimed her car was out of gas and was crying loudly that she needed a tank of gas to get home. I offered to help get her car to a safe spot out of the intersection, but she kept going on about needing gas money. I finally cut her off and told her firmly that I wasn't going to be buying her any gas, but I would help her push her car out of the road so she didn't get rear-ended. If she didn't want my help I would be on my way. The blubbering shut off like a switch and she said she'd just call her brother for gas money once we got the car moved. I made her try to start the car so I know it really was out of gas, but how many times has she pulled this trick to get people to give her a tank of gas? She wasn't asking for a gallon, or even a couple of gallons: she wanted a whole tank of gas. Yeah, not going to happen.
If you really feel you need to help someone, there are plenty of charities you can give cash to. They will also direct you to individuals and families who you could donate your time to help, if you can't give money.
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In which I get scammed at the bus stop.
Ok so today I was at the bus. I was taking a different route than I normally do (the other stop has shade). Well this frail-looking woman who appeared to be of Indian descent (she had a cane, which she apparently needed, and no front teeth) came up to me and said "dollar bus pass?"
So I got out my book of bus passes (which strain my budget as it is) and gave her one. Next thing I knew, she's going up to someone else, says something I can't hear, and trades the bus pass I gave her for dollar bills.
Next we board the bus. The money she got from the trade remains in her hand. She shows the bus driver something else, which, since he didn't take it from her, I assumed to be a monthly unlimited pass (which, btw, I'd love to have but can't afford). Then she sits in one of the front seats and falls asleep.
Panhandling on Denver streets isn't illegal as far as I know, and she wasn't begging on the bus, so there wasn't much I could do about it.
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