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Homeless man knocking on your door for money?
7:41 PM 07/12/2012
I live on 13th Street in Columbia Heights. Has anyone else been getting visits to your door lately by a homeless man asking for money? I told him I didn't have any cash [which is true, I rarely ever carry any; he stopped by on the 4th and I did give him water, though, since it was ridiculously hot out], but he keeps stopping by...
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When I first moved into the area I had the same thing happen. He'd knock on my front window and ask for money (sometimes he'd say he'd done some work in the yard or something). Nothing you can do but keep saying no (I also never have cash, but even if I did, I'm not going to open my front door to someone I don't know). I found having blinds on the one window next to the door has helped. In the end, the guy seemed harmless, so I just kept saying no and he hasn't been back in a few months. Sorry that isn't more helpful.
8:52 AM 07/13/2012 | 0 Votes
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This might be completely irrelevant but a strange thing happened to me recently where someone knocked on my door saying they were part of some job training program and they wanted "a minute of my time". I was in the middle of cooking so I had to refuse, but I found it a little strange. The guy was young and didn't have any materials with him to give me. I wonder if that happened to anyone else? I live on Ontario Road between Columbia and Lanier.
3:31 PM 07/13/2012 | 0 Votes
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I had something similar happen a while back (although in Maryland, not the District) and it was one of those magazine subscription-selling things. The "job training" tie-in was kind of vague, but something to the effect that by going door to door the young person was building her presentation and networking skills. Sounded pretty weak (workforce development is my field, and I have yet to encounter a substantive, bona fide job training program that involves sending teenagers door to door selling magazines), so I assumed the "job training" angle was something the company tells their sellers to emphasize so that they'll seem more earnest and sympathetic and the customer will therefore be more likely to buy magazines compared to a straight-up sales pitch.
4:12 PM 07/13/2012
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DC
I have had similar problems before, but the guy has not knocked on my door. It usually happens when we are out front on the porch or something. He comes up the steps to our building and tries to shake your hand. He says the same thing each time, that it is his "birthday" and he has been cleaning up garbage on the street all day. Then he asks for money obviously. I have seen him do this to almost every neighbor that is outside at the time.
4:06 PM 07/13/2012 | 0 Votes
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Washington, DC
Yep, the birthday boy is a regular on my street. Says he's picked up 15 bags of trash on my block, he just got out of the hospital, AND it's his birthday. He has also offered to shovel my (already shoveled or melted) walk in the winter. Poor man is so terribly cracked-out, he drools. But he's not rude or pushy, and I very much doubt he's dangerous.
11:49 PM 07/13/2012 | 0 Votes
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DC
you have to be stern to avoid them coming back. We had a lady (who i am sure saw us moving in) knock the night we moved in. i told her very sternly that my porch was not outside the metro stop or a street corner. That she has no right to solicit from me here. go way and dont come back.
You having cash on you or not is not relevant. It is your cash and your house. its not okay for people to come to your house and ask you for your money.
11:06 AM 07/16/2012 | 0 Votes
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