Top 20 Meanest cities in the United States (in regards to Homeless People).

[Xevious]

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/travel/content.jsp?file=fte/meanestcities/meanestcities.jsp

I can vouch for San Francisco being mean. I dont know about the others though

EDIT: I added the "homeless people" to the topic line

[ZeroSupporT]

I was in St. Petersburg, FL north of Sarasota and can tell you anyone in the service industry there were pretty much dicks, except some of the strippers and bartenders. Hotel people and restaraunt people were pretty bad. Still would go back though in a heartbeat.

[Zman310]

St. Paul at number 19? So much for Minnesota Nice.

[1SwtDeception]

St. Paul, Minnesota... you got to be kidding me.

[RedvsBlue]

Minnesota nice is a farce. People were much nicer in Houston when I lived there.

[eldad9]

The list's methodology is obviously not valid, since Washington, DC is not on the list.

[dafoomie]

You know, they're referring to how the cities treat the HOMELESS, not in general.

Boston might loathe and despise you, depending on who you are, but we take care of our homeless.

[The Shiznit]

The list's methodology is obviously not valid, since Washington, DC is not on the list.

it's talking about cities that are mean to homeless people

[Xevious]

This research is based on the Homeless Coalition research. In the Bay Area California, the Homeless problem is a real epidemic. Homeless people are constantly harassing you - especially in San Francisco.

I admit I am mean to homeless people. I get sick of being asked for change all the time.

[sblymnlcrymnl]

The list's methodology is obviously not valid, since Washington, DC is not on the list.

it's talking about cities that are mean to homeless people

Now I wish my city was on that list.

[chickenhawk]

Aaaah. Now that makes sense that St. Paul is on there. It's because it is below freezing for 6 months out of the year. That's harsh on the homeless!

[MorbidAngel4Life]

YES! NO MICHIGAN CITIES! We are good to our homeless!

[The Shiznit]

This research is based on the Homeless Coalition research. In the Bay Area California, the Homeless problem is a real epidemic. Homeless people are constantly harassing you - especially in San Francisco.

I admit I am mean to homeless people. I get sick of being asked for change all the time.

I agree! most of the time it's some guy that could hold a job if he tried to get one or kids just bumming money so they can buy beer. I can see the guy with no legs sitting on a skateboard asking for a couple of bucks even though I'm sure he's going to use it for booze too.

[Storamin]

This research is based on the Homeless Coalition research. In the Bay Area California, the Homeless problem is a real epidemic. Homeless people are constantly harassing you - especially in San Francisco.

I admit I am mean to homeless people. I get sick of being asked for change all the time.

I agree! most of the time it's some guy that could hold a job if he tried to get one or kids just bumming money so they can buy beer. I can see the guy with no legs sitting on a skateboard asking for a couple of bucks even though I'm sure he's going to use it for booze too.

I don't give money to homeless people either. Why give them money for alcohol when I will be using that money for alcohol for myself?

[Xevious]

San Francisco has a large percentage of homeless people who are heroin addicts. Occasionaly I see them shooting up in the streets (out in public). Its pretty disgusting.

[RedvsBlue]

I guess I didn't realize it was with regards to homeless. Oh well my statement still stands, there is no Minnesota nice.

[JohnnyDrama]

This research is based on the Homeless Coalition research. In the Bay Area California, the Homeless problem is a real epidemic. Homeless people are constantly harassing you - especially in San Francisco.

I admit I am mean to homeless people. I get sick of being asked for change all the time.

Very true, everytime I walk through downtown San Francisco, there's gotta be at least one homeless person on each block asking for money. Man, looks like even the whole state of California is mean to the homeless.

[Skylander7]

A negative list without Alabama on it? It's a miracle...

Wait.. is that because our state sucks so much that the homeless people migrate to a better state? Deeeep thoughts......

[JSweeney]

YES! NO MICHIGAN CITIES! We are good to our homeless!

Nah, its more that the poor dears just don't make it through the winter... so they go to Florida and California :)

[brodeus]

Gainesville :)

[MadChedar0]

Way to go Austin, way to go. There's even a "famous", cross-dressing homeless guy here who always runs for mayor and freaks out tourists. His name is "Leslie" if you must know.

[Whambamm]

Now Austin is number 10 and I know why, there's too many damn homeless people here. You cannot pass a major intersection that leads onto a highway without seeing a homeless person on one of the corners. And I don't know what makes Austin mean, but I know firsthand that some of the homeless people don't want help, they like what they do. For instance, about 3 months ago while my roommate was working at an Exxon right at an intersection that leads to the highway, there were 6 people living in a 5' by 8' utility shed underneath the bridge. They got arrested and were found to have over $3000 in cash on the 6 of them. The thing is, they had made that money in the last 4 days since all of them had been arrested 4 days earlier and had no money at that time. I know I'm rambling, but after hearing the stories from my roommate about the homeless people, I don't take pity on them since most of them make more money than I do.

EDIT: Oh yea I forgot about Leslie Cochran...haha. Although the scary thing is that he actually gets around 10% of the vote come election day.

[stocker08]

St. Paul??? No Minneapolis? I see people in Tuxedo's that are sleeping in grocery baskets down there........yes.....its true. I actually once found a grocery basket full of dirty pretzels down there, some dirty guy came running over muttering something about his dinner..........i ran!

[Trakan]

I guess Wisconsin is mean to its homeless people. :?

[bbfinster]

In Pittsburgh, businesses pushed a group of college kids from my hometown away from their sidewalks because homeless people were coming over to them for food they had brought to feed them. Guess that's not bad enough to make the list, though.

[Rodimus]

In Florida we're kinda mean to our homeless cause they're mean to us. But they started it first, by being homeless.

But seriously, I've had homeless people bang on my car cause I don't give them any money.

[afedock]

I live in gainesville, and i would say 1 out of every 2 times I go to a gas station/walgreens (or similar store), a dude will run up to me and ask me for money to "drive to (insert any near city)". Gets kindof annoying, esp since you know they are trying to panhandle.

[beerguy961]

This research is based on the Homeless Coalition research. In the Bay Area California, the Homeless problem is a real epidemic. Homeless people are constantly harassing you - especially in San Francisco.

I admit I am mean to homeless people. I get sick of being asked for change all the time.

California got number 1 not surprisingly, but Berkeley is high. Those college kids love the homeless. Actually met a homeless pirate when I visited friends at UCSB, interesting character.

[sansfreud]

i can vouch for NYC... i waved to my friend when i met him there, and some guy thought i was waving to him. i got both the finger and a stare that told me i was next on his "To Stab" list.

[camoor]

The list's methodology is obviously not valid, since Washington, DC is not on the list.

it's talking about cities that are mean to homeless people

Now I wish my city was on that list.

I wish DC was on that list. I see people giving money to the homeless and I want to smack them, it's always the tourists too. The problem is, if the homeless know they can get money around where I live, they'll continue to hang out around where I live.

Toronto was the worst though - it was really an embarassment for the city. Cops need to draw the line and get them out of the subways, I don't want to be hassled for just going to work.

[crazytalkx]

Number four???! DAMN!!

[alonzomourning23]

Once again boston doesn't make these "worst of" lists. Though, compared to all the other big cities I've been to, they do get along with the rest of the population pretty well. They're not very hostile, alot of people seem to give them money, therefore they usually just ask you nicely (usually). I also don't see as many huddled up freezing in winter as I do in other cities, though there seems to be a lot of shelters in boston. Though I was suprised manchester, nh made the list. It only has about 100k people and is a small city (I've seen cities with the population size look much more like a big city). I've also only seen a homeless person there once in downtown, and nowhere else (and I've been there plenty of times, at all different times of the year). Though maybe the fact that I don't see them says something, I always thought there were very few homeless there, maybe they are being forced to hide themselves.

[DigitalSpace]

Random homeless encounters:

One time, I was on a bus and this bum asked me where I was going. Of course, I didn't tell him. He asked if I had any spare change. I figured I'd give him the four cents in my pocket in the hopes he'd stop talking to me. He threw the four pennies across the bus and started mumbling. At this point, I left my seat and went to the back of the bus. A minute later, the driver kicked him off the bus, and as he walked off the bus, he pointed at me and yelled "YOU'RE A PIECE OF SHIT!" which was followed by a couple passengers (which I assume he had bothered as well) telling him to shut up. :lol:

Another time, some guy had asked for change, and I gave him a dime and a nickel. He then asked "can I have some more change?" I ignored him and walked off. You're lucky I gave you as much as I did, asshole.

Another time, some bum was harassing my friend to the point that my friend had to pull his pockets out of his jeans just to show him he didn't have any change. I told my friend he should have just ignored him and walked off.

Women with children will always get change from me, unless I don't have any on me at the time. I just hope they're using some of the money to benefit their kid. I feel bad that these kids have to sleep in a car every night, or worse.

[alonzomourning23]

Toronto was the worst though - it was really an embarassment for the city. Cops need to draw the line and get them out of the subways, I don't want to be hassled for just going to work.

Homeless peopel in toronto don't bother you, though maybe you were there before they banned squegee kids. The cops treat the poor pretty bad in toronto. And the subways are a public place, the homeless are citizens like everyone else and should be treated as such. If I sat in the subway all day dressed in decent clothes no one would care, but if I have no place to go and look grubby then I'm causing a problem. They almost never get pushy, and usually just hold a cup out at the most (or occasionally ask politely). Though outside the eaton centre they often come up and politely ask for money. Also, on the subway, the music they play (though often it is just musicians practicing, it is sometimes homeless people) makes the subways better I feel.

If you want to see an embarassment go to chicago. I didn't observe them being treated badly by police, but the conditions they exist in are worse than any other city I've been to. 3 years after I was there (for only a week) I still remember some of them. One woman who spent everyday huddled up in a blanket on the ground trying to keep warm, face and everything covered, and never asked for a penny or even looked at anyone (it was hovering around 10 farenheit the whole time I was there). Another guy who spent everyday outside either the subway entrance or one of the malls on magnificant mile (a mall which was selling a 15k pepsi can, the outside covered in diamonds). The guy was in a wheelchair and had both his legs amputated, it was sickening. What made it worse was the guy was so nice, he kept giving me directions to places (I gave him money, but he didn't know the first time I asked him). Also, another homeless guy in chicago personally guided me to my destination (though I was nervous since I didn't know who he was, kept a bit of distance from him), gave him money too.

Basically, I've been yelled at by homeless people, but that's about it (though it is annoying when you give them money and 5 seconds later you walk by, they don't remember you and ask for money and then get mad when you give them nothing). I've haven't had any experience that I didn't simply dismiss as frustration though(watching guys in business suits give you nothing when you can barely afford a sandwhich would seem to be pretty frustrating). If you treat them with a bit of respect they don't seem to bother you, it's the asses who seem to have the problems.

[dafoomie]

Once again boston doesn't make these "worst of" lists. Though, compared to all the other big cities I've been to, they do get along with the rest of the population pretty well. They're not very hostile, alot of people seem to give them money, therefore they usually just ask you nicely (usually). I also don't see as many huddled up freezing in winter as I do in other cities, though there seems to be a lot of shelters in boston. Though I was suprised manchester, nh made the list. It only has about 100k people and is a small city (I've seen cities with the population size look much more like a big city). I've also only seen a homeless person there once in downtown, and nowhere else (and I've been there plenty of times, at all different times of the year). Though maybe the fact that I don't see them says something, I always thought there were very few homeless there, maybe they are being forced to hide themselves.
There are a lot of shelters in Boston.

Thats really the answer, not really giving them money on the street but giving them a place to stay and a way to get off the street. These cities were listed as being the meanest in their policies and lack of help for the homeless, not for how regular people treat them.

People need to make a distinction between homeless people and panhandlers. Panhandlers are the ones that hassle you for money, many of them do happen to be homeless, but many are not. Homeless people are still people you know, they aren't just something you can rinse off the street with a hose.