Cops target squeegee kids

[Ak2809]

Do you drive in these areas? To make money doing this they need to intimidate and violate your property, and yes by "intimidate and violate" I include "cleaning" your windshield. Do you really think that anyone wants this "service"? Don't tell me you think people drive down to Lakeshore and Spadina to get their windshields cleaned. This intimidation is used to extract money.

This is justification for arrest, and I'm glad the law agrees with me.

Again, this is simply bad logic.

To make money they need to solicit their services, and yes some people do appreciate this and pay for it.

Are you implying that in the city of Toronto, there is not one single person who appreciates having their windshield washed?

Are you honestly so timid that a person approaching you to solicit a service intimidates you?

 

[doug]

You use a lot of strawmen in your 'arguements'.
If you're so against this law, what have you been doing for the past 10 years to repeal it?

 

[Ak2809]

You use a lot of strawmen in your 'arguements'.

Trying to understand his justification for his statements.

If you're so against this law, what have you been doing for the past 10 years to repeal it?

Reread what I've said. I'm not against this law, I simply don't agree with Eug's reasons for it's justification.

 

[doug]

Trying to understand his justification for his statements.

No, it sems like you're trying to put words in his mouth so you have something to argue against.

I simply don't agree with Eug's reasons for it's justification.

I doubt either you or Eug had anything to do with this law in the first place....it's not up to either of you to justify it.

 

[Ak2809]

No, it sems like you're trying to put words in his mouth so you have something to argue against.

I've explained my arguments without referring to his answers.

I doubt either you or Eug had anything to do with this law in the first place....it's not up to either of you to justify it.

Can you stop threadshitting? Thanks.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Ha! This is like the Graff thread: the-sky-is-falling hysterics!

If it's illegal to solicit money from someone in a stopped, parked, etc vehicle then the cops should go bury the whole Rosedale Valley Road crew. Those bastards don't even pretend they're going to clean your windscreen. For shame! I've tried offering them a real job but they won't take it. To hell with the street filth! I feel very intimidated and uncomfortable driving my 1 tonne hunk of steel around with grimy street people coming up to me demanding money and smokes. It's not safe. I can't sleep at night and now ride with a security detail. And I have PTSD! Ship 'em all off to Buffalo and Detroit, I say. Then, when they're gone, we can go after that less significant problem on the roads: idiot drivers.

 

[tkip]

Again, this is simply bad logic.

To make money they need to solicit their services, and yes some people do appreciate this and pay for it.

Are you implying that in the city of Toronto, there is not one single person who appreciates having their windshield washed?

Are you honestly so timid that a person approaching you to solicit a service intimidates you?

Oh, for the love of god.... Really? Seriously?

Your post is just plain insulting and idiotic. Who in their right mind wants some young, grubby looking punk to throw dirty water on their windshield? And it is entirely about intimidation and extortion. I've talked with several people over the years who faced these idiots and they didn't have any positive comments. It's pure ambush style tactics cause they don't "ask" first.

A lot of people are afraid to say "no". Not my father though. And my mother would have gotten out and chased them with a bat.

 

[Ak2809]

Oh, for the love of god.... Really? Seriously?

Your post is just plain insulting and idiotic. Who in their right mind wants some young, grubby looking punk to throw dirty water on their windshield? And it is entirely about intimidation and extortion. I've talked with several people over the years who faced these idiots and they didn't have any positive comments. It's pure ambush style tactics cause they don't "ask" first.

A lot of people are afraid to say "no". Not my father though. And my mother would have gotten out and chased them with a bat.

Again, you can't simply paint all members of a group with the same brush based off of anecdotal evidence. This is not a valid reason for banning them. If I were you I'd go with the public safety re: running into traffic argument. Much more reasonable.

 

[Chuck]

Again, you can't simply paint all members of a group with the same brush based off of anecdotal evidence. This is not a valid reason for banning them. If I were you I'd go with the public safety re: running into traffic argument. Much more reasonable.

As much as I hate squeegee kids, this is actually the side that I agree with. Ban aggressive behavior only. Enable police to physically remove aggressive squeegee kids, as well as the ones who wash first, then demand money after (this doesn't automatically result in an outright ban). Fact of that matter is, doing this would probably eliminate 98% of squeegee kids. This would satisfy both the pro and anti sides of the argument because:

a) Only the aggressive ones are removed, and;
b) Since the majority of squeegee kids would be in violation, most would be taken off the street by default.

 

[Therion]

As much as I hate squeegee kids, this is actually the side that I agree with. Ban aggressive behavior only. Enable police to physically remove aggressive squeegee kids, as well as the ones who wash first, then demand money after (this doesn't automatically result in an outright ban). Fact of that matter is, doing this would probably eliminate 98% of squeegee kids. This would satisfy both the pro and anti sides of the argument because:

a) Only the aggressive ones are removed, and;
b) Since the majority of squeegee kids would be in violation, most would be taken off the street by default.

The problem is you would need to have cops sit there and observe the squeegee kids actually do their thing for a while to determine whether they're aggressive or not. One, the kids wouldn't hang around very long if they noticed a couple of cops sitting just off the side watching them, and two, it would be a huge waste of police resources. I say keep the law the way it is, ie. complete ban on soliciting those in motor vehicles.
Unlike ak2809, I do think that pretty much no one in Toronto wants their windshield "cleaned" by a squeegee kid, since it usually ends up dirtier than before. Besides which there's the carwash, the gas station squeegee and the windshield cleaner button on my steering column to provide me with varying degrees of windshield cleanliness.

 

[Eug]

I guess he misses the point. The only reliable way to make money as a squeegee kid is to be an aggressive one. If they weren't aggressive and just sat at the side of the road, they'd make little or no money, because NOBODY wants their "service".

And by aggressive I mean anyone who cleans a windshield without permission.

 

[tkip]

I agree to the aggressive style pan-handling of any nature being the main problem. Most pan handling is annoying but I just ignore. It's the in-your-face assholes that are a problem.

 

[Long Island Mike]

Everyone: I never knew that Toronto had a problem with "squeegee" panhandling...is this a problem that began recently?

I recall that NYC had this type of problem with squeegee panhandling and that one one of the things that Rudy Giuliani got the NYPD to crack down on back when he was Mayor of NYC 1994-2001...the thought was by cracking down on small "quality of life" crimes was to catch offenders that would go on to more major crimes...

I recall that one hot Summer day in NYC back about 20 or so years ago I was riding in a car driven by a buddy of mine and as we stopped at a light two of them pounced...he tried to rebuff them from cleaning his car windows but I had a box of ice pops that I had just bought and I gave some to both and they were happy with that...and it perhaps thwarted any possible confrontation by my just thinking quick...

LI MIKE

 

[Admiral Beez]

I live downtown and haven't seen a squeegee person in years. What I am seeing is roadside begging, and I very much want the city and police to get rid of this nuisance. It is clearly against both the Safe Streets Act and the Highway Traffic Act to walk into traffic to beg for money, or sell services or goods. Imagine if you were a hot dog vendor, could you walk up and down the curb under the Gardiner, walk into traffic and sell hot dogs from car to car? The police would stop you immediately, yet they do nothing (mostly) to stop the roadside begging.

Last week I was in Manhattan for five days for a conference. Now that is a city that has its house in order. I did not see one single beggar, and no squeegee people. Even graffiti was a rare site, and I walked everywhere from Central Park down to the Freedom Tower. There are police on every corner, and pedestrians everywhere, even at 2am when we left the clubs. Stopping roadside begging in Toronto could be accomplished in a weekend.

 

[Eug]

Ironically, I don't mind the roadside vendors in other countries. The difference there though they actually provide a product the drivers want - eg. sealed drinks on a hot day, etc. However, I still don't think it's a great idea, because of the potential danger.

Everyone: I never knew that Toronto had a problem with "squeegee" panhandling...is this a problem that began recently?

It used to be very common years ago. It's not so common these days, but there are still areas where it's noticeable, particularly along / near the Lakeshore downtown. Maybe the police are more heavily enforcing this of late.