Squeegee Attack - they are back on the street - should we do anything, can we do any

[james t kirk]

A 23-year-old man is facing assault charges after a driver was struck with a squeegee at the corner of Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue on Monday.

Police say a driver stopped at the intersection just before 4 p.m. A man began to clean the driver's windshield with a squeegee, according to police.

The driver, a Newmarket man, told the man with the squeegee to stop. The man with the squeegee refused, police allege. The driver got out of his car and was struck in the head with the squeegee, according to police.

The blow left the driver with a gash on the head. Police were called to the scene and arrested a 23-year-old man. He faces charges of assault with a weapon.

The driver was taken to hospital and released later.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/06/07/squeegee-assault-toronto.html

 

[james t kirk]

These guys are a huge pain in the ass to me. Sometimes you see them coming and you wave them away. Sometimes they listen, usually they don't.

When you don't see them, it startles the shit out of you cause all you hear is THUMP on your windshield and some asshole is leaning against your car with zippers and buttons all over him not caring in the least. Plus they do a shit job anyway.

 

[customer]

What they are doing is illegal, they are conducting a business on the roadway. To solve the problem we just need to get the laws properly enforced. The Toronto Police Service should try investigating the cost savings not of cutting officers, but of taking the officers out of their cars in the troubled areas and making them walk around. This will lead to some kind of savings, reduce pollution, but more importantly it will put more officers directly in touch with the members of the community.

 

[exonym]

Some have no respect for property. I think they purposely target higher end cars to throw their dirty water on them, even when the driver says no.

Arresting or fining them though is useless. They're lefty anarchist types with no real purpose to life.

 

[larry]

I seldom see them cause I don't drive downtown much, but the beggers at highway exits and left turn lanes are another blight. If it was you or me walking around at these intersections, the police would show up telling us to 'move along". but these bums? free pass. tourists must hate this.

a side point is can we just get the police to enforce the law? stop beating people up unless or until we write that into the law too. thanks.

 

[customer]

a side point is can we just get the police to enforce the law?

What a novel idea using police to enforce the law, hopefully the Ford brothers will look into this.

We can save more cash by dropping people from welfare if they are arrested, or fail drug tests.

 

[Hangman]

Has anyone considered just running them over? I mean, it's easy to talk tough on the Internet, but if you really think that they're "They're lefty anarchist types with no real purpose to life." (doyou really think they're politically-minded?) then why not just hit 'em? Arresting or fining them is useless, so how about direct physical damage?

I bet if just one or two got seriously injured or killed by drivers, the word would spread quickly through their filthy community and they`d stop harassing decent, hard-working folks like yourselves with the dirty water on your car and the bothering you with their grimy faces and needy stare.

Or maybe it's just a symptom of deeper emotional and social issues that needs a more positive, constructive approach than "grrr, I hates them and with the police (i.e. someone other than me) would DO somehting about them."

I've always liked the idea of squeegee-pimps. One stronger guy makes them go turn squeegee tricks for him in exchange for 'protection.'

 

[esoterica]

I fukn hate squeegee people and pan handlers - probably more so than rationally. If they are lazy, let them starve. If they are mentally ill, they need help, of course. But get them out of my face.

 

[Frosty]

This is when we should have capital punishment.

 

[customer]

Has anyone considered just running them over? I mean, it's easy to talk tough on the Internet, but if you really think that they're "They're lefty anarchist types with no real purpose to life." (doyou really think they're politically-minded?) then why not just hit 'em? Arresting or fining them is useless, so how about direct physical damage?

I bet if just one or two got seriously injured or killed by drivers, the word would spread quickly through their filthy community and they`d stop harassing decent, hard-working folks like yourselves with the dirty water on your car and the bothering you with their grimy faces and needy stare.

Or maybe it's just a symptom of deeper emotional and social issues that needs a more positive, constructive approach than "grrr, I hates them and with the police (i.e. someone other than me) would DO somehting about them."

I've always liked the idea of squeegee-pimps. One stronger guy makes them go turn squeegee tricks for him in exchange for 'protection.'

If I knew I would not get charged and just have to deal with the damage to my car myself, I would definitely hit them. Hell I would run them over, and then back over them and do it again (like go do a good job). Maybe we can be allowed to hit them on our birthdays, a type of gift from the city for having to put up with them the rest of the year.

 

[Scarey]

Without saying too much..about too much..Aim for the feet."I didn't see him there...he startled me..he was aggressive..he tried to get in my car..who are they going to believe?.....aim for the feet

 

[red]

i am glad to live in a country where this is considered an issue

 

[thewalker]

I don't like the whole squeegee situation because it goes aginst the grain of capitalism i.e. you seek out a service and someone provides it to you in exchange for money.

Squeegee kids provide a service that most of the time you don't want and don't solicit and then expect you to compensate them?

It makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[d_jedi]

I passed by there yesterday.. shit, probably the "squeegee kid" I saw there was the one responsible for this incident.

 

[Brill]

Make them wear clean white uniforms, bow ties. hats and regulate them to smile and be polite. Have their water and squeegee tested every hour and tax their earnings.
The low earners should be recruited into the army.

 

[avxl1003]

Back when I was in high school the squeegee kids were a lot more prevalent and could be found on far more street corners than they can now.

I've personally never had an issue with them.

I do think that they probably hurt tourism.. God knows if I went into another city and at the first off ramp off the highway I was approached by a squeegee kid, I wouldn't think very highly of the city.

But as far as outright hating them goes.. I'm not on board.

I also think it's funny how everybody here is complaining about how the cops should be enforcing the law. Are we not all aware that we are breaking the law when we venture into an incall.. Maybe we (as outlaws) should keep our mouths shut about others that break the law (especially when those laws are just bi-laws)

 

[KBear]

Then I give them a buck. I KNOW, I KNOW, this lets them "win". For a buck, IT IS MY OWN BEST SELF INTEREST to let them win and me waste a single dollar. ...

So you’re the guy that encourages these beggars, pan handlers and other pests to come into the city to harass people for money.

I look at them, make eye contact, and shake my head no. So far they have always moved on to someone else, like the ladies in suv.

Apparently the police do charge these pests, but they don’t pay the fines.

 

[GPIDEAL]

Squeegee kids are not only downtown but even in suburbia.

I did say no once and the kid said, that's okay, I'll do it for free, hoping that I would tip him, but I DID NOT. Yes, I took a chance against retaliation but he stayed put.

Most of the time, I avoid eye contact with panhandlers who locate themselves in the same strategic spots as squeegee kids.

There are times though where I will give to panhandlers. Just yesterday, there was a cute goth gal approaching cars at a stop light. If she was on Queen Street, I might have talked to her and given her money, but she looked healthy and attractive to me enough to look for work.

When I saw a guy ask me for money at a Tim Horton's drive thru, I scoffed at him and really felt like telling him to FO.

 

[Carling]

Squeegee kids are not only downtown but even in suburbia.

.

yup....DVP and Eglinton...VP and Eglington...seen one at Leslie and 401 and also at Markham and 401...

 

[GPIDEAL]

yup....DVP and Eglinton...VP and Eglington...seen one at Leslie and 401 and also at Markham and 401...

401 and Weston Road.