Hare Krishna's are being bullied by a "street person"

[violas]

The guy is living on the streets and lucky if he eats one meal per day. Are you so uncharitable that you would begrudge him the corner, and shelter that corner offers, because you want more passers by to see/hear you sing/chant?

Sadly, I think I suffer from PTSD from being "bullied" in the work place too much. Now in my "old age" I am asserting my right to not be bullied. Most of the street persons love us and we love them too. We give them free tasty treats that they enjoy.

 

[Eekamouse]

I'd way rather listen to a guitar playing homeless man than have to watch a bunch of geriatric hare krishnas dancing and chanting. Aren't you guys supposed to be at an airport or something?

 

[Taxing Matters]

So you believe he is reporting his donations every year to the IRS and is doing his tax returns each year?

We have no way to know what this particular person does. Some street performers do indeed report all their earnings on their individual income tax returns as the law requires. If he owes tax as a result of his performances and fails to report the income as required he can be hit with a variety of penalties.

 

[violas]

You don't seem all that tied to your faith as you are acting in a way that is antithetical to it. Try more yoga. You also are showing you are a hypocrite. How long have you been practicing?

I went to the police station TODAY hoping they would talk to the man BEFORE next Friday. The police refused to help me. The police said to wait until he threatens us again and then call 911. I have no ill will towards this man. I don't want him arrested. I just want him to stop threatening us and to leave us alone.

 

[Eekamouse]

I went to the police station TODAY hoping they would talk to the man BEFORE next Friday. The police refused to help me. The police said to wait until he threatens us again and then call 911. I have no ill will towards this man. I don't want him arrested. I just want him to stop threatening us and to leave us alone.

He probably feels the same way about you.

 

[violas]

Hence Post #20.

I'm thinking that corner is "good" because there is more potential foot traffic, and the "street person" is aggravated as they're driving away those who might give him money.

We are only on that great corner for one hour and a half each week. That's it!!! He has that corner 24 hours a day and 22.5 hours on Fridays.

 

[violas]

He probably feels the same way about you.

No. I think he hates all of us because we want to "use his corner" for one hour and a half each Friday.

 

[Ohiogal]

I went to the police station TODAY hoping they would talk to the man BEFORE next Friday. The police refused to help me. The police said to wait until he threatens us again and then call 911. I have no ill will towards this man. I don't want him arrested. I just want him to stop threatening us and to leave us alone.

You say threatening but then again you wanted to be able to hit him with your cane. You seem to be the one doing the threatening. As for leaving people alone, many feel that way about Hare Krishnas and other religious groups approaching them.

 

[Ohiogal]

No. I think he hates all of us because we want to "use his corner" for one hour and a half each Friday.

And if he is ALWAYS on that corner, why did you feel the need to attempt to steal it from him? Did you get a permit for that corner? If not, then maybe you should understand why he believes he has superior rights. Because you are interloping and acting horribly towards him.

 

[stealth2]

I'd way rather listen to a guitar playing homeless man than have to watch a bunch of geriatric hare krishnas dancing and chanting. Aren't you guys supposed to be at an airport or something?

They stopped doing that a while back (the airports)... Now I guess it's beating up mentally ill panhandlers. So much for free love. How far the hippies have fallen...

/snark.

 

[stealth2]

He has that corner 24 hours a day and 22.5 hours on Fridays.

Fascinating. You "know" he doesn't file taxes and that he is at that corner 24 hours a day (minus your 1 1/2 hours on Friday). How do you "know" all this? You're not stalking him, are you?

 

[quincy]

In reading up on buskers, I was a bit amazed (and impressed) by how much a good Florida-based street musician can make in a year. I way underestimated in my mind their possible earnings, which (according to some sources) can be as high as $75,000/year.

Here is a link to a buskers advocates organization with some interesting information on busking in the U.S. and some U.S. court cases:
http://www.buskersadvocates.org/saalegal.html

 

[paddywakk]

He might not have to file any return. It depends on his income. There is a good chance that his street-corner guitar playing (if that is his sole source of income) does not earn for him $12000+.

That would make him self-employed, and the standard for being required to file when self-employed is @$400.

 

[quincy]

That would make him self-employed, and the standard for being required to file when self-employed is @$400.

Right. I am curious how many homeless self-employed street performers actually file taxes.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Right. I am curious how many homeless self-employed street performers actually file taxes.

Those that are truly homeless tend not to file federal or state income tax returns, whether they owe or would get money back from the government. The lack of a stable address, no bank accounts, and little or no access to computers are all impediments to many of them. Most of them also don't have much taxable income and pretty much no assets from which the government may collect if they should happen to owe some amount of tax. When the economic stimulus payments went out the IRS made some extra effort to encourage homeless people to file to claim the payments they were entitled to receive. But while it tried to set up some arrangements to deal with the problems that homeless people encounter without a stable address and without access to banking, there were still a number of barriers for those folks to claim those benefits.

In reading up on buskers, I was a bit amazed (and impressed) by how much a good Florida-based street musician can make in a year. I way underestimated in my mind their possible earnings, which (according to some sources) can be as high as $75,000/year.

Those making that kind of money at it aren't as likely to be homeless.