Walmart

[Cloud Dancer]

I say do NOT abuse the favor extended to us by Walmart.

[weredoingit]

Originally Posted by Cloud Dancer

I say do NOT abuse the favor extended to us by Walmart.

Good thought. But I'm afraid it's too late.

[dexters]

Originally Posted by Cloud Dancer

I say do NOT abuse the favor extended to us by Walmart.

Yes, Walmart and solar have saved me a lot of money when traveling.

Walmart provides me with:
free overnight parking
security
low prices
I always buy something when I over night park there. And I return my cart to the proper area!

[timjet]

Personally I have never overnighted at a place other than a campground. I never intend to. But I'm retired and never in a hurry. I've found some of the nicest campgrounds 20 miles off the interstate for one night while traveling to my destination.

Anyway my 40 ft rig + tow car would be a challenge to park in most parking lots.

[OregonJim]

Originally Posted by weredoingit

The USA is a free Country. In Case you don't know it today is Veterans day, they made it a free Country for you and me. If someone wants to photograph me and my RV I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with it. You know why? because I CAMP where it's legal, I never CAMP on private property, I never DUMP where it's not legal My garbage stay in my vehicle until I find a garbage can that I'm ALLOWED to use and most of all I don't beg for $ I don't harass ANYONE ever. I was on Google earth yesterday looking at my backyard. So you need to go back to school and learn what's unethical.
Please explain how I slanderd them?

You took pictures of a bunch of vehicles, posted them in a public place, and then claimed that you were SURE most of them were homeless based solely on the appearance of their vehicles. That, my dear, is slander (or libel, depending on the scope of the audience). No, I do not need to go "back to school".

[timjet]

OK, this thread has gotten way off track and WEIRD! Taking photos of someone and claiming slander?

[TonyMac]

Originally Posted by OregonJim

You took pictures of a bunch of vehicles, posted them in a public place, and then claimed that you were SURE most of them were homeless based solely on the appearance of their vehicles. That, my dear, is slander (or libel, depending on the scope of the audience). No, I do not need to go "back to school".

Defamation is an area of law that provides a civil remedy when someone's words end up causing harm to your reputation or your livelihood. Libel is a written or published defamatory statement, while slander is defamation that is spoken by the defendant.

Taking pictures in public, regardless of the subject, is legal if the subject had no reasonable expectation of privacy. Parked in a WalMart parking lot one has no reasonable expectation of privacy, quite the opposite.

[Persistent]

I see lots of different points of view here. We may disagree with some, but I hope we can suspend our natural human biases long enough to understand the others. You may continue to hold your own views but I hope you can understand and accept that others look at the same situation differently.
I can add these observations about Walmart.
Wally (Walmart founder) greatly enjoyed Rv'ing. He made his personal passion part of his business. It has stayed that way even though he has moved on.
A coffee shop chain suffered greatly when one barista evicted a minority customer and refused to allow use of toilet facilities. I am sure Walmart does not want that problem, especially since their business model includes low income customers.
Vagabond RV'ers are not the main problem with the Walmart environment. The issues reported in this thread can appear at all Walmarts and many do not for whatever reason have RV'ers frequenting the parking lots.
My friend in Massachusetts drives 20 miles to a Walmart because the one within 5 miles of her house has frequent muggings and killings. The difference has nothing to do with RV's.
The one Walmart within 5 miles of my house and the only one within 30 miles does not have crime or soliciting problems. It does have bumper car problems.
Use your better judgement of where you are comfortable shopping. Don't jump to conclusions about others who have different points of view. There was no crime evident in the pictures posted and no reports of individual violations. Judging a group for infractions of individuals at other places is immoral and cannot lead to legal prosecutions.
I accept you may not agree with me and I am interested in your views on this subject.
Regards,
Paul Bristol

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by timjet

OK, this thread has gotten way off track and WEIRD! Taking photos of someone and claiming slander?

Yeah, depicting the "houseless" is not slander by most legal definitions. It's kind of tacky and is unlikely to change the situation, but whatever.


Being homeless and panhandling IS a job in and of itself, but you get to set your own hours, job location and work rules. Whether or not that is a good personal choice.... well, I don't think any of us would *choose* it.


That all said, there is a certain bit of human nature to exploit situations and things, whether putting out one's hand for alms or exploiting natural resources without regard to replenishment or sustainability. That's not going away until people change, which seems very unlikely at this point in human history.


Part of what is missing in our discussions of the chronically unhoused is that it changes the mindset of those who are so affected. Like chronic poverty - when it's what you know, what you've adapted to - it eventually can define ones existence and oneself.


These are not excuses for ill mannered people or those who exhibit threatening or illegal behaviors, but understanding that simply removing these folks from open view is not addressing the underlying problems that put them in circumstances that raises the ire of we *recreational* vehicle users.


And it might be astute to remember that for whatever reasons - most of us on these forums have more of whatever "it" is that allowed us to be in more fortunate circumstances than those in these kinds of pictures. Whether plain old luck; hard work and financial discipline; inheritance; better personal choices, etc, we ended up with more of "it".


Here Endeth the Reading. /

[weredoingit]

Originally Posted by nothermark

The real question is whether they were still there tomorrow. It sort of looks like caravans I have seen leaving traveling circus events or mobile repair crews stopping for the day.

Well I wasn't there the next day but I was there today (3 days later) with my grandson. I don't think it was a caravan. Some have left some have moved to another place in the parking lot. There are some different ones, one new one even had a table and chairs out. I took pictures but there is no need to post them, as I'm sure everyone has the idea. Some of the comments here in my opinion were well let's just say "WAY OUT THERE" Some were directing anger at me ( I don't care). Someone replied "There goes the privileges" That was right on in my opinion. The privileges were abused years ago when people began using walmart as a planned stop over. This has really stirred up a lot of anger with people, that's not necessarily a bad thing, again just my opinion. Some people don't care one way or the other. Anyway as far as slander well that doesn't even get a comment. Yes we have a horrible homelessness problem in our society. Some people don't care as long as it's not in there backyard. I don't want these people to leave the walmart in my town, only to go to different town. I don't have an answer. I was glad my 12 year old grandson was with me. I explained what I was doing. He's been saving his $$ for quite awhile, he asked if he could give one of them some $ I said no and explained a better way to help people that really want help. So we drove to a grocery store that is asking for a $10 donation for a bag of groceries for needy families. We bought 10 bags for $100, when we got in the car my grandson said "When you take me home I'll give you $50"

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by weredoingit

I was glad my 12 year old grandson was with me. I explained what I was doing. He's been saving his $$ for quite awhile, he asked if he could give one of them some $ I said no and explained a better way to help people that really want help. So we drove to a grocery store that is asking for a $10 donation for a bag of groceries for needy families. We bought 10 bags for $100, when we got in the car my grandson said "When you take me home I'll give you $50"

Awesome!!! Both you and your grandson.

[weredoingit]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Awesome!!! Both you and your grandson.

It got better, I took him home. He ran upstairs and came down with $50 I said thanks Mike but I'm not going to take your $. He said papa I know you won't but I want you to go buy 5 more bags of food for more families. I had to fight back tears. I guess I just hijacked my own thread, Sorry.

[rvethereyet]

Oh my. It is what it is.

[jarata]

this is where you worry camping is heading people thinking this is the easy way out and cheap