I believe Pepper is a very dangerous person. It's a matter of when it is going to happen. People calling him a ICON is sad. He has psycological problems, he breaks the laws, he has attacked, he has been known to do drugs and other horrible things. Those who praise him need to proceed with caution. You could be the one time Pepper went too far. Sorry but I can not believe that man is anything other than dangerous. Its sad that people want to glorify him and look the other way......

Pepper does have MHMR related problems. BUT he is not innocent. Has anyone LIVED in the neighborhoods he frequents? He panhandles to "earn" money for his crack habit. Yes I said it 'CRACK HABIT". Pepper can be nice..he can also pull out his crack pipe in front of neighborhood kids. Or his private parts. I will give him food or water any day but not cash because I know exactly where it goes. There are sources of help available for homeless. It is also possible to get kicked out of said places! Often times homeless guys are unable to control their anger, alcoholism, substance abuse, or a zillion different things that can get them kicked out of shelters. If you offer work and/or food and water and the person declines then clearly they are in search or more than just sustenance. Cops can only do so much-they are always looking for Pepper in Queens City. Not because he is homeless but because he steals, exposes himself and other illegal activites. The advocate is known to gloss over Pepper's less desireable traits guys. He is not a hero, he is disturbed and can be dangerous.

Yes I have had a man that was trying to sell new cloths for gas money in the HEB parking lot. I had three men approach me at Lowes asking for money for church. I have had women try to sell me perfume out of their trunk at Exxon. Pepper has begged too many times to count. The man at the mall that holds a sign who says his daughter died and he is raising his grandkids but does not want to mow grass. The list goes on and on and on. This is a indicater that Victoria is growing faster and faster, bigger and bigger! The tramps are going to be everywhere before you know it.

Once I saw Pepper pay for a kids candy when the kid did not have enough money. A week later I saw Pepper again and I paid him back for the money, $3 he spent on the kids. Pepper can be nice when he wants to. He has approached me wanting to sell me a cell phone or a car stereo. I never bought it cause I just knew it was stolen. Or so I thought. I am a bit larger than Pepper in height and size so that may be the reason that he has never been violent with me. I say "Hi" and he says something and we go our own way. Pepper is an Icon of Victoria. Everyone knows about Pepper and Yes he does have family in the area. There are more dangerous people in town than Pepper. If Pepper kicks your car call the cops and make them show up and do something about the problem. Pepper is not above the law. Take Pepper with a grain of salt, the other homeless people ask if they want a job first before you give them money. If they don't want to work then you don't want to give them money. Simple as that.

Bighorn.
Yep this sounds like one of the persons I'm talking about. Scared the you know what out of me the first time this happened because I had just seatbelted my children in their carseats and was getting into the car and suddenly he was just there in my open car door. I couldn't close my car door or get out of the car to get him away from my children. After I sent him on his way I watched him do other shoppers the same way. He never approached anyone going into the store but came up to them unexpectedly as they were trying to get into their car.
Needless to say,I am now one of those nighttime shoppers who drive around the lot looking for an upfront parking spot close to the door and under the security lights.

There are a couple of liars and cheats who hang out on Navarro with the story of "running out of gas from out of town". One is an elderly, sincere sounding black man in an older mini-van. If approached by him, DO NOT give him a dime. He is a phony, and lives here in Victoria.

Probably in a nicer home than yours.....

Old Time Photos, One of the men you write about on a bicycle I know. He was homeless at one time, but now he lives in the area you see him. He rides his bike to and from work on South Laurent. This man will not drive a vehicle. But, he still makes it to work 5 days a week even in the rain. I see him on my way home from work in the morning on LMVR.

I know at least one person that pepper has been very aggressive/violent with while pan handling around Dick's.

I to have known Pepper for years and he has never been violent to me or anyone I know. That is not to say that he couldn't be. He just never has been to me. I think the Simon from downtown is a totally different person.
What scares the heck out of me is the persons who approach me as I am getting in my car at the HEB on Rio Grande and Walgreens. They always have a story... They are trying to get to Houston or Corpus or wherever because they have a sick family member or have had a death in the family and need gas money....... It always happens as I am getting into my car with the door open and they are suddenly standing so I can't close the door. This has happened more than once and sometimes it is the same persons over a period of a few weeks.
These are the ones we should really be afraid of. I now avoid going to either of these two places after dark.

I will not allow pepper to prevent me from going to any establishment. The police told me that they get calls about him all the time.

Also depends oh how you talk to him also he might of have been off his meds. But oh well everyone else never looses his cool so I guess they are perfect. Kinda of hard to defend Pepper but if you called the police and they didn't do anything about it take it from there they do not consider him a problem. My suggestion is to quit going to Arby's that is his favorite spot.

MONEYMAN>>>> I did not make up pepper cussing and hitting my car. He did it at the Arby's drive thru. He ask for money and I told him I dont carry cash and thats when he started cussing and hit my car then when I said I was calling the police he just walked away quickly. That is not the first time he has approached me and my family members and cussing and hitting the cars. Pepper is not a innocent peaceful person! I am sure to his friends he is different but to strangers he could care less about he is rude and violent!

Pepper has been known by many for a long time. It is bs when people make up stuff about him being violent. He use to come by where I use to work and ask if he can do anything to get some food and I would ask him to clean up the parking lot and he would. Not like all the other panhandler in this town that rather stand around with a sign and ask for money but do not do any thing in return. PEPPER RULES!!!

Yes, scorpio, there are those that hang around with signs

begging, and you offer them jobs, and no interest!

I have been privvy to information that some of those

"poor folks" take in sizeable $$ same as if they were working!!

I have known Pepper over 20 yrs, this man is called Simon, not Pepper.

I am posting as a way of trying to find the proper help for him,

it is so sad to see this.

He is not a danger to anyone as far as I know, but it is

so very distressing to see him digging for food in the garbage cans on the Deleon Plaza etc.

When I see him, and it is often, he is dozing on any bench

Downtown.

Since it has been going on for such a long long time,

I was thinking that surely there should be some assistance

to help him.

I dont know if anyone has tried to help before.
The ladies at the Downtown Subway said that sometimes

they give him the sandwiches they make incorrectly.

Yes, I do see rather unkempt men riding bicycles mostly from

the Lower Mission Valley Rd. area into town, I am guessing

that they have a community campground somewhere out there in

the overgrown areas.

But Simon is so highly visible, it brings him to attention.

t

What exactly do you want the police to do with these people ?

It is not illegal to be homeless and not illegal to be crazy either. If they are breaking a law then they can be dealt with. The most common way is by arrest and incarceration.

Sorry but Texas just plain sucks when it comes to social services for the homeless and mentally ill. However, these same social services we are lacking are also very expensive, and no one wants to pay more in taxes so here we are.

most interesting person for all of the wrong reasons. Largely in the way we slow down at a car accident to take a look. Largely it is the party crowd that draws his popularity and has largely. It is hard to find the word, but I would hesitate to call a folk hero because folk heroes technically have some tale of heroism. Personally it is a sad situation and you never know what side of him you will get. The angry side or the sing for money side.

Homeless is a society issue, not limited to local law enforcement, thought they seem to be faced dealing with it with limited options, with Citizens closing down their mental health facility. Get involved rather than pushing the society issue off on someone else. Secondly, so Pepper is now a menace? I remember reading last year that despite NUMEROUS arrests and attempts to get him mental assistance by local law enforcement, he was amazingly voted by readers as the most interesting person in Victoria. So which is it? Menace or folk hero?

Old Time Photos,

Hate to break the news to you, but the cops here and elsewhere think the way to help people like this is ARREST...ARREST...ARREST.

No help from MHMR...no funds. No help from County Hospital (Citizens)...no funds. No help from Gulf Bend, State Hospital, etc...no funds.

So...they stay on the street at their peril and ours sometimes. And the jails become the motel for the mentally ill.

Dios Mio!

This is a issue not just down town. I have a man approach me at drive ups and all along navarro. This one when you say no to him curses you and hits your car. They call him pepper and everyone defends him and when he was attacked by that dog, people helped him out. Only for him to hit the streets begging again and he has not changed. The only thing now is he uses his attack to get more free stuff. Pepper is not the only one out there either. They stand on the the corner with signs and beg. They do this everyday! If they can do all this why cant they go to man power? Or why cant they do odd jobs for people. Its called work. A lot of people would hire them to do labor. Its because they are lazy and why work when some sucker will give it up for free. The police wont even do anything to Pepper when he hits on your car and curses you. They just say he is harmless and they will speak to him.

I walk my dogs Downtown Victoria several times a week.

For more than a year now, I have noted a homeless man, named

"Simon" sleeping on the many park benches downtown.

This is EVERY DAY.

I have given him food on a couple of occassions, the folks at the Subway

told me about him also.

How can this be allowed??? Isn't there any assistance for this man?

I have seen him digging food out of the trash barrels at the DeLeon Plaza!!!

I am certain that our law enforcement is aware of this, I see police cars

cruising the Downtown area frequently!!

Simon has approached me a few times begging for money.

I think that some agency should be contacted that can effectively

help this man, with food and lodging!!!

And certainly the law enforcement should be able to be instrumental

in helping, not arresting, but good honest help??????