Welches con man makes another friend
Here's a familiar e-mail message:
I just met the Welches con man on Wed. July 7, 2010 at NE 6th & Weidler, about 8:30 p.m. His story sounded vaguely familiar to something I had read a few years ago but I wasn't sure, and I didn't give him any money. When I got home and searched the Google my suspicion was confirmed, thanks to your efforts. I was amazed that this guy has been pulling the same scam for so many years. He looked the same, like an honest, hard-working guy, with a beard and a blue baseball hat. If I ever see him again I will put him in the hospital.Somebody really needs to take this fellow off the streets, for his own protection as well as that of the public. But this is Portland, where stuff like this obviously no longer matters to the people running the city. All they have to offer are crocodile tears when the inevitable happens.
| Posted at 10:36 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (6)
The Welches con man has the same freedom of speech we do. Just don't give money to anybody on the street---unless you're doing it to reward their acting ability.
Posted by Don | July 7, 2010 10:40 PM
What to do if one encounters him? Call the cops? I've been keeping my eyes out, but I just don't know what to do if I do encounter him.
Posted by PJB | July 7, 2010 10:43 PM
The Welches con man has the same freedom of speech we do.
There is no constitutional protection for fraudulent speech. This guy commits the crime of theft by deception, every day, and his ill-gotten gains no doubt run into the many thousands of dollars. He belongs in jail, but the authorities around here are not interested in him.
They take the same attitude that you do.
What to do if one encounters him? Call the cops?
I'd call him by his real name -- David Wilson -- and tell him what a loser he is. Urge him to get off booze and drugs and stop degrading himself. You can call the cops, but I doubt that they'll do anything. Take his photo and send it to this blog. We'll gladly publish it.
Posted by Jack Bog | July 7, 2010 11:05 PM
This Welches confidence man has a strong work ethic. He is constantly plying his trade on the streets, selling people the belief that they did a kind turn for a fellow human in need.
Posted by none | July 7, 2010 11:21 PM
Too bad I left Portland, it's mind-bogglingly corrupt government and it's shattered economy. I really, really wanted to run into David when I was coming out of Safeway with a bag of groceries on a slow night, point to my parked taxicab and offer him a ride out to Welches...
Thing is, I used to drive half that town around when they were hammered out of their minds at two in the morning, and yet most of those folks got up with their hangovers and went back to earning a dollar. It's not just the booze or drugs. Now, I'm not saying he wouldn't be better off without whatever hellacious monkey it is that rides his back, but there is something else at work besides mere addiction, some kind of really bizarre mental problem. How many hours a week does he put in out there conning people ? Sixty ? Eighty ?
Now, if I ran a used car lot, I'd round him up, toss him in the shower, get him a shave n' a haircut and put him in a cheap suit. Give him controlled access to a big pile of whatever poison it is that floats his boat, one hit at a time, but make it contingent on selling my used cars, kind of like working on commission...
Posted by ex-cabbie | July 8, 2010 12:10 AM
What Portland cabbie comes all the way up here to Welches for fares?
Posted by Bartender | July 8, 2010 8:33 AM