An evening with the affable Mr. David Wilson
A reader writes:
Heads up, just got hit up by the Welches con man in Southeast Portland, 27th and Belmont to be exact. He's branched out, I guess. Anyways, appreciate the blog so I could tell him off...Indeed.Wow, I literally wrote out the exact above email to you and had left it open when my roommates got home and immediately came into my room to tell me what just happened to them. "D***, you won't believe what just happened."
"Did it involve someone needing to get to Welches?"
"....What? Yes."
So, I told them the deal, and they told me they gave him $13. We went back to where they last saw him (the corner of 31st and Belmont), and needless to say, after a lil' search, we found him at the Belmont Inn at 34th and Belmont playing video poker. We confronted him, and like a dog putting his tail between his legs, he gave us all the money he had ($7, I patted him down), and then we told him to get outta there, and he dutifully obliged. If I hadn't been a couple beers into things, I probably would've attempted to detain him and call the cops, although who knows what the cops would've done. They did get an email address from him, who knows if it's legit, but *********@yahoo.com is what he gave as his personal email. Anyways, thought you'd appreciate the update.
| Posted at 8:45 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (6)
Nearly everyone on the street with a sob story is playing David's game. As much as I enjoy David bashing... this seems a bit extreme. I fall for one now and then, I appreciate a good yarn. But as I walk away, I'm sure I was taken.
Posted by Bark Munster | October 4, 2010 9:10 AM
Not long ago I saw a fellow that looked to be pretty much down on his luck. I spotted him crawling out of the bushes near a gas station with a cardboard "need help" sign in tow.
I was hauling several plastic bags of returnables, and offered them all to him. I even offered to drive them over to the store across the street for him to redeem.
He told me he was headed to the freeway off-ramp, and really didn't "mess" with returns. He said he could make the cash he needed much more quickly over there. He told me there was a "bottle guy" around somewhere who might be more interested in my offer.
The guy then asked me for 40 bucks, saying he needed to get home to Eugene asap, to help a family member. He told me I could save him the trouble of begging for the cash on the off-ramp.
Clear evidence of two things. (1) There are many other "Davids" out there, and (2)No one enjoys going to the store with returns.
Posted by Gibby | October 4, 2010 10:03 AM
I can never find a magic marker when I need one. Why is it so many people who are on the street have a piece of cardboard and a magic marker?
Posted by Bluecollar Libertarian | October 4, 2010 10:18 AM
If they had given David a good beating, I imagine the PPB would have been more than happy to respond. But they would have arrested the wrong guys.
Posted by Mister Tee | October 4, 2010 10:45 AM
We confronted him ... he gave us all the money he had ... and then we told him to get outta there, and he dutifully obliged.
Whereupon he ran his scam on the first person he met coming down the block.
Posted by none | October 4, 2010 2:36 PM
If they had given David a good beating, I imagine the PPB would have been more than happy to respond. But they would have arrested the wrong guys.
A little over the line, no?
Posted by PJB | October 5, 2010 1:11 AM