The Big Issue

I have never bought one. Not out of meaness. I have seen a few sellers who I suspect might be doing this as part of a small family business.

I would rather give to the "Vicars relief fund" at St Martins in the Fields, who do a great deal of work with the homeless all around the country.

“ROMA GANGS ARE STOPPING BRITISH VENDORS GETTING MAGAZINES”
We’ve plenty of magazines and plenty of pitches to go around, this has simply never happened. It’s a big world and we welcome all vendors equally no matter where they’re from."

This from the "Setting the Record Straight" section of the Big Issue website.

I am happy to continue to buy a Big Issue (even though I am not mad about the mag) as I do think it helps people to get of the ground. I do not mind if they happen to be Roma - I know a bit about them from working on a national mag for Gypsies and Travellers. There are rogues amongst their number just as there are in the rest of all societies - but I have met many decent folk from their communities. But I am not happy when a vendor tries to avoid giving the right change - this goes against the Big Issue code of conduct and discredits the whole concept.

I think that Big Issue sellers are considered 'self employed' so are able to access some benefits. I guess any gang masters may exploit this legal route to benefits, e.g. helping /forcing Roma people to become BI sellers and then guiding them to benefits and taking a 'share' from them.

If there was a will to stop this, and there may be I do not know, the Home Office could make this system trickier for gang masters to exploit.

A Roma guy offered me a BI yesterday in the 'big' town near me but I told him I already had a copy from the lady in my town. He smiled and said .OK thanks, happy New Year! No hassling or nastiness at street level for me.

The seller who used to stand outside our local Waitrose has thankfully moved on.

He would step out in front of you, usually as you were going in or out of the shop and as anyone who has arthritic knees knows, it's jolly painful having to stop dead or try and step sideways.

I would often stand inside the doors waiting for him to accost somebody then walk out without making eye contact.

There must have been complaints because he's no longer there.

I stopped buying when a local vendor was befriended by a blind lady who regularly bought from her . The blind lady a couple of years ago had built up what she thought was a close relationship with the vendor that she felt when she had come out without any money that she could go to the ATM with her to get some cash. The vendor ended up in prison for pocketing the cash saying it hadn't come out of the machine the first time. That vendor is back now . I've seen her in in other ne cities as well. I feel hatred for her.

That is appalling Stansgran - I am really sad to think that this happened.

Criminals in all walks of life I guess but we should not assume all Big Issue sellers are the same.

But obviously the Roma Gang myth is something cooked up as anti-immigrant propaganda.

Jess because you have no knowledge of something doesn't mean it's an Urban Myth.

I knew and chatted to three BI sellers over the years, all genuinely homeless and selling the mag as a stop-gap. I also know people who work with the homeless in various capacities All spoke of the Romanian gangs and how they operated.

And where did anyone say that all Big Issue sellers are the same.

I'm not one to spout anti-immigrant propaganda and resent your inference.

It could be that BI has taken steps to deal with the situation - I don't know. I no longer buy it as prefer to support Crisis instead.

Help me here Riverwalk - "^All spoke of the Romanian gangs and how they operated^." How do they operate? What is it that they do that is exploiting the BI system and how do they do it?

Luckygirl I don't know the ins and outs of the system - all I do know is that they spoke of organised families/gangs who take over an area; sellers having to hand over the money to a boss etc. It operated like a business.

It is/was probably technically legal but not in the spirit of the origins of the Big Issue.

I don't want to malign the BI and if anyone can set me straight I'd be more than happy to accept that it no longer goes on.

I don't think this is an urban myth Jess nor do I think it is anti-immigrant propaganda. Like Riverwalk I gained some knowledge of this through a work situation that I can't go into detail about, but suffice it to say there were criminal charges (not directly connected to the BI) and what I found out led me to believe that this was the tip of a very unpleasant iceberg. I sincerely hope that the BI organisation has taken steps to deal with it, but it was sufficient to put me off ever buying it again, that and the fact that it is no longer necessary to be homeless to become a seller. I don't really understand the point of it now that's the case, and prefer to support charities that address homelessness.

Me too Nightowl and then you know the money is being used properly.I swapped iver to this methid some years ago.

My iPad prefers the i to the o!

According to the Big Issue website, to be a Vendor you must be:

Homeless or rough sleeping
In temporary accommodation
In danger of losing a home
Unemployed and facing financial crisis

I didn't think I ought to say that I usually make a point of buying from non-immigrants if can but this thread rather makes me pleased that I have been doing so.

We used to have a Romanian woman in our High Street selling the BI. She would block your path as you walked past and wheedle. She really became a nuisance.

If Big Issue say that it is not happening then it is good enough for me. I'm not saying that some of the vendors might not be exploited but the more extreme allegations made yesterday e.g. Romanian gangs "taking over" buying up all the magazines etc.

I do not buy the Big Issue but I do support a local charity for the homeless, making hats, scarves and gloves. I think the advice is not to give money directly to the homeless as, in some cases, it could be spent on drugs or alcohol but to give to an organisation that helps them.

Like nightowl, I'm not prepared to go into detail as to what I was told by 2 Romanians who sold the BI.

But perhaps you might consider communicating that information to BI themselves anonymously. They are the people who need to know what is happening in order to deal with it.

how can the Eastern European woman selling the BI in a town near me for 15 years fit the criteria of the BI rules for selling?

Sadly, with all these cases, something has gone wrong and the BI is being taken advantage of.

I assume that if they are registered with BI then they are still considered to be in need. The website says that people need to be:
Homeless or rough sleeping
In temporary accommodation
In danger of losing a home
Unemployed and facing financial crisis

I've just been shopping in Stratford upon Avon this morning. There were BI sellers on every corner I passed and I passed plenty. Nearly all were woman, wearing long skirts, thick coats, many scarves, looking and sounding East European. I recognised some as the same 'group' who were selling in Leamington Spa on NYE.

(I posted that at 11.48 Luckygirl!)

Oops!