Dealing With Homeless, Beggars

* I support the idea of putting some controls in Thousand Oaks on the growing problem posed by beggars and the homeless.

During the last two months my doorbell has been rung by over a dozen people selling everything from mops to magazines. I have been followed into my garage by an aggressive team goading me into giving them cash to keep “L.A. gangs” out of my neighborhood, detained at my mailbox by a young man hollering at me because I wouldn’t give him $10 to paint my address on the curb (he then spray painted the mailbox and driveway with black paint). I gave one of these solicitors $20 at Thanksgiving last year and that sparked a deluge of doorbell ringers.

I suggest we give our dollars to legitimate charities and try to keep the homeless and beggars at bay. I feel their aggressive behavior is dangerous and in need of local governmental intervention.

Pamela Lechtman

Thousand Oaks