Middle-aged, average-looking, but mostly horrible-looking men hold their newspapers, then their glasses, and their palms in front of motorists in various areas of the city. Yes, they are the barkers who are often very violent. If the person turns their head, they respond to the clear signal with selected swear words and curses. On Árpád square and at the Fórum shopping center, you can always see the same faces, but at the Kishegyesi út department store, the “selection” often changes.
In the last few days, we had a conversation with the 42-year-old János. As he said, he came from Romania a few years ago in the hope of a better life. His plans did not work out, he became addicted to alcohol, and then – after being abandoned by his family – he moved his permanent residence to Debrecen. He spends his days in a homeless shelter, he is not ashamed that he often litters, but he asked us not to take photos of him. He doesn’t want to see himself in his current state again, he knows it’s not a pretty sight. His coat, which is two sizes bigger, is dirty and torn. If he has spilled more wine than he should, he sleeps on the street, so the dirt can be seen on his clothes. He has a giant monocle under his eyes – he got into a fight with one of his companions. “I’m not out every day, but when I am, I don’t get much money either.” There are those who take pity on a cigarette or a small one. A few hundred forints will add up, on better days a few thousand. You can earn the most on Árpád Square, but there is a fight for places there. They confuse the new ones, they even beat me, he said, and then, as the light turned red, he left with his cup of coffee. This round did not bring a single forint, so he returned to us disappointed. “You see, no one has given me this time either,” he remarked disappointedly, and to make him feel better, we put a thousand in his glass. He immediately took out the money and put it in his pocket – the others don’t need to see how much is in it. “I see few policemen.” I watch them, and if I notice the car, I immediately put the glass down, go up to the grassy part, so they can’t punish me. I have been sitting for days several times, the punishment was many. I always say, it’s better outside than inside – then the light changed and János went on his usual rounds.
In the light of what we heard, we went to Árpád tér, where three people used to stand in rush hour traffic.
One barker from Rakovszky, one from Csapó, and one from Nyíl utca. When we were there, we only stumbled upon Gyuszi, who watched us suspiciously when we headed towards him. The sidewalk island is his permanent place, his footsteps have worn out the grass. As we got closer, he immediately hid his glass in the inside pocket of his jacket and stepped away from the cars. When we told him we weren’t police officers, he relaxed a bit. He said he’s been barking here for years, it’s the best place in town. He came from Biharkeresztes, he firmly stated that he is not homeless. A few sentences later, he blurted out that he sleeps on Dobozi Street, and that Debrecen is a much better place than the small town of 4,000 or 100 people. Then he took out his glass, turned his back on us, and walked away with slow steps. When we said we would pay for his time, he immediately became more talkative. “I’m not going down the road, it’s dangerous.” I do not want to die. It usually adds up to HUF 2,000 per day, sometimes more. The money goes to food, here and there. You see, I bathe every day, my clothes are clean, I take care of myself – he unfolded his jacket. Gyuszi wore a black leather jacket, jacket, dark pants and sports shoes. You could tell from afar that he had not put on these clothes first thing in the morning. He said he drank a glass of wine in the morning, and by afternoon it was gone. People give more when they see it sober. Although Gyuszi was only 40 years old, he looked much older. He had no teeth, his nose was burgundy, and several small injuries were visible on his face. All he said about his figure was: life is hard. “It’s unnecessary to come out in the morning, there aren’t many cars.” In the morning, everyone is in a hurry, they go to work, they don’t care about us. They get on better in the afternoon, some even say a good word or two. I’m not aggressive – if they don’t give, they don’t give. When what does the machine throw? Now I’m the only one out, the others have probably been taken in, he stated. He spends five hours a day on Árpád Square, he has many, many kilometers in his legs. “You have to pay close attention to the police.” I have already been fined, I had to pay HUF 13,000. It was difficult, but I collected the money, I didn’t want to go in for days. Sometimes they just flash at me, other times they tell me to leave. There has never been a bigger problem, if they say, I leave. I’ll be back later, he said.
Gyuszi, a carpenter, stands by his decision to change his current life only for a “good woman”.
We heard that the barker at the Csapó utca shopping center look for the best. Most of the time, he sits with his dog at the base of the office building. He didn’t take our presence as an intrusion, barely comprehensible, but answered all our questions. – Sometimes HUF 12-15 thousand per day also comes together. There was a case where someone bought me groceries in the store, even brought food for the dog. The cops and the public do not welcome you, they regularly punish you and distract you. They have taken me several times, I sat down and then I came back, he said. He put it like this, this place is his, no one else has anything to earn here. People walking in the neighborhood are already used to it, many people say hello to him, he said.
We also contacted the Hajdú-Bihar County Police Headquarters regarding the topic. The press department informed the police that, in the case of persons barking between vehicles, Law No. 1/1975 on the rules of road traffic. (II.5.) KPM-BM joint decree § 21. We have the opportunity to take action for minor violations of road traffic rules that conflict with paragraph (6) and are classified according to § 224 of the Violations Act. The police officer taking action can issue a warning, impose an on-the-spot fine or report a violation. Cívishír learned that the police do not keep a record of how many beggars and beggars have been taken into custody in the past year. If the patrols check on a person in a bad state of health, they contact the ambulance service, Refomix, and the contact and cooperation is continuous. And how often are the places frequented by beggars checked? If the personnel on duty in the public area experience a violation of this kind during the traffic control, they will take the necessary measures, they wrote.
– The Debrecen Police Department draws the attention of motorists not to give money to people begging between vehicles, but to choose another form of donation in order to eliminate the risk of accidents. This phenomenon can only be fully eradicated if we consciously and together prevent its appearance – the statement concluded.
Renata Fogarasi
