BRIGHTON, MI (WDIV/CNN) - Have you ever wondered how much money a panhandler can make? One Michigan car dealership said it offered a job to a man who begged for money but he said no! That ignited a feud resulting in a confrontational war of signs.
Check out the sign under the hood of a car at the Honda dealership in Brighton. It's not for a new low price on a car, or a great deal on a lease. Call it a public service announcement.
The sign reads, "Please do not give anything to this panhandler. We offered him a full-time job at $10 per hour. He said, 'I make more than any of you,' and he did not want the job. Please donate to a more worthy cause."
Those at the Honda dealership declined to comment on camera, but there were plenty of comments on social media. The sign and its message went viral.
"It's a big scam because people like me, people like you, everybody else, we're all out, we're working," resident Dan Golem said. Felicia Tubbs works at the Shell gas station across the street. She took pizza to the car dealership employees. “I don't like them standing there. And nobody else does, either. And I think it's great that the Honda dealership put some effort into trying to get rid of them," Tubbs said.
She says the duo has been asking for money on the side of the road for more than a year. Drivers know them and describe them as a father and a son. "You feel bad for them and stuff, but then it's day after day, week after week. And it's like OK, guys, come on,” Golem said.
On Tuesday, police got involved and they were arrested. Tubbs said she saw the same guys back at it shortly thereafter.
She snapped a picture in which the new signs read, "You can't afford a one-bedroom apartment on $10 per hour." The other one reads, "the median income in Livingston County is $70,000."
Michigan State Police confirm that they arrested two people for vagrancy and disorderly conduct. There are no names yet because they haven't been arraigned yet. And the sign is down at Honda.
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