Question:
Question from Brooklyn:
A homeless man asks people on the street for money, but gets very upset when he does not receive the support he feels that he deserves.
He therefore takes revenge and does very disgusting acts on the sidewalk.
He tells people that he is Jewish, but he does not seem to be observant at all.
Is it permitted to report him to the police?
In general he is very offensive to others because he usually smells very badly, his language, dirty soiled clothes, etc.
Answer:
Thank you for your question
From what you are describing it might be permitted, but only if it will not cause a chillul Hashem. On a practical level, I wouldn’t advise it, because the police are not and can’t really do anything about it. The person is most probably not healthy mentally, and he isn’t a real danger to society, rather a nuisance. He isn’t doing a real crime therefore there is much the police can really do about it. Therefore I would just advise you to walk on the other side of the street, because he will be back there even if you do call the police.
B’hatzlacha
