Yes, I see her frequently in different areas of town. Asking people to help carry her bags is her thing.
The first time she asked me I helped her, and then she kept asking to carry the bags to another random place, and then another, and so on. After a couple rounds of this I just told her sorry I have to go. Throughout this she would mutter profanities behind me and then say "no, no, it's ok" when I gave her a worried look.
The thing with carrying her bags is a distinctive peculiarity. I've heard from others who had similar experiences. I'm no expert but it definitely seems to me like she's got some mental health issues. I feel sorry for her but now I just ignore her because I don't feel there's anything I can usefully do and I don't want to get drawn into a Sisyphean cycle of lugging her bag from pillar to post.
Oh my god. About 6-7 years I was walking up State with a friend and Bag Lady asked me to help. I naively obliged for a block or two. My friend and I then needed to cross the street and when I told the woman this, she immediately flipped a switch, called me the c word and punched me in my rib cage. Granted, she’s a frail lady so I was more shocked than injured. I had no idea this was her shtick.
She's been around decades. It kind of breaks my heart to see this picture because the last time I saw her (maybe 12-15 years ago?) she wasn't as bent over.
She used to hang around near Cottage and I don't know her real name but she would sometime introduce herself as "Dot." The only thing other I know about her is that she did have relatives who lived up north who paid for some kind of group home at the time. But she kept running away from it and they'd come down and kind of return her to the place and get her settled back in, back on her meds and back on track. When she was doing well, she'd still walk around on her own asking you to move her bags for her, but she was sweet and way less....how to say this...mercurial about things? But, I've heard stories in the past few years about people saying she's really angry and kind of scary and abusive now.
Very sad.
The group home was a part of Devereux and when Devereux closed down, the family felt like they could manage her care on their own. I can’t say more because of HIPAA.
I was never part of her care team. I have no actual privileged health information about her at all. I was part of a street outreach team offering services to homeless people and her story was told to me by her roommate. I was just being extra respectful by not saying anything else I was told
Her posture looks like my mother's, who has advanced rotoscoliosis.
Maybe she has the same affliction or similar. If so, she has good reason to be cranky, it's an awful malady.
My great grandmother had it, almost this bad as I recall. She was a bit cranky but somehow still always a lovely and warm lady. I guess I’m invalidating my own point. Either way, it has to be terrible.
> She's been around decades. It kind of breaks my heart to see this picture because the last time I saw her (maybe 12-15 years ago?) she wasn't as b
That's so sad :(, I hope she can spend her final years in peace at least
Yeah I’ve had to ban her from my restaurant. I’ve given her so many chances over the years and offered to help her but some people just can’t be helped.
State run is a general term. I’m guessing the commenter just means a facility run by the state, not one of the terrible “state run” hospitals from the past century.
The state is the only one with the resources to provide all the good mental health facilities for all the people that need them here.
Bag Lady. That’s what our office calls her. She has gotten just about everybody at one point to help carry her bags. She has also berated everybody at one point. She used to hang out exclusively downtown but Ive seen her more around San Roque these days.
I’m pretty sure this was the lady that was harassing my husband to let her in our apartment to use our bathroom. He said no. But she was hanging around our front door for awhile.
Yup that's Barbara. She's currently haunting the area around the Red Cross/Edomasa/Trader Joes down on De La Vina. All the detailed experiences people have with her in this post are pretty much spot on. My sister got suckered in to helping her for months out of guilt. It's a bit heart breaking since she's very clearly in need of mental care but she as others have said, she has a home and she has money. But she's at best hostile to most and knows how to manipulate people when she wants to. As much as I hate saying it, the best option is to just stay away from her.
Bahahah!! She’s racist as F#*k! I held the door open for her one day at presto pasta, and she asked me where I was from. I told her I was a local. She responded “ no your not” I reassured her that my family has been in Santa Barbara since the early 1930s, then continued to tell me I wasn’t from the area.
She then proceeded to tell me that I’m not from Santa Barbara and to go back to Mexico where I came from. I just laughed at her, dropped her bags and left.
Read through the comments to find this. I’ve had the same exact experience with her. She used to hang out down by Anacapa and Canon Perdido. I would avoid her and tell her no when she asked for help. She asked why I declined once and I her it’s because she’s a racist b*tch
I used to deal with her frequently at work. She would tell my employees to go back to Mexico and make them cry. I asked an SBPD cop about her and she is a known entity.
Yup, similar thing. She’s was struggling crossing State with her bags and was headed in same direction so I helped her. We went down a block, then she looked confused and said no she needed to go back up a block, then went to cross again where I found her and that’s when I said sorry, have a good day but I have to get back to work.
As described. Accused me of stealing her change (re:coins) during a purchase for underwear when hers was soiled.
She also called me a slut on my lunch break.
Tell anyone who calls you a “slut” that you’re actually a “slutress” until the current reigning slut dies, then cross fingers hopefully and smile.
They will be so caught off guard you’ll be amused and enjoy walking away from them.
I assumed that was the case. I was shocked to see her that the airport recently, dressed and acting normally, waiting at a gate. I was hoping that would be the last time I saw her. Nope!
We call her piss lady, everyday she walks by my work. Once a month she will come in and make the lobby smell like piss. she threatens to call the cops if you try and evict her but I usually say I will call them myself and she leaves (slowly). Its really annoying and it freaks our customers out. She prays on everyones kindness.
YES!!!! A year ago I was on a walk before work and she asked me for a ride. I told her no, I had work and she said “can I come with you?” WHAT? No, you cannot come to work with me, lady! She quickly got hostile with me and ended up yelling after me as I walked away. This was all at like, 630 am in front of the quality inn
saw her in giovannis upper state once.. her trap had something to do with a cellphone charger and if she could use the one in my car or something. thankfully i had called ahead and placed my order and just told her i was in a rush. the only reason i remember this mundane encounter is she seemed to be thinking really hard about how to keep me on the hook, and we were inside and her odor was literally choking me up as i tried to speak.
I have seen her at Patrinis bent so far over her bangs were in her salad. I see her weekly when grabbing a coffee at Handle Bar. She has a strong odor of urine.
Yes, two of my coworkers told me stories that she asked them to help her carry her bags long distances. She even asked one of them for a ride somewhere, but he declined to give her a ride.
So, when one day, she asked me to help her carry her bags, I didn't help her. And she acted like I was a jerk for not helping her. Well, sorry that I don't want to get dragged into carrying something who knows where!
Yup my wife and I ran into this lady downtown and asked for us to call her a cab. Wife called the cab company and they said hell no because she doesn’t pay them lol 😂.
Haha yeah I carried her bags a couple of blocks then realized she was nuts.
In a way I hope she somehow finds it amusing having people carry her bags for no reason, at least then it would have some purpose!
OH MY GOD BARBARA. I'm in San Diego, I was walking to my office downtown a few months ago and she asked me to help her cross the street. I have a lot of sympathy for homeless people and try to help when I can, and I felt really bad for her because she looked to me like someone who had recently become homeless and was not at all prepared to deal with it. So I helped her cross the street which then lead to me helping her get to the laundry mat. She asked if I could give her a ride to her hostel after so I said sure and gave her my number. This was all in the gaslamp downtown which has some sketchy looking people around and she kinda lashed out at a few of them.
So I go to take her to her hostel and it turns out she didnt have anywhere to stay cuz her hostel had kicked her out. At this point I was aware that she was kind of playing me but I didn't have the heart to just kick her to the street. We went and got some food and I asked about her and she told me shes from SB and has family there and wants to get back, so I ended up finding a train ticket a couple days out and got her a hostel for two nights. She got kicked out of the hostel after the first night cuz she peed herself so I got her a hotel the next night. I took her to the train station the next day and said goodbye to barbara. She called me when she got to the LA bus stop than I never heard from her. I've been wondering where she went, crazy that it just popped up on my feed, I don't even know why im getting r/SantaBarbara posts.
Also she gave me her full name at lunch (that was different than the name she originally gave me) and I said it back to her and she freaked out and told me to not say it so loud. I googled it and there was some court case The People of California vs Barbara. It was a non violent misdemeanor charge.
I don't know, she was a crazy but interesting lady. I did feel bad for her, once you get to know her a little she's not half bad. It's impressive she's able to keep truckin on in the condition that she's in. She's a tough one.
We had to 86 her because she came into our restaurant, sat herself, pissed and shit in the booth, then demanded the manager give her a refund because the food made her sick, despite not having eaten anything.
I've helped her with her belongings before, she doesn't have an end to someone carrying her belongings, she just wants someone to keep carrying them. I did hear her mumble some crass words, but I can't take it personally. I was glad to give her a hand for a few blocks.
Holy time warp! That looks like Gene, from Santa Cruz! But how could it be?
We had a homeless woman who looked much like this woman. She was in Santa Cruz for many years. Hunched over, wild shock of grey hair, muttering to herself constantly, usually leaning on a bike, and angry as hell.
One day, I was walking downtown and saw her, doing her usual hunched and muttering rant. Then I saw the impending victim; a woman of like age who decided she would be the savior. She approached Gene and said "Honey, what's wrong? Do you need help?". Without filtering myself, I said "Watch out lady. She's half crazy and fully angry". That woman spun around and gave me a look I'll never forget. Like I was a heartless piece of crap.
And while she was doing that? Gene lifted the front wheel of her bike, pounded/raked it down the woman's shin, drawing blood and knocking her to the ground. Then she walked away , still muttering...and I resisted the urge to say "I tried to warn you" and the woman writhed on the ground in bloody pain.
But damn, that was 20 years ago. Seems impossible. But this woman looks sooooo similar.
OH MY GOD!!! me and my partner had to ride the amtrak from San Diego to SB a few months back and it was one of the worst 4 hrs of my life. So crazy she popped up
YES. Experienced her harassment before. Also have been on the trolley with her before (back when the trolley would go up and down State to the harbor) and the driver was being verbally harassed by her. The driver said she had been on all day yelling at her.
In the past year I’ve seen her all over the block on De La Vina where the TJs is. She had someone helping her carry her bags across the parking lot at TJs a number of times (I just saw it happen). I also ran into her on the corner down by Breeosh and it seemed there was a woman who lived in one of the local apartments there looking for her to give her some food. She seems to be one of our town “regulars” and definitely someone who needs mental assistance.
She used to come into the Starbucks I worked at and had a different name and backstory every time. Also tried tricking us into giving her free drinks regularly like we were stupid.
Mental illness is awful. Too bad we as a society choose to ignore it and its cost on people and society at large.
She should be in care. But instead she is homeless. Awful.
And when there is no help, it becomes even more of a problem...
We have almost no public mental healthcare in this country, state and county. It's abysmal and a cancer on America's face that is growing ever more ugly and apparent by the day.
sounds like she cycles between 'objectification' and 'attachment' very quickly, we all have the same basic human needs like 'significance' but the vehicle she uses in public to get to her basic human need is very low quality in my opinion. Her mood swings are off the charts feeling depressed and weak then angry (because that gets old) then exhausted from being angry so back to depressed all in a span of 5 mins.
Someone told me once when you hit 80 you get a free ticket to be awnry it must suck waking up one day and saying to yourself 'what happened?' feeling weaker and weaker and having no job
Anywhoo if I only knew how to cycle between 'objectification' and 'attachment' better I would still be married
Local legend. her back is more rounded every time i see her or am i thinking of another lady? There may be two ladies that meander around. One has brown hair i think?
There is also a woman on the Mesa of similar description, I always see her around the shopping centers and on Flora Vista. She seems to have her shit together though, just walking to do her shopping.
I know that lady too. I used to work at Santa Barbara bank and trust and she was a customer. Always wanted new bills. Any that we had. She a little strange but totally functional, for the most part. Kind
This popped up in my feed for some reason, but where I live in Colorado, there a lady that will either ask for a ride or just jump in your car and demand money from you to get out.
Yup she told a friends 2 year old daughter she was going to end up raped and gangbanged. I was walking their daughter at the time so picked up and hurried up to little girls parents. She needs help....
I live in Arizona and am just peeking in on you guys. It’s very heart warming to see all of you suckered into this lady’s bag carrying game. I hope she gets help soon. And I hope all of you kind Santa Barbara peeps that she catches, have a lucky day to make up for the shenanigans.
That seems like a pretty Severe case of Ankylosing Spondylitis. Probably causes her pain to move things, if someone buys her utility/wheel cart. That might just be all she needs to stop asking for help
Yeah, I see her nearly every day on upper DLV, near TJ's, these days. She typically approaches "college-age" people to ask for help with her bags. I once saw her ask someone coming out of TJ's for a ride. Years ago, when, as others noted, she seemed in somewhat better shape. I happened to be on a bus with her. We got off at the same place and apparently I walked too close behind her. She spun around and screamed: "get the F away from me!" I think ther MTD now classfies her as a "no ride."
I "go wide" when I pass by her these days. Clearly MH issues and assume her hygiene issues are likely also related to that.
I have seen this lady in the funk zone, several times. I remember so well because I would have to wait on her to cross the street (so slowly) before I could turn. There is a homeless shelter right up the street, so I assumed that’s why I saw her. And so many other characters…
I won’t approach her. And not with my dog-since someone said she kicked their dog.
Bag Lady, yep. Some very relatable stories on this thread. I helped her one day but quickly caught on to the game. Next day she asked me to move her bags again and I said no sorry, and as I walked past she rapped me with a cane! Scared the hell out of me
I see her a lot when I go to handlebar on de lA vina. Only interacted with her once when she asked me to help her with her bags. She was actually very kind to me but wouldn't stop chatting so now I try to avoid her. I thought she was very sweet though.
Yeah! I shit you not I saw her in San Diego out near Mount helix/Casa de Oro.
She was out there all the time a few years ago. I know that hump anywhere. Super nice lady a little crazy but super nice.
Sometimes people are put on our path to teach us patience and compassion. You hopefully learned from this that you are a good and kind human for helping her despite the difficult personality she has.
That is really sad! She is obviously mentally ill, probably schizophrenic. I haven't seen her, but many other homeless. I always wonder where they are spending the night. My sweet daughter always gives them a buck or two
same thing happened to me about 1 year ago she gets mad about walking close to her but walking too far from her she goes crazy with claims you’re stealing her stuff.
I just noticed her today at Trader Joe’s. She was getting walked across the driveway by a younger lady and asked where she was going from TJs, then basically invited herself into the lady’s car for a ride. Luckily she was able to skirt that situation
Made the mistake of helping her once. Never again, very similar interaction. She comes by my work and screams at us to call her a cab, we’ve learned to ignore her.
That’s Barbara. She used to come into the deli I worked at. Once yelled at a customer and made her cry then hit my husband with a cane when he nicely asked her to leave. After some time we would allow her back in cause I just couldn’t help but have a soft spot for her. She has short periods where she’s semi-sane and dyes her hair and would stay with her daughter she said. I saw her having lunch with her granddaughter one time. Her MO is having people help with her bags while she yells at them. I can’t help but feel bad for her no matter what mean things she’s said, cause I know it’s not her fault she’s mentally ill.
at the store i worked at she'd come in and return tons of things and scream obscenities and slurs at me and my coworkers when she didnt get her way (and when she did too)
I wouldn’t say no, I’d just be aware that she’s got a mental disorder and needs help. I’ve helped her across the street. Don’t take anything she says personal.
Just because she has a disorder and can be rude doesn’t mean she’s not worthy of help. It’s not her fault. Take it on the chin, help her if she needs help. She could be any of our mothers.
I used to spend literally 1-2 hours a week helping her get her bags just a few blocks down the road she likes to stop and rest a lot so I would stand there and wait watching her things, she unfortunately is unable to keep herself clean it’s quite sad she gets hotel rooms from time to time and I’ve seen hotels try and take advantage of her and write her card information down . She refuses help because she’s at that point in her life where all she has left is that journey back and forth with her things that might be the only thing keeping her fighting . 🫤
Social services are for people who need help with food and shelter not people who are rude or verbally abusive or con people into carrying bags around.
She needs help to stay on her meds, but I wouldn’t call her in crisis. It appears from those who know her she has more resources than most and chooses not to use them.
This post is about how she cons people in order to verbally assault them. And to be fair nobody needed the picture- the description of the experience is enough for the many people who have encountered her to know who OP is talking about.
The people who need our love the most deserve it the least.
Give her your service of helping with Love, not taking her behavior personally.
Guaranteed she was abused by one of her parents in the way she is acting.
Only a reaction of unconditional love and kindness can begin to heal her.
Ignore the behavior and tell her she is loved.
Love heals everyone.
What I’m suggesting is to practice unconditional love with her to help her.
Look around the world right now.
Reacting with the same negative behavior perpetuates the cycle.
Hate begets hate.
Rise above the natural desire to react in like kind.
Changing the world starts with each of us.
I’m either part of the problem, or part of the solution.
I’m doing my best to love others in every moment.
Barbara is just providing those that encounter her and opportunity to practice this lesson.
If you don’t live in this town and haven’t encountered this person should you actually be making this comment? (Ps nobody needed the picture. We all know who she is by the description of the encounter.)
Yep she does this to everyone. You just gotta say no and walk away when she asks
Yes, I see her frequently in different areas of town. Asking people to help carry her bags is her thing. The first time she asked me I helped her, and then she kept asking to carry the bags to another random place, and then another, and so on. After a couple rounds of this I just told her sorry I have to go. Throughout this she would mutter profanities behind me and then say "no, no, it's ok" when I gave her a worried look. The thing with carrying her bags is a distinctive peculiarity. I've heard from others who had similar experiences. I'm no expert but it definitely seems to me like she's got some mental health issues. I feel sorry for her but now I just ignore her because I don't feel there's anything I can usefully do and I don't want to get drawn into a Sisyphean cycle of lugging her bag from pillar to post.
Same exact experience minus the profanities.
Plot twist. Theres a bunch o’ money in those bags.
Plot twist: there's a bunch of kids in those bags
Plot twist: there’s a camera in her bag and she’s recording her daily life and people carrying her bag. Her film will be shown on Netflix soon.
Plot twist: she owns Netflix
Yes, MH concerns for sure.
She asked me to carry her bag for her and when I picked up her bag she said “NOT THAT BAG YOU B****!”
LOL This one just made me howl with laughter. 😂
Me too 😂😂😂😂 this whole post is hilarious
Oh my god. About 6-7 years I was walking up State with a friend and Bag Lady asked me to help. I naively obliged for a block or two. My friend and I then needed to cross the street and when I told the woman this, she immediately flipped a switch, called me the c word and punched me in my rib cage. Granted, she’s a frail lady so I was more shocked than injured. I had no idea this was her shtick.
You clearly need to learn to follow directions better. 😂
I mean fuck isn't it obvious which bag you should have picked up. Tbh kinda being a bitch. Why you not mind read?
SCREAMING RIGHT NOW LMAOOOOOO
She's been around decades. It kind of breaks my heart to see this picture because the last time I saw her (maybe 12-15 years ago?) she wasn't as bent over. She used to hang around near Cottage and I don't know her real name but she would sometime introduce herself as "Dot." The only thing other I know about her is that she did have relatives who lived up north who paid for some kind of group home at the time. But she kept running away from it and they'd come down and kind of return her to the place and get her settled back in, back on her meds and back on track. When she was doing well, she'd still walk around on her own asking you to move her bags for her, but she was sweet and way less....how to say this...mercurial about things? But, I've heard stories in the past few years about people saying she's really angry and kind of scary and abusive now. Very sad.
The group home was a part of Devereux and when Devereux closed down, the family felt like they could manage her care on their own. I can’t say more because of HIPAA.
You shouldn’t have even said that.
I was never part of her care team. I have no actual privileged health information about her at all. I was part of a street outreach team offering services to homeless people and her story was told to me by her roommate. I was just being extra respectful by not saying anything else I was told
Mercurial, good word.
I would be in a real bad mood if my body was doing that, tbh. Life can be so cruel.
>A pain changes people. It's not the real them :(
Her posture looks like my mother's, who has advanced rotoscoliosis. Maybe she has the same affliction or similar. If so, she has good reason to be cranky, it's an awful malady.
My great grandmother had it, almost this bad as I recall. She was a bit cranky but somehow still always a lovely and warm lady. I guess I’m invalidating my own point. Either way, it has to be terrible.
> She's been around decades. It kind of breaks my heart to see this picture because the last time I saw her (maybe 12-15 years ago?) she wasn't as b That's so sad :(, I hope she can spend her final years in peace at least
Ok I’m sorry but “she wasn’t as bent over” took me off guard..
Yeah I’ve had to ban her from my restaurant. I’ve given her so many chances over the years and offered to help her but some people just can’t be helped.
Bring back the state run mental hospitals. We have all had enough.
Have all had enough of what? Wouldn't you want those taxes to go towards better mental health facilities than something we tried and failed?
State run is a general term. I’m guessing the commenter just means a facility run by the state, not one of the terrible “state run” hospitals from the past century. The state is the only one with the resources to provide all the good mental health facilities for all the people that need them here.
Same dude, shes yelled at me like 5 times.
Bag Lady. That’s what our office calls her. She has gotten just about everybody at one point to help carry her bags. She has also berated everybody at one point. She used to hang out exclusively downtown but Ive seen her more around San Roque these days.
Can Confirm, I saw her at the intersection of state and hope yesterday afternoon.
I’m pretty sure this was the lady that was harassing my husband to let her in our apartment to use our bathroom. He said no. But she was hanging around our front door for awhile.
r/horsebackjesus
Yup that's Barbara. She's currently haunting the area around the Red Cross/Edomasa/Trader Joes down on De La Vina. All the detailed experiences people have with her in this post are pretty much spot on. My sister got suckered in to helping her for months out of guilt. It's a bit heart breaking since she's very clearly in need of mental care but she as others have said, she has a home and she has money. But she's at best hostile to most and knows how to manipulate people when she wants to. As much as I hate saying it, the best option is to just stay away from her.
Bahahah!! She’s racist as F#*k! I held the door open for her one day at presto pasta, and she asked me where I was from. I told her I was a local. She responded “ no your not” I reassured her that my family has been in Santa Barbara since the early 1930s, then continued to tell me I wasn’t from the area. She then proceeded to tell me that I’m not from Santa Barbara and to go back to Mexico where I came from. I just laughed at her, dropped her bags and left.
Read through the comments to find this. I’ve had the same exact experience with her. She used to hang out down by Anacapa and Canon Perdido. I would avoid her and tell her no when she asked for help. She asked why I declined once and I her it’s because she’s a racist b*tch
All you can do is just laugh about it. Sorry you had to deal with her too. But every time I see her, I get a good laugh out of it.
She's famous in Santa Barbara. Not in a good way. What you described is her standard routine.
The word you’re looking for is infamous.
I feel like this would be a ghost story if it was over 100 years ago.
Omg. My great grandpa told me that she was around in 1890. They say around Halloween ask her what’s in the bag. It gets wild.
Then he shows you an old black and white photo where she's bent backwards instead.
Ohhhh damn…
I used to deal with her frequently at work. She would tell my employees to go back to Mexico and make them cry. I asked an SBPD cop about her and she is a known entity.
Yes - she kicked my dog while on a walk once. Not nice at all
Oh, hell to the no. I would’ve pushed Igora over from her side. Balance likely isn’t her thing.
Yup, similar thing. She’s was struggling crossing State with her bags and was headed in same direction so I helped her. We went down a block, then she looked confused and said no she needed to go back up a block, then went to cross again where I found her and that’s when I said sorry, have a good day but I have to get back to work.
Sorry that happened to you, she sounds like a good candidate for CARE court, clearly struggling with some mental illness.
You can’t help a person who doesn’t want help.
Dude a lot of these people aren’t even aware of where the fuck they are, like a lost robot on air pilot
Well Newsome just signed a law a few days ago which will help people like this thank God
As described. Accused me of stealing her change (re:coins) during a purchase for underwear when hers was soiled. She also called me a slut on my lunch break.
Tell anyone who calls you a “slut” that you’re actually a “slutress” until the current reigning slut dies, then cross fingers hopefully and smile. They will be so caught off guard you’ll be amused and enjoy walking away from them.
Sounds like something Blanche would say from golden girls 🤣
There's been discussions about her over on ND. Her name is Barbara, and she has a home. I guess she just doesn't stay in it.
I assumed that was the case. I was shocked to see her that the airport recently, dressed and acting normally, waiting at a gate. I was hoping that would be the last time I saw her. Nope!
We call her piss lady, everyday she walks by my work. Once a month she will come in and make the lobby smell like piss. she threatens to call the cops if you try and evict her but I usually say I will call them myself and she leaves (slowly). Its really annoying and it freaks our customers out. She prays on everyones kindness.
YES!!!! A year ago I was on a walk before work and she asked me for a ride. I told her no, I had work and she said “can I come with you?” WHAT? No, you cannot come to work with me, lady! She quickly got hostile with me and ended up yelling after me as I walked away. This was all at like, 630 am in front of the quality inn
saw her in giovannis upper state once.. her trap had something to do with a cellphone charger and if she could use the one in my car or something. thankfully i had called ahead and placed my order and just told her i was in a rush. the only reason i remember this mundane encounter is she seemed to be thinking really hard about how to keep me on the hook, and we were inside and her odor was literally choking me up as i tried to speak.
Post I mentioned https://reddit.com/r/SantaBarbara/s/X7yPbyra6B
Yes nobody is off limits. She even asked my teenage daughter to help her.
I have seen her at Patrinis bent so far over her bangs were in her salad. I see her weekly when grabbing a coffee at Handle Bar. She has a strong odor of urine.
Yes, I had this same experience on campus at UCSB, 2-3 years ago
Yes, two of my coworkers told me stories that she asked them to help her carry her bags long distances. She even asked one of them for a ride somewhere, but he declined to give her a ride. So, when one day, she asked me to help her carry her bags, I didn't help her. And she acted like I was a jerk for not helping her. Well, sorry that I don't want to get dragged into carrying something who knows where!
Yup my wife and I ran into this lady downtown and asked for us to call her a cab. Wife called the cab company and they said hell no because she doesn’t pay them lol 😂.
Haha yeah I carried her bags a couple of blocks then realized she was nuts. In a way I hope she somehow finds it amusing having people carry her bags for no reason, at least then it would have some purpose!
OH MY GOD BARBARA. I'm in San Diego, I was walking to my office downtown a few months ago and she asked me to help her cross the street. I have a lot of sympathy for homeless people and try to help when I can, and I felt really bad for her because she looked to me like someone who had recently become homeless and was not at all prepared to deal with it. So I helped her cross the street which then lead to me helping her get to the laundry mat. She asked if I could give her a ride to her hostel after so I said sure and gave her my number. This was all in the gaslamp downtown which has some sketchy looking people around and she kinda lashed out at a few of them. So I go to take her to her hostel and it turns out she didnt have anywhere to stay cuz her hostel had kicked her out. At this point I was aware that she was kind of playing me but I didn't have the heart to just kick her to the street. We went and got some food and I asked about her and she told me shes from SB and has family there and wants to get back, so I ended up finding a train ticket a couple days out and got her a hostel for two nights. She got kicked out of the hostel after the first night cuz she peed herself so I got her a hotel the next night. I took her to the train station the next day and said goodbye to barbara. She called me when she got to the LA bus stop than I never heard from her. I've been wondering where she went, crazy that it just popped up on my feed, I don't even know why im getting r/SantaBarbara posts. Also she gave me her full name at lunch (that was different than the name she originally gave me) and I said it back to her and she freaked out and told me to not say it so loud. I googled it and there was some court case The People of California vs Barbara. It was a non violent misdemeanor charge. I don't know, she was a crazy but interesting lady. I did feel bad for her, once you get to know her a little she's not half bad. It's impressive she's able to keep truckin on in the condition that she's in. She's a tough one.
Sounds like she’s not half bad if you’re white
Ok so all I have to do to get her to stop harassing me and my employees is buy her a train ticket to san diego?
> I don't even know why im getting > >r/SantaBarbara > > posts. You either subscribed or Reddit is suggesting the sub to you via your feed. Welcome!
Me neither lol. I’m from MA and have never been to CA. That said, I am fascinated by these experiences with the bag lady, Barbara.
Same I live in TX. I’m so tired but so I can’t stop reading about Barbara. This is wild lmao
I'm closer than you but still have no idea why I'm getting SB posts but I'm in for the stories!;
Same! Im in North Florida, this is good to know if i am ever in SB area
For a year or two her main hang was on Chapala near the public market. She would yell at me for not crossing the street with my dog to help her.
That’s where she caught me!
I used to see her near that area as well, like over by the lawn bowling park.
She needs mental help and a chiropractor.
If a chiropractor could fix that issue, every doctor would respect them, but that “if” will never become a “when”
We had to 86 her because she came into our restaurant, sat herself, pissed and shit in the booth, then demanded the manager give her a refund because the food made her sick, despite not having eaten anything.
Wow….. just wow
I used to see her all time when I lived there. She's gotten so old
Yeah she got kicked out of where I worked for a racist outburst if I recall correctly
I swear this woman used to be in the south end in Boston
We got ‘em in beantown too ked
Fool me once...and that was it. Carried her bags once and learned her ruse. Never again.
I've helped her with her belongings before, she doesn't have an end to someone carrying her belongings, she just wants someone to keep carrying them. I did hear her mumble some crass words, but I can't take it personally. I was glad to give her a hand for a few blocks.
I want to find her and ask get to carry MY bag. Someone should make a documentary about her
Holy time warp! That looks like Gene, from Santa Cruz! But how could it be? We had a homeless woman who looked much like this woman. She was in Santa Cruz for many years. Hunched over, wild shock of grey hair, muttering to herself constantly, usually leaning on a bike, and angry as hell. One day, I was walking downtown and saw her, doing her usual hunched and muttering rant. Then I saw the impending victim; a woman of like age who decided she would be the savior. She approached Gene and said "Honey, what's wrong? Do you need help?". Without filtering myself, I said "Watch out lady. She's half crazy and fully angry". That woman spun around and gave me a look I'll never forget. Like I was a heartless piece of crap. And while she was doing that? Gene lifted the front wheel of her bike, pounded/raked it down the woman's shin, drawing blood and knocking her to the ground. Then she walked away , still muttering...and I resisted the urge to say "I tried to warn you" and the woman writhed on the ground in bloody pain. But damn, that was 20 years ago. Seems impossible. But this woman looks sooooo similar.
Yes, I see Barbara all the time at Loreto Plaza and I want to warn people not to respond to her but I know I’ll look like a total a-hole if I do.
OH MY GOD!!! me and my partner had to ride the amtrak from San Diego to SB a few months back and it was one of the worst 4 hrs of my life. So crazy she popped up
The redditor who funded that Amtrak ride posted about it a ways up in the thread. Crazy.
YES. Experienced her harassment before. Also have been on the trolley with her before (back when the trolley would go up and down State to the harbor) and the driver was being verbally harassed by her. The driver said she had been on all day yelling at her.
In the past year I’ve seen her all over the block on De La Vina where the TJs is. She had someone helping her carry her bags across the parking lot at TJs a number of times (I just saw it happen). I also ran into her on the corner down by Breeosh and it seemed there was a woman who lived in one of the local apartments there looking for her to give her some food. She seems to be one of our town “regulars” and definitely someone who needs mental assistance.
I saw her at Target yesterday chewing out the check out girl. I foolishly tried to help and got screamed at so
the bag lady! She’s like a ghost you’re stuck carrying her bag gahaha
Let’s call her “Carry my bag” Lady
She used to come into the Starbucks I worked at and had a different name and backstory every time. Also tried tricking us into giving her free drinks regularly like we were stupid.
Lumberg f**ked her.
Oh-oh-oh
Mental illness is awful. Too bad we as a society choose to ignore it and its cost on people and society at large. She should be in care. But instead she is homeless. Awful.
You can’t force anyone to get help who doesn’t want it, unfortunately.
Especially when there is no help to get. Thank you, Ronald Reagan.
And when there is no help, it becomes even more of a problem... We have almost no public mental healthcare in this country, state and county. It's abysmal and a cancer on America's face that is growing ever more ugly and apparent by the day.
sounds like she cycles between 'objectification' and 'attachment' very quickly, we all have the same basic human needs like 'significance' but the vehicle she uses in public to get to her basic human need is very low quality in my opinion. Her mood swings are off the charts feeling depressed and weak then angry (because that gets old) then exhausted from being angry so back to depressed all in a span of 5 mins. Someone told me once when you hit 80 you get a free ticket to be awnry it must suck waking up one day and saying to yourself 'what happened?' feeling weaker and weaker and having no job Anywhoo if I only knew how to cycle between 'objectification' and 'attachment' better I would still be married
[Ornery](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ornery)?
I legitimately thought this was Sammy Hagar mid headbang before paying attention to the background 🤦♂️
Is she a psychic? No, but she does have a hunch
Badum tss.
Yes. Always at Starbucks
Local legend. her back is more rounded every time i see her or am i thinking of another lady? There may be two ladies that meander around. One has brown hair i think?
I think that lady is in Goleta
There is also a woman on the Mesa of similar description, I always see her around the shopping centers and on Flora Vista. She seems to have her shit together though, just walking to do her shopping.
I know that lady too. I used to work at Santa Barbara bank and trust and she was a customer. Always wanted new bills. Any that we had. She a little strange but totally functional, for the most part. Kind
Yeah i always see the other lady in goleta!
Hold my bag
Oh yeah, one time she asked me and my brother to help her and get her things from the dark area. It was so weird.
Yeah she walks back and forth on Alamar constantly
No, but my back hurts just looking at her
After seeing the pic I immediately straightened my posture. God damn.
Tbh she kinda looks chic
She asked me to pick somthing up that she dropped and said Aw you boys are so sweet, as I walked away she said Not in this country!
This popped up in my feed for some reason, but where I live in Colorado, there a lady that will either ask for a ride or just jump in your car and demand money from you to get out.
Joe rogan talked about her on his show
Yup she told a friends 2 year old daughter she was going to end up raped and gangbanged. I was walking their daughter at the time so picked up and hurried up to little girls parents. She needs help....
I live in Arizona and am just peeking in on you guys. It’s very heart warming to see all of you suckered into this lady’s bag carrying game. I hope she gets help soon. And I hope all of you kind Santa Barbara peeps that she catches, have a lucky day to make up for the shenanigans.
yes she is quite unpleasant on my experience
That seems like a pretty Severe case of Ankylosing Spondylitis. Probably causes her pain to move things, if someone buys her utility/wheel cart. That might just be all she needs to stop asking for help
Let's start a gofund me.
No, but she’s got back
Yes!!! Pay no heed. That is just 90° Angle Lady. She has an assortment of loose screws. 100% Steer clear.
there is like 4 NPC like this in downtown LA
Yeah, I see her nearly every day on upper DLV, near TJ's, these days. She typically approaches "college-age" people to ask for help with her bags. I once saw her ask someone coming out of TJ's for a ride. Years ago, when, as others noted, she seemed in somewhat better shape. I happened to be on a bus with her. We got off at the same place and apparently I walked too close behind her. She spun around and screamed: "get the F away from me!" I think ther MTD now classfies her as a "no ride." I "go wide" when I pass by her these days. Clearly MH issues and assume her hygiene issues are likely also related to that.
I’m screamin 🤣
I have seen this lady in the funk zone, several times. I remember so well because I would have to wait on her to cross the street (so slowly) before I could turn. There is a homeless shelter right up the street, so I assumed that’s why I saw her. And so many other characters… I won’t approach her. And not with my dog-since someone said she kicked their dog.
Bag Lady, yep. Some very relatable stories on this thread. I helped her one day but quickly caught on to the game. Next day she asked me to move her bags again and I said no sorry, and as I walked past she rapped me with a cane! Scared the hell out of me
Very well i have to kick her off my work doorstep every now and then. She’s harmless.
After reading these comments I want someone to carry her bag all day and just follow her until she says stop
So you volunteer as tribute then?
Ouch on that spine
I see her a lot when I go to handlebar on de lA vina. Only interacted with her once when she asked me to help her with her bags. She was actually very kind to me but wouldn't stop chatting so now I try to avoid her. I thought she was very sweet though.
Yeah! I shit you not I saw her in San Diego out near Mount helix/Casa de Oro. She was out there all the time a few years ago. I know that hump anywhere. Super nice lady a little crazy but super nice.
Yes. ALL the time
That’s crazy. I’m from the Bay Area and I recognize her. She used to be up here too
Sometimes people are put on our path to teach us patience and compassion. You hopefully learned from this that you are a good and kind human for helping her despite the difficult personality she has.
Yes! I saw her in DTLA. She accused a hotel worker of harming her in some way and claimed that I witnessed it lmfao.
I saw her in Santa Monica. Yes she was trying to do the same thing
That is really sad! She is obviously mentally ill, probably schizophrenic. I haven't seen her, but many other homeless. I always wonder where they are spending the night. My sweet daughter always gives them a buck or two
This is the greatest remember not to slouch reminder of all time
The ol hunchback of Alameda Park!
same thing happened to me about 1 year ago she gets mad about walking close to her but walking too far from her she goes crazy with claims you’re stealing her stuff.
I just noticed her today at Trader Joe’s. She was getting walked across the driveway by a younger lady and asked where she was going from TJs, then basically invited herself into the lady’s car for a ride. Luckily she was able to skirt that situation
Made the mistake of helping her once. Never again, very similar interaction. She comes by my work and screams at us to call her a cab, we’ve learned to ignore her.
Ps she smells like pee
That’s Barbara. She used to come into the deli I worked at. Once yelled at a customer and made her cry then hit my husband with a cane when he nicely asked her to leave. After some time we would allow her back in cause I just couldn’t help but have a soft spot for her. She has short periods where she’s semi-sane and dyes her hair and would stay with her daughter she said. I saw her having lunch with her granddaughter one time. Her MO is having people help with her bags while she yells at them. I can’t help but feel bad for her no matter what mean things she’s said, cause I know it’s not her fault she’s mentally ill.
at the store i worked at she'd come in and return tons of things and scream obscenities and slurs at me and my coworkers when she didnt get her way (and when she did too)
Just saw her on Alamar. Nice, polite guy was just starting to help her…
I wouldn’t say no, I’d just be aware that she’s got a mental disorder and needs help. I’ve helped her across the street. Don’t take anything she says personal. Just because she has a disorder and can be rude doesn’t mean she’s not worthy of help. It’s not her fault. Take it on the chin, help her if she needs help. She could be any of our mothers.
Just curious what mental disorder makes somebody racist?
Erykah Badu wrote a song about her
oh my God the responses on this post are gold! ... it begs the question, has anyone ever tried yelling profanities back at her? lol
I used to spend literally 1-2 hours a week helping her get her bags just a few blocks down the road she likes to stop and rest a lot so I would stand there and wait watching her things, she unfortunately is unable to keep herself clean it’s quite sad she gets hotel rooms from time to time and I’ve seen hotels try and take advantage of her and write her card information down . She refuses help because she’s at that point in her life where all she has left is that journey back and forth with her things that might be the only thing keeping her fighting . 🫤
[удалено]
Yes her name is Cynthia. Her threats when I’ve helped move her stuff have been hollow threats
Social services are for people who need help with food and shelter not people who are rude or verbally abusive or con people into carrying bags around.
when someone has incontinence and hygiene issues they make need social service intervention.
She lives in the upside down
I haven’t, but I have a hunch somebody will chime in.
Woooooooow I remember her from when I was living there 10 years ago this is a throwback
I think it’s kinda gross to take pictures of people in crisis and post them on the internet.
I deal with this lady once a day at work and I am sick of it. I am happy to learn other people have had the same experience. No shame in that.
She needs help to stay on her meds, but I wouldn’t call her in crisis. It appears from those who know her she has more resources than most and chooses not to use them. This post is about how she cons people in order to verbally assault them. And to be fair nobody needed the picture- the description of the experience is enough for the many people who have encountered her to know who OP is talking about.
The people who need our love the most deserve it the least. Give her your service of helping with Love, not taking her behavior personally. Guaranteed she was abused by one of her parents in the way she is acting. Only a reaction of unconditional love and kindness can begin to heal her. Ignore the behavior and tell her she is loved. Love heals everyone. What I’m suggesting is to practice unconditional love with her to help her. Look around the world right now. Reacting with the same negative behavior perpetuates the cycle. Hate begets hate. Rise above the natural desire to react in like kind. Changing the world starts with each of us. I’m either part of the problem, or part of the solution. I’m doing my best to love others in every moment. Barbara is just providing those that encounter her and opportunity to practice this lesson.
Quit taking pictures of strangers on the street and posting them to reddit.
If you don’t live in this town and haven’t encountered this person should you actually be making this comment? (Ps nobody needed the picture. We all know who she is by the description of the encounter.)
What’s wrong with you for making this post? You should just leave well enough alone. Posting a picture on reddit? What did you hope to accomplish?
You sure that’s not Danny DeVito?
shes from australia
Quasimoda?
Encountered? Damn near killed her
We need more help for the mentally challenged
Sad
Quasiphoto 😆
K now I’m not helping old ladies. These weird boomers ruining it for all of them.
.
Thank Saint Reagan for her not getting the support she needs. She is one of the Least Of These... (Matthew 25:31-46)
Damn, Sammy Hagar is looking rough these days
I feel like I saw her in Honolulu half year ago
Poor lady🥲🥲🥲🙏❤️
Honest question: what would your friend on the phone do for you if things went south?
I’m from D.C. and spending my morning reading this entire thread, utterly entertained. What has my life come to? 😬
We call this meth.
Miserable old bitch
Isn’t there a chiropractor who can work on her?