I know the person who runs the accounts KodyGerba/BaileyDee IRL, and they're lying to you

He isn’t even homeless. He lives in an RV or something in his girlfriend’s mom’s driveway and does nothing but smoke fetty and suck all the air out of this community, making it harder for people like me who actually fucking need money. And he sends his girlfriend out to collect recycling and panhandle all night, alone. He’s an absolute piece of shit to her. He is an absolute piece of shit. Stop sending him money.

It makes me so fucking angry how I have to beg and plead to get sent anything, while he’s apparently getting sent hundreds of dollars. I remember once one of his posts was even pinned for a while. What the fuck?

P.S. Technically BaileyDee is his girlfriend’s account, but of course he doesn’t let her use it. You can tell it’s him posting.

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I brought up some issues with them with the mods recently, but didn't feel comfortable naming names, I didn't want to assume too much, but if other people are coming forward with issues about them, I'll share what I said then here. They have messaged me on paypal asking for money after I explicitly asked them to not message me directly like that, ignoring my boundaries. Additionally, a few hours after I had sent them money to deal with their issues, they made a post here asking for help for the same issue I just sent them money to fix.
I've been trying to just chalk this up to communication issues and them being in a desperate situation, but something about the way they ask for money here has rubbed me the wrong way. Sorry if this comment breaks the rules, but if others have problems with them, I think it is important to discuss this as a community. Mutual aid groups can be destroyed by refusing to address and discuss situations like this.
- They asked for more (over double what I gave) money the day after I gave some. Like I do what I can when I find a tiny bit of cash to spare but things like this make me think I'll just go back to cooking and distributing meals to the unhoused locally. At least then I can be pretty certain the person is really in need. Fucking sucks eroding trust like that.
  
  Yeah. It sucks, and erodes trust in the mutual aid network as a whole when people do things like that. I try to remember that just because one person is trying to exploit other people's empathy, doesn't mean everyone else in the network is. Though stuff like this can absolutely make people just leave a mutual group entirely.
  They also sent me another request for money directly overnight. While all this has been happening, with the exact same message as last time. No reaction to what I've posted about them here. So either they haven't seen this discussion at all, or they think they can just ignore it. I don't want to start throwing more direct insults around.
  But my opinion has shifted from "they should explain themselves" to "They're lazily using a claimed medical emergency to bilk money out of people." Every other "frequent flyer" poster here is giving us updates and asking for specifics, sometimes even "selfish" stuff (though self-care isn't selfish.) it feels like a snapshot into a person's life. But this account has always been having the same medical emergency every time. And the fact that they continue to need "food money" hours after people have actively given them that money, makes me think they are just scamming the mutual aid network.
  It is ultimately the mod's decision, but in my opinion, if this person is allowed to keep doing this, they will end up destroying the mutual aid comm.
- I also reported what I believed to be an alt account for baileydee and to my knowledge nothing happened
  
  There's not much the mods can do really, a false accusation could literally ruin someone's life (imagine if you needed support but were accidentally accused of scamming), so I don't blame them for being overly cautious and not taking action. All we can do is share our information and evidence and then come to a conclusion. This should be a discussion, not a witch hunt (not accusing you of trying to start one, I just think it is important to keep in mind).
  
  Yeah, in the report I said I didnt want either account banned I just wanted them to talk to the accounts about the importance of trust
  
  Me too lol. It's a rough situation, it's hard enough in person in a mutual aid group, but online all we have to go off of is text, so it's important to not assume the worst of someone.
  
  Honestly at this point I only donate to people in person or the Gaza fundraisers, I don't have a ton to spare and dont want to get jaded from repeatedly getting scammed
  It sucks because there's so many people on here who genuinely need help :/
  
  It’s the classic conundrum that you see with real life direct assistance. Get your wallet out and suddenly three very well built men are surrounding you against a wall. Or maybe you get shit thrown at you by the mentally ill. Or get a knife pulled on you. I don’t even give a shit what they use the money for but I’m not risking my safety to do it.
  And I know that sounds incredibly liberal but this is my lived experience, not some scaremonger suburban fear. I live in a bad neighborhood where homeless folks get stabbed for fun and OD on the sidewalk at noon.
  It’s why donating directly to aid groups and vetted charities will help the most people and stretch your dollar the furthest.
  However, that doesn’t mean I advocate for ignoring mutual aid entirely. This community is definitely a lifeline for many. I think setting a firm aid budget within your financial means and diversifying who you send it to might be a good strategy. Maybe a burner account so you can throw away a PayPal account, etc. at any time if needed.

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