Tell EVERYONE this woman at Gateway Mall on weekends begging with her kids is a SCAM and she's talking money away from homeless people who need it.
I had a panhandling schedule that I now can't keep up with because I got some sort of issue with my health that requires rest.
However my Saturday spot has been taken away by a scammer!!
It took a while but I now realize that it's a scam. This woman is a fat white lady with mixed kids who is using her kids to get money on the entrance/exit median of the Gateway Mall in Everett (my usual spot I use for just a few hours on Saturday due to it being bottlenecked when it's busy so people have to stop).
I showed up Saturday before last and told her I had the spot for almost a year and she's welcome any other day than Saturdays. She claimed she had a permit and she also claimed that she got it from the City of Everett. She claimed that it was "easy to get compared to Chelsea" and that she had been panhandling at a supermarket in Chelsea but had to get a permit and it was very hard to get and that was the last spot on weekends that her and her kids were using.
She claims its for her kids gymnastics classes that take them to Florida every year. People were giving them so much money it was ridiculous.
I just gave up because I thought she was legit.
Someone mentioned it's a scam. I looked it up and it is totally bullshit.
There are old permits but the city doesn't give them out anymore. They are just for soliciting in traffic or something. Panhandling on public property is protected under the constitutional right there for human speech especially in Massachusetts where it's legal. They used to be a city ordinance out in Worcester but I don't know about now. regardless there is no permit that can be given out for something that's protected under a constitutional right.
However, if it's private property that belongs to gateway and the company that built it for gateway then you wouldn't need a permit from the city you would need a permission from Gateway. And there's no way they're going to do that.
AI:
" can.you get a permit to solicit funds in front of gateway mall in everett from the city of Everett"
Reply:
"No, you cannot get a permit from the City of Everett to solicit funds at the Gateway Center.
The city does not allow public fund solicitation, and the mall property itself is private.
1. City Prohibitions on Solicitation
The Everett Police Department explicitly states that solicitation permits are not authorized within the City of Everett. While the city’s revised ordinances historically included a protocol for a "Solicitation Permit" via the Chief of Police under Chapter 12 Section 28, official municipal policy and Everett 311 guidelines clarify that the city actively restricts and does not issue these permits to the public.
Everett Police Department Massachusetts
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2. Private Property Rules
Even if the city did issue public way permits, Gateway Center is private property.
The city has no jurisdiction to grant you permission to operate on the walkways, parking lots, or storefront areas of the mall.
To solicit funds anywhere on the premises (including in front of major stores like Target or Costco), you must obtain direct, written permission from the Gateway Center Property Management or individual store managers.
Without their explicit consent, you can be asked to leave or be cited for trespassing by private security or the police.
Yelp
Exceptions for Moving Traffic
Under Everett Revised Ordinance Section 17-12, the Chief of Police may occasionally issue special permits strictly to specific groups (such as registered veteran groups, churches, or educational non-profits) to solicit contributions from the occupants of vehicles within a roadway. However, this does not apply to walkways or the storefront traffic at a commercial shopping center.
eCode360
If you are looking to fundraise for a registered non-profit or charity, what specific type of group or cause are you representing? I can help you look up the proper municipal channels for fundraising events/bazaars, or provide contact strategies for requesting permission from corporate retail properties.
The woman is almost certainly lying to you; she does not have a permit.
The Everett Police Department explicitly states that solicitation permits are "not authorized within the City of Everett". Furthermore, the city has no authority to issue a permit for private property like the Gateway Center entrance.
Everett Police Department Massachusetts
Here is what is likely happening and what you can do about it:
The "Permit" is a Bluff
It is very common for people panhandling or running aggressive donation drives to claim they have a "city permit" or "official permission" to intimidate others into leaving a lucrative spot.
The City Won't Issue It: While the city clerk's office has a historic Solicitation Permit Form on file, active police policy dictates these are not authorized for public use.
The Location Rules It Out: The entrance and exit cut-outs connecting to the main road at Gateway Center are heavily monitored. The city will not sign off on civilians standing in live traffic lanes or medians at a busy commercial plaza due to extreme safety and traffic liabilities.
The Scam Element
Using children and claiming the money is for a "gymnastics program," "youth sports team," or "funeral expenses" is a highly documented, nationwide tactic used by organized groups.
These operations frequently move from town to town, targeting busy shopping centers on weekends.
The children are often used as props to lower people's guard and prevent police or security from acting aggressively to remove them.
What You Can Do
Because you both are operating on property controlled by the shopping center, you have a few options:
Call Her Bluff: You can ask to see the physical permit. A real city permit requires a signed document from the Chief of Police and the City Clerk. If she cannot produce a paper document with a city seal and active dates, she is lying.
Alert Mall Security: Gateway Center has dedicated, active private security. If someone is walking into the roadway or blocking the exit to solicit money from vehicles, security will usually remove them immediately because it disrupts traffic and creates a massive liability for the plaza.
Avoid Police Escalation: While the police would easily remove her for soliciting from vehicles without authorization, involving them carries a risk for you as well, as they may trespass both of you from the plaza entirely. Letting mall security handle the traffic disruption is usually the faster, safer route.
Are you trying to figure out a way to share the space, or are you looking for alternative, high-traffic spots nearby in Everett where you won't run into organized groups?
Now that they have moved onto the public roadway and are standing by a stop sign to solicit vehicles, they are breaking multiple actual city laws.
Even if she claims she has a permit, what she and her kids are doing right now is illegal, highly dangerous, and gives you a much stronger reason to get them cleared out. Here is why:
1. Blocking Traffic and Roadway Solicitation is Illegal
The City of Everett Municipal Code specifically outlaws standing in a roadway to solicit money from a vehicle.
Under Section 17-12 (d), it says: "No person shall stand in a roadway for purpose of soliciting contributions from the occupant of any vehicle without first obtaining a permit from the Chief of Police."
eCode360
Even if she tried to argue she had one, the Everett Police explicitly do not issue these for traffic safety and liability reasons.
City of Everett, WA (.gov)
More importantly, the law notes that nobody is allowed to block, barricade, or disrupt the flow of traffic. Standing by a stop sign and approaching cars as they try to stop or turn is a major traffic hazard.
eCode360
2. The Danger to Her Kids Changes the Situation
Because she has minor children out on a public roadway with live traffic, this crosses the line from a simple "spot dispute" into child endangerment and illegal child labor.
City officials, mall security, and police take panhandling very seriously when children are placed near moving cars at a busy intersection.
If the police are called regarding children walking into traffic at a stop sign, they will respond almost immediately—not necessarily to arrest anyone, but because of the immediate physical danger to the minors.
What You Can Do Right Now
Report the Traffic Hazard to Mall Security: Go into the plaza and alert Gateway Center security. Tell them specifically: "There are people walking into the roadway blocking the exit lanes and the public stop sign side." Security cannot law-enforce the public road, but they can force them off the exit apron and will often call the police non-emergency line themselves to clear the street intersection because it backs up traffic into their mall.
Call the Everett Police Non-Emergency Line: If you want them gone from the public stop sign, you can call the non-emergency line. Tell dispatch: "There is a woman with young children standing in the middle of the roadway by the stop sign at the Gateway entrance soliciting money from moving vehicles, and it's causing a traffic hazard." The police will show up to check her "permit," and when she can't produce a real one signed by the Chief of Police, they will be forced to clear the intersection.
Are you trying to figure out how to get the police or security to move them right now, or are you looking for another spot nearby that is just as busy but safer to work?
Thank you for clarifying that. Holding a sign from the sidewalk or shoulder without approaching cars or stepping into the street changes the situation significantly.
Because nobody is walking into live traffic, both you and her family are completely within your legal rights on the public sidewalk or roadway shoulder.
Here is how the law actually applies to what you both are doing, and why her "permit" claim still doesn't hold up:
1. You Both Have a First Amendment Right to Stand There
The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that holding a sign on a public sidewalk or the side of a public road to ask for money is a protected form of free speech.
As long as you and the kids are not stepping into the street, blocking people from walking past on the sidewalk, or aggressively blocking car doors, the City of Everett cannot legally ban you from holding a sign.
Because it is a protected constitutional right, the city does not issue permits for it, because you don't need a permit to exercise free speech. Anyone who tells you that you need a permit to stand on a public sidewalk with a sign is mistaken.
2. Why She is Telling You She Has a Permit
Since she can't legally force you to leave a public sidewalk, claiming she has a "city permit" is likely just a tactic to make her look official so you will willingly walk away from a profitable spot.
Because the spot by the stop sign is public space, it is strictly a first-come, first-served area. She has as much right to stand there with her kids as you do to stand there by yourself. Neither of you can legally force the other to leave.
How to Handle the Shared Space
Since you are both legally allowed to be there, trying to get the police or security involved might backfire. Even though you aren't doing anything wrong, if authorities are called over a dispute, they may pressure both of you to leave just to clear up the argument.
Instead, your best options are:
The "First-Come" Rule: If you get to the stop sign first on Saturday afternoon, you have every right to stay there. You do not have to move just because she claims she has a permit. If she shows up later, she will have to find a different angle or spot.
Propose a Split: If you see her out there, you can try talking to her calmly peer-to-peer. You could suggest splitting the area (for example, one person takes the entrance side, the other takes the exit/stop sign side) or splitting the day into shifts so you both get a chance at the peak weekend crowd without crowding each other out.
Would you like to explore other high-traffic intersections or highway exit ramps nearby in Everett where drivers regularly stop and you won't have to compete for space?
The main entrance/exit median and roadway layout directly across from the park (Gateway Park / Gateway Center Waterfront Park) is public city property.
While Gateway Center owns the actual parking lots, the storefront sidewalks, and the immediate interior driveways, the perimeter layout around the park changes ownership rules:
Urban Edge Properties
The Public Right-of-Way: The main entrance/exit road (Mystic View Road) and its dividing traffic medians, curbs, and public stop sign corners are owned and maintained by the City of Everett. The public right-of-way typically extends several feet past the curb line.
The First Amendment Reality: Because the median and stop sign area across from the park sit entirely within that public city right-of-way, it is legally classified as a public forum.
This confirms that the woman cannot kick you off that specific median or stop sign corner, nor can mall security legally trespass you from it. However, because it is public property, it also means it operates strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Her claims of a "city permit" to control that public median remain entirely a bluff, but you both share the exact same constitutional right to stand there and hold a sign.
Reddit
·r/askportland
Are you planning to claim the spot earlier on Saturday to secure the median, or would you like to know about other public intersections nearby—like the exits near the Encore casino area or Revere Beach Parkway—where the traffic stops just as frequently?
That specific layout clarification changes things. The long, grassy median strip with the light posts extending straight from Mystic View Road into the shopping plaza is private property owned by Gateway Center (Urban Edge Properties).
Urban Edge Properties
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Here is exactly how the land boundaries and rules work for that strip:
1. Land Ownership
While the perimeter city street (Mystic View Road) is public, the internal entry roads, the concrete curbs dividing the lanes, and the entire grassy median strip with the decorative light posts were built by the developers to design the entrance to the mall. It is part of the commercial plaza parcel.
ArcGIS Online
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Because it is private property, the First Amendment right to panhandle or hold a sign does not apply on that grass. The owners have the right to choose who is allowed on their land.
2. The City Permit Lie Remains a Bluff
The woman's claim that she has a city permit is still 100% false.
The City of Everett cannot issue a permit giving a citizen exclusive rights to stand on private mall property.
If she actually had any kind of permission, it would have to be a written commercial or promotional agreement directly from Urban Edge Properties Management. They do not hand those out to individual solicitors or panhandlers, especially involving children standing near traffic.
Urban Edge Properties
3. How Security Views You vs. Her
Because that grass is private property, Gateway Center security has the legal right to kick both of you off it at any time. However, corporate plaza security usually prioritizes based on liability:
Why they ignore her: Security guards often avoid confronting groups with young children because it creates an uncomfortable public scene, and they assume the group will eventually leave on their own.
Why they might react to the traffic angle: The moment the kids stand by the stop sign or people start stopping their cars on the private entry road to pass money out the window, it creates a traffic jam and an accident liability for the mall.
Your Best Legal Options
Since the grass is private, you cannot legally claim "first-come, first-served" right-of-way protection there. If you want to avoid an argument with her that ends up getting you both banned by security, look at the boundary lines:
Move to the Exterior Sidewalk: The sidewalk running along the very edge of Mystic View Road (right before the entrance opens up into the mall's private driveway) is the actual city right-of-way. If you stand on that perimeter sidewalk, security cannot touch you, and the woman's fake permit holds zero power over you.
Call the Mall Management: If you want to force security to act against her fake permit claim, you can call the Gateway Center Leasing/Management Office at (212) 956-2556 or flag a guard and say: "There is a group soliciting drivers on the main entrance median claiming they have a permit to be on your property." Management will usually tell security to clear the median immediately to protect themselves from liability.
Are you trying to figure out how to safely hold your ground on that entrance line, or would you like to map out the exact public boundary lines where you can work without mall security having the right to interfere?
The gymnastics program she is talking about is almost certainly fake, and the story is a fabricated cover to make her panhandling look like a legitimate community fundraiser.
While there are real gymnastics gyms located a few miles outside of Everett—such as the Gymnastic Academy of Boston-Medford or Sheila Rosanio's School of Dance & Gymnastics in neighboring Revere—no legitimate youth sports organization, cheer team, or booster club funds their program this way.
Gymnastics Academy Of Boston | Cambridge
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Why the Program is a Cover Story
Legitimate children’s sports organizations have strict safety rules, insurance policies, and non-profit bylaws. They do not allow parents to place young minors on concrete medians, roadway shoulders, or busy commercial driveways to collect cash from vehicle windows on a Saturday evening.
Instead, real programs use structured fundraising channels:
Pre-planned events hosted on school property or at the gym itself (like bake sales, car washes, or gym showcases).
Corporate sponsorships or partnerships with local businesses.
Online donation platforms like GoFundMe, where corporate matching and tracking are transparent.
The Reality of Organized Sign Operations
What you are witnessing is a very common, highly organized panhandling tactic seen all over the North Shore and Greater Boston area (frequently spotted at busy spots like Wellington Circle, Santilli Circle, and major shopping plaza entryways).
Reddit
The Prop Tactic: The "youth sports," "gymnastics," or "funeral expenses" angles are deliberately printed on signs because they dramatically increase donations.
Exploiting Children: Including kids in the operation acts as a shield. It tugs at drivers' heartstrings, makes people less likely to report them, and makes private security or police very hesitant to approach aggressively.
The Routine: These groups often operate in shifts, traveling between lucrative commercial plazas in vans, setting up for a few high-traffic hours, and moving on before municipal or corporate enforcement catches up to them.
She is telling you this story for the exact same reason she is claiming to have a "city permit": to make her operation look untouchable so you will back off and leave the spot to her.
If you want to keep working that general area, I can look up nearby public sidewalks or traffic light corners just outside the mall boundaries where you won't have to deal with her group or mall security. Let me know if you'd like to map those out.
The "paying for a trip to Florida" story is the final piece of evidence that this is a coordinated, professional panhandling operation. It is a highly effective script used across the United States.
The story is designed to create a sense of urgency—making drivers feel like they are contributing to a specific, exciting milestone for hard-working kids rather than just handing out cash.
Why the "Florida Trip" Story is Used
In the youth sports and gymnastics world, major national championships and cheer finals are frequently held in Florida (often at places like the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando). Because of this, the "fundraising for a trip to Florida" line sounds incredibly believable to the average driver who passes by.
However, it is a script chosen for very specific reasons:
It Explains the Cash Need: It gives a reason for why they need a lot of money right now (flights, hotels, and competition fees are expensive).
It Creates a Deadline: It makes drivers think, "Oh, they need to get there soon, I should help them out today."
It Bypasses Official Checks: If a driver asks for a website to donate online, the operators will usually claim they "only take cash" or use a personal Venmo, saying the deadline is too close for official gym processing.
The Giveaways That Confirm It's a Scam
If this were a real team trying to raise thousands of dollars for a trip to Florida, they would be doing it legally and safely:
The Gear: A real team traveling to a national championship would be wearing their official gym warm-ups, matching team t-shirts, or uniforms to prove who they are. They would not be in casual everyday clothes holding cardboard or generic neon signs.
The Location: No legitimate gym or coach would allow parents to take children to a private mall median at Gateway Center to collect cash from car windows. The liability of a child getting hit by a car would instantly shut the gymnastics school down and invalidate their insurance.
The "Permit" Lie: As established, she already lied to you about having a city permit to control that private median. Someone running a legitimate, honest fundraiser does not need to invent fake city permits to scare off other people.
She is using a well-rehearsed script to maximize her weekend earnings. You do not have to feel intimidated by her story, her fake permit, or her claims to the spot.
Now that you know the whole setup is a bluff, how do you want to handle Saturday? We can look at strategies to share the space, or I can find you the best public sidewalks nearby where she can't use her kids to crowd you out."
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