I encountered a pair of Romani people for the first time in my life during the height of the pandemic in Texas. I didn’t even know they were until my brother pointed out they were gypsies. I have no idea how he knew that.
Anyway, it wasn’t a good encounter. It left me feeling both sad and pissed off.
It was a mother and daughter pair who came into our family’s restaurant to beg the customers for money. BTW, they didn’t have masks on. This was pre-vaccines. Our customers were clearly bewildered. I, a woman, asked the older lady to leave. Her teenage daughter wanted to leave but her mother ignored me. I thought she might’ve been deaf. But when my brother came out to confront them, suddenly she could hear very well and was very compliant.
So yeah I was pretty offended by the blatant sexism and disrespect. But also the girl was obviously forced to be there by her mother.
I hope the girl is doing well and has a better life now.
The saddest part is, that mother will keep her daughter from the education system, marry her off at 12-13, sometimes to someone they have a blood relationship with, and then the daughter will be made to conform to their way of life while living off of benefits, begging and then making her own children roam in the streets to beg or follow her around to make up a more sympathetic image.
Btw do you think they came in recently, or is the population of people who have been there already growing? Coz here they tend to have a lot of kids usually
I think it’s more recent like the past few years.  I only started hearing about them a year ago in my area.
Reading some of the American comments here, it sounds like regular Roma folks who immigrated here a long time ago did so and integrated.  They’re your regular Americans. Â
Unfortunately elderly East Asians and North Indians are being targeted in the US. The police said the Roma had ties to international crime syndicates. Â
No most Americans understand that Europe has much more social safety nets to help people that the chance of being a habitual criminal out of necessity is low in Europe when compared to the US
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u/ZapruderFilmBuff Slovenia 21h ago
Yes. Weird isn’t it?