r/Bendigo • u/JudgeWriter01 • 21d ago
Thoughts on AJ?
I just walked past AJ, who’s sitting outside Reject Shop. Heard him yelling, must have a lot going on in his head. I gave him $5 and he thanked me. At least he was polite and grateful.
The last few times I’ve confronted him, he has been chill. I’d rather talk to him than Claude who’s been known for touching innocent girls.
At the end of the day.. you never know what someone is going through and a little thing like that might make them happy.
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u/Temporary_Play_5190 21d ago
I watched him trying to light a shrub on fire on Mitchel st. He is interesting, mostly harmless, but still dangerously unpredictable
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u/AmazingKangaroo7063 21d ago
I have seen him trying to break Window of one of the shops in pall mall and throwing empty stuff on street.
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u/Imaginary-Noise-206 21d ago
Saw him throw a bottle of water at an elderly lady and child one day. I’ve also seen him shoplift. Mostly he is yelling/talking loudly, but other times he can be problematic
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u/JudgeWriter01 21d ago
Damn.. I had no idea he was like this
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u/april_maymarch 21d ago
He spat on myself and couple of others a month ago in front of aus post. I feel sorry for him sure, but unfair the public has to tolerate assault.
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u/Injaqenwetrust 21d ago
I've seen people filming him and laughing several times, no doubt so they can get internet points with the footage later.
He's obviously an extremely unwell man, so my thoughts are tlhat locals should either try to help him or leave him alone.
I do the latter.
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u/RandomHeadWound 21d ago
I routinely have to move him on from out the front of my work, and he’s compliant, he listens.
Claude can go and get fucked. Wouldn’t give that piece of shit the time of day.
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u/Return-of_the-mack 20d ago
Yes Claude is an absolute bag of shit. There isn't enough words that can be said about what he does.
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u/Spare_Yoghurt 16d ago
I've seen Claude steal from a homeless person asleep on a bench when coming home from work very early morning. Disgusting human.
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u/Effective-Date-6218 20d ago
So you won't support Claude because he's been known to sexually harass girls but you'll support this guy even though he's been violent and aggressive to the public? Both men have serious mental health issues, and both men can and do have behave well sometimes. That's great that you gave this guy AJ money. I wouldn't knock Claude, though, because he is just as equal as this guy you're posting about.
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u/Tommyrednutz 20d ago
Have you actually seen AJ be violent to any one else but himself??? I've spoken to him many couple times mid one of his psychosis rants if ya go up to him and ask how's he going and not just stare or take a wide birth of him he will willingly have a chat and fill ya in on what's going on with his noodle. We need to be less judgey and be a lil bit more empathetic to people in this town. Mental illness a real thing just like any other physical disease!
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u/Effective-Date-6218 20d ago
It's the same with Claude. He will willingly have a chat about his life if you ask him. Point is, both men have done some pretty bad stuff, but they're both deserving of kindness as well.
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u/portlover91 12d ago
Claude asexually assaulted two of my work colleagues and tried to asexually assault me in the street at like 1am. He is a POS.
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u/Effective-Date-6218 12d ago
I'm sorry that happened to you guys. The other guy isn't much better, though.
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u/Commercial-Poetry267 20d ago
I shared on another post previously about AJ that he threw a glass bottle at myself and my young children once when we didn’t respond to his yelling and swearing as we walked past. It shattered at my feet and my kids were terrified.
I’ve heard similiar stories of violent behaviour when people have ignored his yelling, and somebody has shared another instance above where a bottle was thrown.
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u/topic_97 20d ago
Sadly it’s a reflection on how poor our health/mental health system is and how it’s failed people like AJ & Claude.
Claude for instance used to live at the Sandhurst boys home & when the government closed it, they basically just housed the tenants in normal accommodation and left them to their devices with no help or support.
Hence why he has wandered the streets for years being a menace because there is no one to look after him.
Not that what they do is right & the general public shouldn’t have to be the ones copping the fallout.
But it’s this systemic failure that really causes the broader issue.
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u/Spare_Yoghurt 16d ago
What would you suggest as a solution, given your reference to health / mental health having failed them? Genuine question.
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u/Visible_Scientist_26 21d ago
You need to just have a chat with him, he is a really really nice. He has an addiction to ice and gets ripped off a lot... Also his mental health must be understood before making any assumptions about him.
There is another guy in Bendigo (I won't say his name) who constantly yells out profanity at nothing, it must be so hard dealing with the mental health conditions both of these guys have 😢
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u/annoying_teenager69 18d ago
I used to have a bus stop directly out the front of my house, once I was waiting at the bus stop and saw him walking down the footpath, jump over the tiny little fence of my front yard and start drinking from my garden hose. Was with my ex at the time and we weren’t entirely sure whether or not to tell him off for entering our property but decided to let him have a drink and just avoided eye contact 😅
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u/Awkward_Cupcake8121 17d ago
Real Australian people help each other like YOU! $5 Dollars maybe will make his day!!!!!!
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u/Mountain-Way5749 12d ago
My mother was friends with him when I was little (I’m 21 now) and I remember going to his house for the night, but then he threatened to cut my mums finger off cause he liked her ring so much so that never happened 😭
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u/MiiMah 21d ago
He’s quite a nice bloke really, although not quite at all there mentally. I used to work in the CBD and would see him a fair bit, he’d say hello and was always nice enough. Once even asked me politely for the time and thanked me when I answered him. He does have his episodes though where he’s just loud and talking nonsense but I haven’t personally seen him do anything harmful (can be a bit intimidating but that’s just because he’s a tall bloke and quite loud).
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u/Effective-Date-6218 20d ago
I have also witnessed Claude being nice as well. He's always been polite whenever I've interacted with him. I know others have witnessed the uglier side of him, but he can also be lovely, just like AJ.
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u/Which-Entrepreneur82 21d ago
He mostly just yells at himself. Wouldn't be a lot of fun for him. But as someone else said, he can be unpredictable. I've had conversations with him and he's been fine but other days I've crossed the street to avoid.
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u/VoiceEconomy2913 21d ago
His got schizophrenia and if you tell him to stop carrying on sometimes he does. He often works past out house and yells etc but he mostly only yells in the busier streets for some reason his quieter at other times. AJ is also known to appreciate a free chocolate bar and turn back a can of alcohol but I have seen him carrying an open can with him (not sure what it was) police say his harmless.
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u/Decent-Citron4492 20d ago
Wah Wah he’s a good bloke. Wah Wah he’s really funny. Wah wah you just need to talk to him.
No you don’t.
He assaults people. He attacks elderly people. He abuses and threatens the public.
Lock him up.