Are panhandlers ruining inner city living? (employment, interstate, generation, healthcare)
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Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,750,914 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kite eating tree
In Omaha it's illegal to panhandle and while it's not generally enforced when people are calm about it, they are arrested if they are aggressive or become a nuisance. Most of them know this or learn quick enough, so they are generally polite and lay off immediately if told no or whatever.
The thing is that jail is not really a deterrent to people that are cold and hungry. That is why we need other ways of dealing with it.
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,750,914 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by Billiam
These people can be annoying, but i usually just look forward and never make eye contact. Or i just say, sorry, got no cash on me. It definently wouldn't be a factor in choosing to move downtown for me though
It isn't the fact that these people beg that bothers me. I can deal with them begging. But the fact is that they litter, urinate and defacate all over the place. And when you drive by Woodruff Park and see the trash and see them openly using the bathroom in the park, it is not pleasant.
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,750,914 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by mead
I live in NYC and honestly I rarely ever see any panhandlers (never any in my neighborhood in the outer-boroughs, and rarely do I see any down in Manhattan). This hasn't been a big issue in the city since the mid 90s, when Giuliani got rid of the squeegee men.
There are people who obviously beg for money in the city, however at this point they are usually more subdued than what I've seen in the rest of the country. If they get too out of control the cops just roll around and take them away.
I think San Francisco has the worst panhandling problem in the USA that I've seen. Nothing else has come close to what I saw in SF.
Suprisingly you never see them in Las Vegas either. I think the LVPD is very aggressive about running them off and directing them to a shelter.
I don't believe that any city can outlaw panhandling, my understanding is that is protected under the First Amendment. Instead, cities establish regulations controlling where it is allowed:
Part I - Legal Background text (http://www.cjlf.org/publctns/Panhandling/PI-text.htm#C - broken link)
It's too bad how so many beggers are alcoholics and only want to get enough money together to spend at the nearest liquor store. So it's one of the biggest reasons not to give to them.
This is probably bad but I usually give panhandlers a little money because I feel bad if I don't or I feel uncomfortable lying or coming off as an *******, probably shouldn't do that.
It isn't the fact that these people beg that bothers me. I can deal with them begging. But the fact is that they litter, urinate and defacate all over the place. And when you drive by Woodruff Park and see the trash and see them openly using the bathroom in the park, it is not pleasant.
What do you propose we do with them? (Not directed at you, Kev) Kill them?
A lot of people make noise about the homeless and panhandlers when many of them are Viet Nam and Iraq vets.
Most businesses deny homeless the use of bathrooms.
What can we expect if this is how we treat the least fortunate of us.
More and more people will be homeless and living on the streets in the future as our economy further collapses.
If you were living in a cardboard box, don't you think you'd be prone to removing yourself from the reality of that by drinking? Most alcoholics are not living on the streets.
A society can be viewed by the way it treats its least fortunate.
A fraction of the homeless are mentally ill or drug abusers, but alot of them aren't. Especially in Florida. I see alot of them are just down on their luck, something bad happens, they have no safety net and they are out on the street. One homeless guy I saw had a crippled leg, maybe a broken ankle, walking around on it. There are some aggressive ones of course but it's illegal in most Florida cities. I happen to think panhandling shouldn't be made illegal per se, but definitely it is wrong for beggars to harass or intimidate people. Perhaps we need more police walking beats or riding bikes, who knows...
Society should work on a cure instead of blaming the homeless. I think a minimum guaranteed income is important. Maybe cities should hire homeless people and put them to work doing odd jobs and "feel good" work. Call it welfare, whatever, it's better than having people living on the streets. Also, people who are mentally ill need to get treatment. If somebody is living on the streets, causing trouble (loitering in front of businesses seems like a big issue in alot of Florida cities, for instance), and actually like street living better than alternatives, they should be arrested for vagrancy and given the choice (if they can understand it) of jail time or mental health treatment.
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