One way to respond to a panhandler
posted: October 11, 2008 | category: homelessness
tags: panhandling
One morning this week, I was driving to a meeting, late as usual, and I came up to an intersection and saw a man flying a sign that said, “Homeless and hungry.” I didn’t have time to stop and talk to him, or tell him about the free meal places in town, but I remembered […]
Read More..>>Panhandling: Location, location, location
posted: August 24, 2008 | category: homelessness
tags: panhandling
Driving a friend home from church:
Me: “Is that dude really flying a sign right there?”
Her: “Yep.”
Me: “He ain’t gonna make any money at that intersection.”
Her: “Nope.”
Me: “I don’t even panhandle and I know that.”
Her: “Standing there getting hot is all he’s doing.”
If you’re thinking about flying, we could probably do a free consultation for you, […]
The “worthy” homeless
posted: July 16, 2008 | category: homelessness, mental health, substance abuse
tags: alcohol, crack cocaine, panhandling
A few days ago, I wrote a post in response to a News & Record story about Mark Hoffman, a mentally ill homeless man who used to sit on a bench near a church in Greensboro, but now sits on a bench by a church in Catonsville, Maryland — his hometown.
Here’s what Sam Spagnola wrote […]
Panhandling: Where the money goes
posted: June 16, 2008 | category: homelessness
tags: panhandling
I had lunch today with one of the friends who helped with the homeless camp cleanup this weekend. She told me that as we bagged up hundreds of empty 40 ounce beer bottles, she was hit by the reality of “where the money goes.” Most of the guys who stay in that […]
Read More..>>The “signs” of homelessness
posted: June 16, 2008 | category: homelessness
tags: panhandling
In this article about a local homeless man who left town, a homeless service provider said:
“Most true homeless are disabled — especially mentally. They don’t hold up a sign.”
I think she was saying that the majority of unsheltered homeless people are not standing on street corners holding “homeless — please help” signs. And that’s […]
Saturday night at the park: Scrabble, Perrier & homelessness
posted: May 19, 2008 | category: homelessness
tags: Center City Park, downtown, Greensboro, panhandling, stories
I spent Saturday night drinking Perrier and playing Scrabble by the fountains at Center City Park with LV. Despite my degrees in English and Communication, he still beats me every time we play. Apparently, the U.S. military trained him well for epic territorial domination and strategic mind-gaming.
We saw two homeless […]
Panhandling: Banning v. Enforcement
posted: October 29, 2007 | category: homelessness
tags: panhandling
As the City of Miami considers a ban on panhandling, Jackie Dowd says, “[T]heir real problem seems to be that Miami’s laws against aggressive panhandling are not being enforced.” Greensboro has a fairly strict panhandling ordinance, but we also have an understaffed and overworked police department.
Did you that, according to Greensboro’s ordinance, panhandlers cannot: […]
Canadians Debate Policy After Tourist Killed By Panhandlers
posted: August 15, 2007 | category: Uncategorized
tags: crime, homeless news, panhandling
Canadians are debating public policy on aggressive panhandling in the wake of recent violence by panhandlers in major cities:
“In a shocking attack in Vancouver, a beggar assaulted and robbed a 79-year-old man as he left church, even though the man had regularly and voluntarily given money to the assailant. In Toronto, an out-of-town visitor who […]
PoPos Pop Park Panhandler
posted: August 10, 2007 | category: homelessness
tags: Center City Park, crime, downtown, Greensboro, homeless news, panhandling, police
Via email (from a currently homeless reader):
“…a homeless person… was ticketed last night at Center City Park for illegal panhandling. He has no panhandling permit and he was well outside of the approved hours for panhandling according to the bike patrol officer that noted he observed [the homeless person] hit on everyone in the […]
Homeless Panhandler Shot To Death
posted: August 9, 2007 | category: homelessness
tags: crime, homeless news, panhandling
A homeless panhandler in Cincinnati was shot and killed after asking a woman for a quarter.
From the 911 call:
“This homeless man was right there, asking a lady for some change and she just pulled out a gun and said, don’t [expletive] with me and she shot him in the [expletive] face.”
One homeless advocate’s reaction:
“It really […]
