This is not a rant about begging and its effect on the community and on those who beg. Rather, this is a rant about beggars who use the same line over and over again. I realize that they ask thousands of people, and can't remember who they hit on last month, last week, or even yesterday. But if they at least moved the base of operations around, they would lower the risk of irritating people who were asked just a short time ago.
Example one: the gal at the bus stop at 5th and Nicollet. One summer morning, she approached me, reeking of alcohol, and asked for 50 cents "to get to work", implying that she already had the rest of the fare. I gave it to her. The next day, on the same corner, at the same time, she hit me again, although the second time she was seeking 60 cents. When I said that I had given yesterday, she turned away before I'd even finished speaking.
Example two: A guy in the Rainbow Foods parking lot at Lake and Minnehaha. He had a kid along, about 10 or 12, and asked for gas money so he could get back to the rez. I gave him some money. Today (six months later), he got me again, in the Rainbow parking lot. I recognized him not because of his story, which was now gas money to visit his mother, but because of the kid. Again, the instant I said no, he turned away.
Why does this bug me? Maybe because I believe the stories, which focus on a one time emergency that needs to be addressed. These folks want you to think they are not career panhandlers. And then, when I see them again, I am reminded that folks with a good story are essentially the same as those who wait at Interstate exit ramps. But I bet they feel superior and more enterprising. I probably would.
The issues are huge--substance abuse, lack of services for the mentally ill, reduction in homeless shelters, and everything else that seems to follow the Republicans wherever they win. And then there are the folks who worry about the impact that begging, homelessness, and public intoxication have on tourism. And my irritation means nothing to those I turn down because I'm irritated. They just go on to the next person. But if they were a little more creative, I probably wouldn't turn them down.
And the police solution, licensing, has even made it to Saturday Night Live. Now that's the big time.
