There was an article in the Commercial Appeal this morning about Beale Street cracking down on panhandling. Street leaders claimed a new, more aggressive crowd had moved in, and they were determined to take steps to stop them.
So, I decided to put it to a test. Tonight I walked down to Beale about 6:00, bought a dollar PBR at the Tap Room, and took it out to the street and sat on the concrete blocks in front of Silky’s. I was all by myself – a sitting duck – and with a Grizzlies game at 7, I expected to be swarmed by bums. Normally, if I sat there for an hour, I could expect to be hit up for money 4 to 6 times.
Tonight I got hit up ONCE. A guy in a Denny’s uniform swaggered up to me and sat down and say, “Hey, partner, hey bro, let me aks you for one small favor.” He asked for money for the bus home. But he didn’t strike me as a working man just trying to get home after a hard day… he struck me as a bum. He had the same walk, the same approach that they all do. It felt like he had done this at least 100 times before. I told him to go away. Then he hit up people sitting at the tables outside Silky’s front door and they gave him a couple of bucks.
Still, one bum in an hour alone on Beale is a vast improvement. Security down there must really be tightening up. Good job.
Afterward, I went to the Saucer to see my waitresses, then to the Majestic to see Tif(one f)any and eat dinner. Now I’m off to bed… I have many, many topics planned for posts this week so check back often.