Since I’m quoted in an article on panhandling in today’s Commercial Appeal and the URL of this blog is listed, I want to take a moment to clarify my stance on panhandling and homelessness Downtown.
In no way do I believe that the answer to the panhandling problem Downtown is to indiscriminately sweep all of the neighborhood’s street people off the streets without regard to where they came from, why they’re here, what help they need. There are some people who take the Handling-Panhandling forum I co-founded, where we discuss problem panhandlers and problem locations for panhandling, as a crusade against the homeless. That’s absolutely not the case.
My issue is with panhandlers Downtown who have made a career out of panhandling. These people are able-bodied and could easily find work, but they choose to panhandle instead. They show up for “work” every day in fresh clothes and they obviously have homes. However, they will beg for “money to help the homeless” to play on people’s sympathy. That’s my main problem with these guys – they’re taking advantage of the homeless by redirecting people’s generosity away from organizations that would offer legitimate help. Donations to these people generally do not get used for food or shelter, but rather for alcohol and drugs. I have watched these professional panhandlers beg tourists for “a donation for the homeless” over and over again until they collect enough, and then head straight to the liquor store to spend what they were given.
My other issue with this group of panhandlers is that many of them will turn to criminal activity to supplement their “incomes.” One of the guys we photographed for the Handling-Panhandling group last summer was obviously a loose cannon. When employees of a Beale Street restaurant asked him to stop begging in front of their door, he threatened to stab them. A couple of months later, a couple was attacked with a crowbar Downtown in an armed robbery attempt, and a security guard who witnessed the incident was able to identify the attacker because his picture was on the Handling-Panhandling site. The attacker is now in jail awaiting trial. As I said, I don’t believe in indiscriminately sweeping people off the streets, but I’m sure glad we identified that guy and swept him away.
The main focus of the CA article is on a new security task force funded by the Center City Commission. The task force will hit the streets on a trial basis beginning April 30, making first-hand contact with Downtown’s street people and panhandlers. Over time they will get to know who’s who. For those who truly need a hand up but don’t know how to ask for it, the task force will be able to get them assistance. That’s key, because I think we should first look to assist. However, they are also going to meet some people who are not homeless, pretend to be homeless in order to panhandle, and cause nothing but trouble Downtown. The security force will identify who these people are and take steps to enforce the laws on the books against them, to show them that they don’t have free run of the streets Downtown.
Another thing: We need to choose our words carefully. A lot of people use “the homeless” when in fact referring to these aggressive, career panhandlers. I’ve even heard cops do this. I hate it when people ask “how’s your forum about the homeless going?” because it makes it sound like the forum is a crusade against the homeless, when it’s not. Not everyone who panhandles is homeless. In fact, I’d be willing to venture that the majority are not.
There’s another local website that uses the term “bums” to refer to all the street people they encounter. Although I’m a fan of that site and find it quite entertaining, I think they misuse the term sometimes. There’s a famous homeless guy Downtown who walks the streets all day scratching his beard. He never asks anybody for anything and if you talk to him (and can get a conversation that makes sense out of him), you’ll find that he’s a really good guy. He’s not a bum. It offends me (and a lot of Downtowners) when people refer to him as a bum. On the other hand there’s a guy named Tommie who wanders the streets every day, asking people for money, following them, threatening them and cussing them out when they say no. He’s been doing it for as long as I’ve lived Downtown (6 years). Yeah. He’s a bum. I have no problem calling him a bum.
Anyway… just wanted to make the point that I am not trying to start a crusade against the homeless. It’s just that there are certain people down here who are generally not homeless but pretend to be, and who ruin the quality of life for everyone. I love Downtown Memphis. I am so glad I moved down here. I want people to come here and experience what I experience. But it burns me up when they come down here and get harrassed over and over and over by these idiots and end up telling me that they’ll never come back.
If you want to help the homeless, please donate your money and/or time to one of several great organizations that help people get back on their feet. Calvary Street Ministry. Door of Hope. Union Mission. Salvation Army. There are others. That kind of donation is much, much more effective than giving to a street panhandler.
I hope that helps you understand where I’m coming from. I could talk myself into circles about this all day but I have to get some work done. If you have questions or comments you can e-mail me at paul@paulryburn.com and I’ll try my best to address them.