This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
Spare Change Alley
How many panhandlers does it take to fill Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road? All of them. Tourist season is upon us and there is nothing more refreshing than being asked for spare change every half block or more. I work on SGR and I am quite fed u
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First off, you have to distinguish the real bums from the faux bums. Faux bums usually have better footwear than the rest of us and if they’re under 25, there’s a very good chance that they are some suburbanite kid looking for dope money. I work downtown as well and have run into some real pieces of work. Like the Native Dude who scuttles to the lotto booth and/or liquor store in Scotia Square when he has enough coin. Or the little guy between George and Prince who can’t talk – hell, I’ve seen him hump a 12 pack home in the North End on more than one occasion. I don’t know about you but I’m not going to support some alcoholic leech who’s going to booze up on my hard-earned money. I’m not responsibly for their bad choices.Best bet is to ignore them, hard as that might be.Oh, yeah, the prize for the most obnoxious bum goes to the young lady with blonde hair and black roots who parks herself in front of Tim Hortons on Barrington St. every so often. Being rude because people won’t give you money just might earn you a well deserved punch in the kisser one of these days.Personally, I wish they’d make panhandling illegal or allow merchants to accept donations for the truly needy. Fuck the drunks and addicts. They made their choice, let ’em live with it. I’m fucking fed up with that whole ‘victim’ racket.
don’t go too hard on them or you might upset the bleeding heart crowd….
I don’t give money to the listerine drinking stinking hobo’s I feel sorry for them and I wish they would be forced to dry outtoodlesZac
Native Man on Barrington and Prince was in the United Cigar shop today buying smokes. Then he parked his lazy ass back on the corner and rattled his cup at me (after lighting a smoke). I told him to fuck off. I wish to fuck I could afford real smokes.
I don’t give money out ever. I feel bad – but I know I’m being lied to.There’s a fellow who goes around asking for change for the bus – he asked me at the bus stop close to my place – and then everyone there said “No sorry” – he went and magically produced a cigarette and a scratch ticket.One guy asked me for some spare change, I kept walking with my relatives visiting, and said “No sorry” – he responds “Well can you spare a $20??”Seriously – find some help.
I don’t give money to people to feed their addictions I wish someone would do something about these stinking hobo’s who drink listerine DON’T SELL IT TO THEM! IT’S TOO CHEAP AND EASY AND IT DESTROYS THEM AND GIVES A UNPLEASANT ODOR TO WALK BY IN THE MORNING. WHY DO WE STILL SELL LISTERINE TO THESE PEOPLE? IT MAY BE DISCRIMINATION BUT necessary in order to help them clean up and at least liquor would cost more so they could get drunk less. I don’t give them money because I don’t want to think the money is going towards bottles of no name listerine poison.
If nobody EVER gave ANY money to panhandlers, then in two weeks, there would be NO PANHANDLERS. This is a very simple concept. Somebody is giving these people money, and those well-intentioned idiots are responsible for the problem. If you really feel sorry for those unfortunates, and you really feel a need to help them, give your quarter to some charity or agency that tries to help the homeless, or people with addictions, or what have you. Just stop giving them money, and they will eventually stop asking for it.Here’s an idea: Every time someone asks you for change, put a quarter in a jar. When the jar is full, donate it to a relevant charity.
Nothing annoys me more than a group of dirty teens asking for smokes or money on a sidewalk. Got a brain? great! use it to compile a resume, and then use that resume to get a job. If you’re so against working for the man, pick up a guitar and at least put some effort into it. I’m all for supporting someone who is actually contributing something..but in my opinion, any trash on the sidewalks should be in the trash cans, not asking for donations.
I think we are all missing an important point here. If the bums are buying up all this Listerine, the solution is not to discriminate and only sell it selectively (Sorry buddy, you have to have showered within the last 36 hrs to buy this stuff), it’s to tax the hell out of it. Much like the rest of us with respect to booze, cigarettes and gasoline (for your SUV or huffing), let the bums feel the scorn of the tax man as he stick his hand out every time us common folk try and feed our legal addictions.