License to Beg?

[S. Fourteen]

MINNEAPOLIS - The police chief wants to license panhandlers, saying it would make it easier for officers to manage aggressive begging in Minnesota's largest city.

Under the plan, panhandlers would have to register each year at a government center and have their picture taken. Anyone failing to wear an ID badge would be jailed for 30 days, and possibly fined.

"The idea is not to penalize people or make them go away," Chief William McManus said Wednesday. "It's just a way to govern how they conduct their business."

Minneapolis already bans panhandling in front of cash machines, bus stops and restrooms.

McManus said he's talked to the City Council about the idea. If a law passed, the city would join a handful of others that license beggars, such as Cincinnati, Dallas and Greensboro, N.C.

Cincinnati's licensing ordinance is being challenged by civil liberties groups that claim begging is protected speech.

Mayor R.T. Rybak said he's not sure he'll support the plan. "I'm interested in looking at innovative ways to handle this, but we need to know more about the details," he said.

Robert Yellow Wolf, a homeless man panhandling on an interstate off-ramp, called the plan "ridiculous," but said: "When you're homeless, you have no say."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050428/ap_on_fe_st/license_to_beg

I love that quote by Mr. Wolf.

There is a saying- Beggers can't be choosers.

 

[S. Fourteen]

Things that make you say 'hmmmm'

- Panhandlers are a highly visible group of street people in urban areas. Some believe panhandlers must beg because they have fallen through the social safety net. but others have suggested that panhandlers make considerable amounts of money and spend most of it on their addictions.

- We defined panhandlers as individuals who were soliciting donations of money for personal use from passersby, without providing any goods or services in return. We therefore excluded people who were actively busking (performing music), selling newspapers or using squeegees to clean car windows at the time they were approached to participate. Between February and April 2001, we located panhandlers by systematically searching major streets and subway stations during the late afternoon in a 6-km2 region of downtown Toronto. To avoid double-counting, a single investigator visually screened all panhandlers.

- When asked if they enjoyed panhandling, 23 participants (43%) replied "yes," commonly because of the opportunity to "meet people," 26 (48%) answered "no," often describing panhandling as "degrading," and 5 (9%) were undecided. Overall, 38 (70%) stated that they would prefer a minimum-wage job, typically citing a desire for a "steady income" or "getting off the street." However, many felt they could not handle conventional jobs because of mental illness, physical disability or lack of skills.

http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/167/5/477