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Trials And Tribulations Of Panhandling!

 
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7654
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:58 am    Post subject: Trials And Tribulations Of Panhandling! Reply with quote

Trials And Tribulations Of Panhandling!


By Maurice Ali, Journalist

You see them in every major city, there to remind you others don't have it so good. They are the panhandlers, people who beg for money. In some countries like India, begging is a profession. In Canada, things are not so formal, begging is technically illegal; but you see them everywhere anyway. So what is the deal with these people, I decided to ask a few. Not by any means a scientific study; but you might find my little chats with three panhandlers illuminating in what is a frequent occurence in big city streets.....






His name is Charles and he panhandles at the corner of Adelaide and Bay Street here in Toronto. The coherent and articulate thirty one year old described his gradual slide from family man to homeless man in a rather frightening tale of how anyone could end up on the streets.

Charles gave us a typical day in his life; from being handed a ticket for pan handling to worrying for his safety when he met up with someone he owed money to. Living on the street can be tough and he sometimes worries about getting a knife in the stomach..... He plans to exit this lifestyle and actual seemed sincere in that At one moment he seemed ashamed at what he was reduced to doing to survive. Because of this, I may include his interview in Shane's mini-movie titled "Real Life."

One touching parting shot was his desire to let his mom know he was alright if by chance she happened upon this story or the video. So for the record, here is his message:

"Hi Mom, I'm Ok. And I will probably see you soon..."



Next up was a man I met outside a trendy movie theater. Robert looked "down and out" but nevertheless spoke articulately and intelligently. What was a man like this doing on the street you ask? Well his answer actually made sense.



He was telling me that he panhandles because he did not want to steal or make victims of others to keep himself alive. His situation was his won doing, and that he works the street but does not live on the street. Robert also stated that he suffers from depression and that is why he could not hold a job. He mentioned that he usually has a place to go home, though he was homeless for this one week moving to a new residence next week. I asked him for a shot of him in action and cornered a passerby to give him some money for the shot. A small crowd gathered for the performance. The panhandler made the comment that we could make an effective team doing this!



Our next panhandler is a man that does not look anything like a panhandler. Scott was really forthright and stated that the reason he was begging on the street was because he was hooked on crack cocaine. He also stated that most of panhandlers were on crack, despite what they might say otherwise. He had been to thirteen treatment facilities; in and out of detox, a couple fo years in prison and had two divorces. He said most panhandlers and people on the street have stories like his.



I was surprised to see this guy sitting in front of another trendy establishment. Nobody seemed to care or consider him an impediment to getting into the establishment. Actually none of the others seemed to attract attention, however the police did give out a ticket for panhandling to Charles the very day I interviewed him. None of these guys looked well off, debunking the myth that all these guys were working a scam. They just looked like weak willed folk on hard times. That should not be a crime and the reality of how articulate these men were, actually is scary when the idea that this could be you enters your mind. Panhandlers are people we prefer to not think about, paying them off to get them out of our mind. They remind us that the social safety net is not perfect and people of all sorts can slip through. Is this a crime, I would think not.




All of the panhandlers I ever met were quite honest and upfront about their situation in life and their frailties, there really did not seem to be any deception. When you occupy the lower rungs of the social hierarchy, it seems to free you from any pretense. Anyway, that was my experience dealling with the panhandlers in my life.
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