Panhandlers can be found just about anywhere - in the capital city, near city hall, around monuments, over train/metro grills on the sidewalk (for warmth), in strip mall parking lots and outside the 7-11.
Last night, after dance class, Amanda and I proceeded to our usual post-dance Slurpee spot and found a panhandler standing outside asking for spare change. Amanda parked closest to him, but we both approached the entrance at the same time and Amanda, in all her coolness, just passed by and said, 'No.' Me? I didn't say a word - I just followed Amanda inside...I guess I could've thrown out a 'What she said' but I didn't.
When we were getting our Slurpees, I asked Amanda how she usually confronts beggars - especially since I know she runs into a lot of them during work hours in DC. She basically says, 'No' and moves on. I'm always looking for new ways to avoid the beggars or turn them down politely. My current method is to say, 'Sorry - I don't have spare change.' I don't know why I'm apologizing but I do. Don't get me wrong - I have given money to homeless - I think the most I ever gave was a $20 bill at a rest stop! But maybe in my crabby old age, I don't feel much like sharing.
And after running into a lot of them in NYC, when I worked there, I know that many people opt not to give them currency knowing that they'll only go and buy booze with it. Those that do want to help bring them into a 7-11 or buffet and buy them food to eat - so they're in control the whole time. I noticed that when we were leaving the 7-11, a woman bought a snackables meal (with cheese, crackers and processed ham) for the pandhandler and even gave him the receipt. Of course he thanked her but she wasn't even five steps away before he walked back into the 7-11 to try and return it and get something else. I didn't stick around to see what he exchanged it for (looked like he was having trouble even returning it) but I got to thinking - can beggars really be choosers?
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I really don't just give panhandlers money that way. I may make an exception occasionally, but it's generally not my practice. I do, however, frequently buy Street Sense, even if I don't always read it. I like that it helps the homeless and that they're out there working (and the code for Street Sense vendors strictly says that they cannot harrass). My biggest problem with the panhandlers near my office is that I am afraid that if I ever gave them anything, they would never stop harrassing me. I don't want to be recognized as someone who gives in.
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