[Durham INC] [pac3] Aggressive Panhandling

[M. W. Shiflett - Hotmail]

Two years ago the InterNeighborhood Council produced several thousand 
brochures entitled
"Durham,   Can You Spare a Change"  which not only tried to address pan 
handling in instances like this but also touched on the homeless and needy 
who approach us with 'situations' that end up as requests for money, rather 
than solving the underlying problem they have.

The point of the brochure is to make folks aware that there are literally 
dozens of functioning non-profits, government programs, churches and citizen 
volunteer efforts (food banks) that are located in Durham to serve just 
about any need an individual truly in desperate times can rely on to get 
assistance.

As a concerned citizen,  I also have given money to folks like the ones 
described in the previous post.    But in recent years,  I've come to 
understand that directing my spare change to these formal groups is a better 
solution to the huge set of problems 'people in need' have that I am not 
able to address personally.

I have found it very satisfying to be able to show that DURHAM CAN SPARE A 
CHANGE when these situations present themselves by handing one of these 
brochures to individuals soliciting money from me rather than just hand over 
some cash.

I carry several with me in my car for just such situations.

And if all else fails,  I turn to those highly trained police officers who 
know how to determine what is and what isn't a true emergency which also 
enables them to use resources that I don't have immediate access to, by 
calling 911.

Mike Shiflett


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "dgregdurham" <dgregdurham at netscape.net>
To: <pac3 at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2010 11:42 PM
Subject: [pac3] Aggressive Panhandling


> Recently, I was approached by two aggressive panhandlers.  The first one 
> was at night as I was leaving Target on 15-501.  A woman and a small boy 
> said they could not get dinner at the shelter because it was too late and 
> needed money to get food before going there.  I gave her some money, but 
> felt she might have been lying.  I heard this same story once in D.C.. 
> Today a scarier incident happened as I was leaving Wal-Mart at New Hope 
> Commons.  My daughter and I had just entered our car when a woman appeared 
> at the window crying.  I let down the window a few inches.  She told me a 
> story about how she had been abandoned in Durham by a cruel boyfriend and 
> needed bus money.  I decided to refuse her and I think from now on I am 
> going to refuse no matter how pitiful the story.  The woman could have 
> been acting and she could have been dangerous.  It scares me to think what 
> might have happened if I had gotten out of the car.  I think Durham needs 
> to restrict panhandling to street corners so customers of Durham's 
> businesses can feel safe.  I couldn't even find out how to contact New 
> Hope Commons to report the incident to them.  Perhaps shopping centers 
> could put up signs asking panhandlers not to work their stores and lots. 
> I hate that this is necessary, but with the bad economy, panhandlers are 
> going to become more and more direct.
>
>
>
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