[Magdalen] Professional panhandlers; was Loaned out.

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

I wonder if anyone has done any really good research on what these folks
are like, but I suspect each is a bit different.

Is the person going to use the money for approved things or not approved
things?  Are they sharing their take with someone else who can't be on the
street?  Are they in a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol, their death an
inevitable end?  Nobody can really answer these questions.
And we all must find our own ways of dealing with these questions. I think
we ask them even if we are not consciously thinking about them.

So many people are just a few paychecks away from being homeless.  It has
to be dreadful not to have a place of your own. And in the winter, we have
back to back days when it is sub-zero freezing, which is when some of these
ladies and gentlemen die of exposure.

I was walking back toward Grand Central Terminal after a late night at
NYTS, and was noticing a man in one of those long, thick businessman's
coats walking a bit in front of me.  Suddenly he just stopped and turned.
A man was hiding from the weather under some cardboard boxes up against a
building.  He pulled out his wallet and gave the guy something. I could
hear him say, "Here, guy.  Find yourself somewhere warm to sleep tonight."

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/lilytomlin386397.html

http://andrew-ong.com/2008/02/06/the-starfish-story-you-can-make-a-difference/





James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 11:35 PM, M J [Mike] Logsdon <mjl at ix.netcom.com>
wrote:

> What is the general opinion here of "professional panhandlers"?  There's a
> fellow frequently at my Nob Hill (Raley's), and he's rather popular with
> many, no doubt because of his clear and obvious use of one or more loveable
> pit bulls he has with him.  I'm good for a fiver whenever I can either
> manage it, or remember (sometimes he shows up while I'm in the store and
> don't know ahead of time to get cash back).  He's a nice guy, clearly uses
> his money (on the occasions I note personally) for dinner from either Nob
> Hill or the hot dog joint nearby.  And there's times he sees me arrive and
> actually comes up to me to ask if "I can help him today".  He doesn't do
> that often, but it does happen, and it seems real.  One time I came out
> with a $20, which shocked him.  Hey, thinks I; it ain't often this guy
> actually seeks me out for help.  But he's sort of a regular.  Meaning he's
> not there all the time, or at least not as often as in previous years.
>
> To get back to the question:  professional panhandlers.  Opinions?
>