Panhandling proposal 'poor bashing'

[The Straight Story]

Panhandling proposal 'poor bashing'

Ban won't address root causes of poverty, advocacy group says

Banning panhandling in large parts of Saskatoon would only "sweep the problem under the carpet," says a member of a local anti-poverty group.

"You can't be the pied piper and pipe all these people off to another area of town," said Vanessa Charles, past-chair of the Saskatoon Anti-Poverty Coalition, which was involved in the recent review of the panhandling bylaw.

"It's not right. It's poor-bashing. Unfortunately, panhandling is a fact of life for some people.

"Why don't we do something about the root causes of poverty instead of sweeping them under the carpet?"

A Saskatoon city council committee this week asked the city solicitor for a legal opinion on whether it was possible under the Constitution to amend the panhandling bylaw to ban the practise in large zones surrounding the downtown or extend a ban to include a defined distance from the doorways of businesses.

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/Panhandling+proposal+poor+bashing/4094873/story.html#ixzz1BDUF2kna

[mrcheerful]

1. Compassionate Conservative's come to canada, sadly this is the

same way it started in the US.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Saskatoon? That's surprising

Saskatchewan is usually regarded as the most left-leaning province, with many NDP (socialist) Premiers over the decades.

It's also the home of Government Healthcare - Tommy Douglas was from Saskatchewan.

I hope this is just some local municipal assholes - I think they'll be voted out fast.

[NaturalHigh]

3. K & R

[Joe the Revelator]

4. There are programs in place that make panahandling unnecessary....

I should be able to stop for gas without having at least two people asking me for "gas" money.

[NaturalHigh]

5. Really?

From what I've seen, the homeless are usually SOL. The shelters help, but bed space is very limited. Government programs are not very effective at helping the homeless. If they were, there wouldn't be nearly as many homeless.

If you don't want to give panhandlers any money, just don't give. I'd say you are probably in the majority. If they are harassing you, call the police. Otherwise, I don't see why it should be against the law to ask for money. Businesses do it all the time, and the government is usually all too happy to oblige.

[Hannah Bell]

21. most shelters do one thing, give you a place to sleep out of the rain & cold.

not necessarily a comfortable place. not necessarily a safe place. not necessarily a place where you won't be exposed to disease, lice, or bedbugs.

just a place out of the cold where you & all your belongings will summarily be kicked out at 5 am.

that ain't much.

if it were me i do believe i'd find my own place. sleeping on the floor with 6 inches between me & a possible drug addict or tb victim isn't my idea of "help".

[NaturalHigh]

25. There are a couple in Tulsa that do a little better than that.

They offer decent sleeping arrangements, decent food, a little job training. As a general rule, though, I agree with you completely.

[Cetacea]

6. In my city it is illegal for me to help

I face a five-hundred dollar fine and two months prison time every time I give money or food to people I help. I have a feeling the police here think the law is as ridiculous as I do, as I know of no knowledge of it being enforced.

[NaturalHigh]

9. That goes beyond ridiculous to just plain mean-spirited.

Now it's not only illegal to ask for help but illegal to give it? How messed up is that?

[bobbolink]

13. Its very common. The problem is that homelessness isn't a "progressive" issue, so itls only

small bands of "advocates" who speak out.

When the rest of you take action, things will change.

Until then.............mean-spirited is the law of the land.

[bobbolink]

14. Here's a picture for you.....

Church groups get arrested for feeding homeless people.

This is the Criminalization of Homelessness that I and others have written about many times.

When will liberals decide it is time to take action?

[undergroundpanther]

22. Food not bombs

Orlando Food Not Bombs has in the past held a "free grocery day"/free store in Orlando's Parramore neighborhood. At the "free store," we distribute free produce and other items, clothes, books, dishes, etc. By doing this, we use direct action to, in a small way, create a grassroots alternative to the capitalist economy, in which the items that people require for their basic needs–such as food and clothing–are treated as commodities for profit and access to them is based upon one's ability to pay for them. We envision a different sort of society, one in which human beings freely cooperate and share with each other as equals on the basis of social solidarity and mutual aid. Please check back for announcements about future "free stores."

In July 2006, the City of Orlando passed an ordinance that criminalizes homelessness and groups that share food inside downtown parks. Despite this measure, Orlando Food Not Bombs has decided to continue sharing food inside Lake Eola Park. We will not be deterred by arrest and other forms of State harassment.

http://www.orlandofoodnotbombs.org/

http://sffnb.org/
http://www.foodnotbombs.net/story.html


More proof an Empire based on hierarchy and money cannot stand a community of equality and sharing within itself.

[bobbolink]

24. There are examples of small groups of people doing "the right thing".

What they are doing is not spectacular, it is not unusual... they are things that everyone reading DU can do, if they only wanted to.

There is a group in Grand Junction Colorado who got cops fired for their mistreatment of homeless people. They weren't lawyers, and they didn't have $$$ or status in the community. They are young and average people who decided that they would take the stand of the righteous.

EVERYONE here at DU can do what they did!

But people come here and blame the RW instead of taking action in a real and direct way.

[astral]

10. There's no way!

What if you wanted to give to a 'friend?' Is there a law that says who you can call a friend and who you can't? I saw that law they made (was it in New York?) where people can't give sandwiches to homeless or even pass them money sitting on a bus.

Are people going to put up with that?

[bobbolink]

15. The question is... Are YOU going to put up with it?

[bobbolink]

12. That is very common now. What are "progressives" in your city doing to combat that?

[L0oniX]

7. The rich don't want to see the results of their greed.

[CatWoman]

8. wish i could rec your post

ain't it the truth?

[butterfly77]

11. Kicked&Recommended...

[Hippo_Tron]

16. I've always found a great deal of economic logic in helping panhandlers

Lets say I have $5 to feed the homeless. I could either give it to somebody on the street or I could donate it to a charity that feeds the homeless. Now, if I give it to an individual he can likely get a good meal (or perhaps even two) with $5. On the other hand, I have yet to find a charity that will make a decision about how many people it is able to feed based on an additional $5. By giving my $5 to somebody on the street I know that it is going into the hands of somebody who needs it.

Now, my Republican friends will inevitably say "BUT BUT they're going to spend it on beer!!!" to which I usually respond "You don't know that and even if that's the case, I think everybody deserves a drink".

[bobbolink]

17. You're being waaaay too logical. It escapes most people.

Another factor... what "price" does a homeless person have to pay to get a meal from a "help" agency? Listening to a long, scolding sermon? Going through a demeaning process to find if they are "eligible"? Enduring a very unpleasant atmosphere while trying to eat, as opposed to eating in peace? There are many other aspects to this.

The end point, however, is that we MUST build a society of JUSTICE, where people have their needs met, rather than having a society of beggers.

[Hippo_Tron]

18. A lot of these people pushing anti-panhandling laws think they are building a just society

They argue that charities are sufficient to help homeless people and that by giving panhandlers money, you're deterring them from getting the help that they "need".

A capitalist economic system is inevitably going to leave some people behind and what we need is FDR's second bill of rights to make sure that everyone has a decent standard of living even if they are left behind by the economy.

Unfortunately we're not going to get that in this country anytime soon. In the meantime I think the best thing we can do is try not to judge other people. I don't judge those who choose not to give to people who panhandle. I wish others would not judge those who decide to panhandle.

[bobbolink]

19. I am very aware of that attitude... I live with it daily. I have not been able to even get DUers

to understand that Charity. Is. Not. The. Answer.

As for justice, you say it won't happen anytime soon.

It won't happen At All, if people don't start now to push hard for it.

If your statements about judging are aimed at me, I don't accept delivery. I keep pushing for justice for poor people, to stop the suffering, and get roundly criticized for that. If that fits your definition of judging, so be it.

That didn't stop Sapphire Blue from speaking out, and it didn't stop Martin Luther King and others from speaking out against injustice, and it won't stop me.

The time has come to decide just what kind of people we are.

[Hippo_Tron]

20. I was definitely not accusing you of judging others

And I certainly hope that justice will come as soon as humanly possible.

[bobbolink]

23. Thank you for clarifying. However, "hope" won't change a damned thing.

You have admirable views about poverty, and it is time for you to take those views and make them more high profile.

There is much you can do besides "hope".

Those of us who are desperate are depending on you to do that.