Do I look like a soft touch? Evidently, because I've been approached by beggars several times during the past year in Hainesport and other local towns. I don't think it has anything to do with "this economy," a phrase I frequently hear. During my life, there have been ten recessions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions_in_the_United_States), and I have never been approached and asked for money - until recently. I don't know the reason tapping passersby for a handout has become commonplace. I suspect it's how people support drug habits.
The Hainesport Shop Rite is a place panhandlers operate. During my first experience, a pathetic looking guy with bad teeth and a twisted foot asked me for gas money, so he could get back to Browns Mills. I offered to drive over to the Wawa in the same shopping complex. If he would follow with his vehicle, I would pay for his gas. As I expected, he said, "No, thanks." The next time it happened, I said no and kept on walking. I've also been approached at Target and Home Depot in Westampton. There was even an agitated guy walking down our street banging on doors and asking for money.
The requests for handouts have gotten so annoying that I decided to find out if there are state or county laws against panhandling or local ordinances governing the act. I couldn't find anything. It turns out soliciting charity is not illegal, and most communities won't touch the issue with a ten foot pole. Passing laws against panhandling almost always leaves municipalities open to law suits from "well-organized, well-funded, and extremely litigious organizations" according to one source I read (http://www.cjlf.org/publications/RegulatePanhandling.pdf). One of our most cherished rights in this country is freedom of speech. Asking for money is merely exercising that freedom. Just about any panhandling law would tread on the hustler's constitutional rights.
I learned that controlling panhandling is usually done through informal means. Passersby, merchants, and police all work together to manage the practice. People give to make themselves feel good. Merchants tolerate some begging at their establishments. Some merchants even give food to panhandlers or give them odd jobs. Police often see that panhandlers land at the local social services office if their activities get out of hand.
You're on your own dealing with beggars. Here's what to do if you don't choose to give:
1. Ignore the request. Don't establish eye contact or smile.
2. Shake your head to indicate no if a request is made of you, and you don't want to speak.
3. Respond with a verbal no.
4. Keep moving.
Organize your money and take out your keys before you leave the store. Don't fiddle with your wallet once you leave. Don't say you are sorry. Don't say you would give them something if only you could. Don't say you have no cash, only a credit card. Don't respond in an indignant or threatening way. That means don't threaten to report them to a store manager or threaten to call the police.
Sometimes panhandlers are aggressive. They might touch you, follow you, or block your way. They might use obscene or abusive language. If you fear for your safety or feel intimidated, first try to get out of the situation. If you are at a store, go back inside. Now is the time to report the panhandling to the manager and get an escort to your car. Now might be the time to pull out your cell phone and call the police. If you can't get away and you can't make a call, you are no longer dealing with a panhandler. You're being robbed. There's a different handbook for robbery, and I haven't researched that one yet.
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