ran@bentley.UUCP (RA Novo) (08/02/85)
>The other night I went to the local shopping plaza. Had to make two >stops: Pathmark and Kmart. At both establishments I was intercepted >at the doorways by a group of people waving tin cans with slots in >the tops asking for donations for <whatever the current cause is>. > >I don't mind giving something to legitimate, worthy causes, but in >most cases, these hawkers don't have anything to identify themselves >with whatever the organization is. The collection plates are usually >soup cans covered with masking tape. Shoot, anybody could do that. >Then they descend on the shoppers like vultures on the splattered guts >of some animal lying along the road. If you don't divvy-up, you get >insulted. A lot of people stuff their money in the cans just to get >rid of these beggars. >Ken Kepple >hoxna!kek datakit: ho/bedrock/fred!kek >AT&T-Bell Labs - Holmdel NJ 07733 201-949-6525 Cornet 8-233-6525 >...!{hocda, ihnp4, floyd!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc}!houxm!hoxna!kek I have to agree with this. In New York City, about four or five years back, there started the existence? of a special kind of pan-handlers. When one stopped at any light in the Bowery area, one was approached by several misfortunates with squuegees in hand, who proceeded to wash your windshield. Not to mention that they never asked whether you wanted it cleaned or not, they just proceeded to clean it, and then if you refused to give them a handout, you would have to sit through the rest of the red light listening to their abuse. My main flame, however, is not against these people. I have some pity on them, since they are misfortunate vagrants. Lately there has been an increase in the number of street windshield washers, and most of them are not vagrants. Recently, stopping at a red light at another part of town, I was approached by a squadron of about 10 kids ranging in age from about 14 to 17, all armed with squeegees in hand. Some were even listening to their walkmen! Now it is obvious that these kids have no need for handouts, as one can see that they were all dressed in quite expensive and relatively new clothes. All that they were doing was looking for video game money and fouling up New York's traffic in the process (it's already quite fouled up to begin with). The city should do something to control panhandling, since at the rate that it's going, it's becoming quite a nuicance. -- Robert A. Novo "Captain! They put creatures AT&T Bell Labs in our ears! They made us say Piscataway, NJ things that weren't true!" ...bentley!ran
cffres@uvaee.UUCP (Chuck Ferrara) (08/04/85)
In article <551@bentley.UUCP> ran@bentley.UUCP (RA Novo) writes: > >I have to agree with this. In New York City, about four or five years >back, there started the existence? of a special kind of pan-handlers. >When one stopped at any light in the Bowery area, one was approached >by several misfortunates with squuegees in hand, who proceeded to wash >your windshield. Not to mention that they never asked whether you wanted >it cleaned or not, they just proceeded to clean it, and then if you >refused to give them a handout, you would have to sit through the rest of >the red light listening to their abuse. Not only that, the car was usually cleaner before they attacked it with the slimey rag. I think they should owe ME money :-)