I hate the panhandlers in downtown Memphis, it drives me nuts, I've been followed for blocks and harassed for money, however....last night there was a homeless person standing on second street and gayoso shouting "TIGERS NUMBER 1" while waiving a one of those blue pompom things, for at least a half hour. At first I thought it was BOSSMAN, but then I realized it really was a homeless person and I gave him $5.

TigerFoosball Wrote:I hate the panhandlers in downtown Memphis, it drives me nuts, I've been followed for blocks and harassed for money, however....last night there was a homeless person standing on second street and gayoso shouting "TIGERS NUMBER 1" while waiving a one of those blue pompom things, for at least a half hour. At first I thought it was BOSSMAN, but then I realized it really was a homeless person and I gave him $5.

you should have given him one of BOSSMAN's shirts!

TigerFoosball Wrote:I hate the panhandlers in downtown Memphis, it drives me nuts, I've been followed for blocks and harassed for money, however....last night there was a homeless person standing on second street and gayoso shouting "TIGERS NUMBER 1" while waiving a one of those blue pompom things, for at least a half hour. At first I thought it was BOSSMAN, but then I realized it really was a homeless person and I gave him $5.

Bossman would have hit you up for at least $100 but he would have given you a free Tigers 2007 No.1 shirt.

You're the MAN!!!!

If we all gave money to the needy instead of spending $25.00 on a T-Shirt with the wrong year printed on it we might just be able to stamp out hunger in Memphis yet.

Each of us should be very thankful that it is not us, who is homeless. I don't know that giving them money is always the best thing. If you are really concerned for them, but them something to eat, or help them get into a shelter. If you have any old clothes or especially blankets, give them to someone on the street, or to a shelter. $ more often than not may be converted into their drug of choice or a bottle.

Yes, never give them money. Take them down the street, ask them what they want and buy them the Big Ass Beer. Don't want that money getting wasted on some MagDog brick.

I usually never give them money, not since a few years ago when I offered a panhandler an unopened bag of potato chips and he threw it in the ground and walked off. But this guy (who was very inebriated) was yelling for the Tigers for a good amount of time it was worth it.

I thought school was back in session in Knoxville.

I wish my wife was a better panhandler. When she's in the kitchen, you know something or someone's gonna get burnt.

(runs for cover)

Just give them your grizzlies tickets. They need the butts in the seats.

Most of the professional panhandlers downtown are NOT homeless. They probably live in a better home than I do. They can be aggressive, and violent on rare occasions. I see them arrive for "work" downtown when I do many mornings.

Far better to give your money to one of the many downtown charities who screen them and help those who really want and need help, such as Calvary Episcopal Church Street Ministries. Most of these folks are NOT hungry either; there are several resources for food downtown, and they know about them.

These folks have gimmicks they adapt to the occasion. When it is raining, they offer to hold an umbrella over you. When you are looking for a parking place, they assist you with that. When you are walking by, they offer to sing you a song. They offer to help you romance your girlfriend or wife with flowers.

That being said, do what you want with your money. If you find their gimmicks amusing or helpful, give them your money, but beware of the occasional mean or drugged out ones. And also be aware you are helping to keep these bums the real nuisance they are downtown. Some of us live and work downtown and they are a constant nuisance. When one spit on me years ago, I stop finding them so harmless.

I play on Bea;e Street every week and the panhandlers are supposed to be run off or locked up. However, that rarely gets handled by the police unless there is something big and extra support is out there. It is against the law to panhandle and most are not going to eat or find shelter($7 bucks a night on Poplar at the mission). They will drink or buy dope from the money with few exceptions. As messed up as it sounds, most of those guys aren't interested in changing their lives. One of the many homeless is Ed Wilson who used to play back in the 70's for the Tigers. He wanders around all day around Crump or Vance with a blank stare. We should all thank our lucky stars and pray that we never walk in those shoes.

If one of them would actually be truthful and tell me what they need money for (crack, alcohol) I might give em some cash

Pandhandlers are a poor man's version of the scalpers around FedExForum.

The way to get rid of them is to offer to take them someplace to buy them some food. I have never had that fail to run one off.

calfan1 Wrote:If one of them would actually be truthful and tell me what they need money for (crack, alcohol) I might give em some cash

One guy asked me and my buddy for two dollars one time so he could pay for a BJ. We were glad to help him out.

I usually just tell them "There won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

21-17 Best Time I Ever Ha Wrote:Most of the professional panhandlers downtown are NOT homeless. They probably live in a better home than I do. They can be aggressive, and violent on rare occasions. I see them arrive for "work" downtown when I do many mornings.

There is a panhandler that usually sits at Perkins and I-240 that lives about 3 blocks south on Perkins. I've seen him walking "to and from work" several times. If this guy would work half as hard at a job as he does asking for help he'd do OK. The problem is that he is probably making $30-40,000 per year panhandling. I haven't seen him recently. He doesn't seem to work when it is hot or cold.

klg316 Wrote:I usually just tell them "There won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

Then they will have that working for them, which is nice.

Seriously, one of the downtown residents watched a panhandler from the window at the Saucer for an hour one day. The panhandler approached tourist after tourist, and the resident said he could tell the guy made about $60 in that hour. A pretty good paycheck, I would say!

Strat is right. Nearly all of the panhandlers downtown are regulars who do not want "real" help, but rather a handout for their next drink or drug. They are well-known to those who live downtown who do not give them the time of day. And the panhandlers also know the downtown residents and do not bother to approach them.

It is not illegal to panhandle if you stay within the panhandling law, which does prohibit it after dark and in front of public transportation stations and the like, and does not allow harassment. These laws are broken all the time, and the police do very little to enforce it, even when it happens right in front of them.

I personally believe that some of these panhandlers are also responsible for the car break-in's that occur downtown. If our city had a zero tolerance attitude toward panhandling, it might stop some of the thefts from cars also.

Our Mayor has no interest in getting tough on this crime, so the Center City Commission is hiring, at its own cost, four officers who will begin patrolling Main Street this spring, two during the day and two at night up until about midnight. Not nearly enough manpower, hours, or scope of patrolling, but better than nothing.

There is a panhandling forum for Memphis which identifies by photo many of the bums downtown and also reports on their activities.
Downtown is still the safest precinct in Memphis

The panhandlers are just another part of the legacy King Willie has left us.