Austinist: Acknowledge Me Homeless Benefit at Mohawk Saturday

Wes

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:29:21 -0600

Amen to both of the above posts. Hospitality is a big part of Austin's economy and it will suffer if the city doesn't start cracking down on aggressive panhandling.

davetx

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:43:46 -0600

I've started avoiding parking around the Red River area just because of the army of "space locaters". (It's particularly absurd when they're waving to you to a space on a street where every space is empty) Like you, c.o., I'm not only aware of but am a contributor to groups that provide assistance to the homeless, but am sick to death of being hit up for handouts every time I go to that area of town. I don't mind someone in passing asking me if I can spare a buck, but the parking situation has grown tiresome, and worse are some of the blatant lies/scams that get thrown around there.

causal observer

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:31:01 -0600

just because we duck past the many, many folks who ask us for a handout every day, doesn't mean we don't give it a second thought. i don't know what the solution is to homelessness. but it is mighty off-putting to be accosted day in and day out by people asking me for my money as i'm headed to my job to work hard and earn a paycheck. i donate money and food to the food bank and house the homeless, where those resources can be maximized. it sucks to silently give to those organizations, and then be insulted for not giving money to the guy who waived me into a parking space that i seriously found without his help. as a woman who sometimes drives and parks alone at night, safety concerns are at the front of my mind. it can be scary to get out of the vehicle when a stranger is standing there expecting you to give him something for doing nothing. what kind of acknowledgment is this benefit suggesting? i acknowledge that there's a problem, and that it takes good people to contribute to a solution. i applaud these organizations for specifying the products and supplies they desperately need, and hooray for holding a drive to stock up. but i will not feel guilty about saying no to each and every request for change, or for driving on to the next spot when there's a stranger waiving me into the one immediately available.