The Show Place

I don't know if this is happening all over, but there's a rash of this in Central Florida the past couple of weeks.

You drive up to a stoplight and there are people on all four sides of the intersection with orange safety vests on, carrying white buckets with homemade signs taped to them. "Feed the needy" or some such message, along with a church's name. Here, it's been "New Life Church" and "New Life Brotherhood Ministries".

When I first saw them, I remember thinking I thought it was illegal. After the nurse scam several years ago (where women would dress in old-timey nurse uniforms, complete with white stockings and paper hats to grift cash off of motorists), I thought intersection solicitation was outlawed, except for police and firefighters. I thought it was a state thing.

Well, they finally did an expose on the local news. It turns out the law is a city law, and the new people are carefully selecting their corners in unincorporated county areas, right on the bleeding edge of the city. A reporter stopped to talk to them. He found that two of the people working opposite corners actually had two different church names on their buckets (as listed above). One with the church sign couldn't tell him the name of his church without looking at his bucket. Another couldn't tell him the name of their minister. One, when challenged, finally gave them the address of their church, in New Orleans. The news station got their New Orleans affiliate to go there and found a boarded up empty business at that location.

The local police were called out, and they said no law was being broken, since it was just outside the city's jurisdiction. As the news crew was leaving, they were mocked and taunted by the scammers.

Today, on a different corner, I saw the same guys. And I saw good-hearted motorists handing over their cash to the charlatans.

Don't fall for a scam like that. People are going to great lengths to get money in this economy. Give your money to churches and charities that you know are reputable, or directly to people you know it will help.

That is all.

I guess it's not illegal in SC because you see them on all the street corners. I never give them any money, but I never thought it was a scam. I just thought they should work for their money - sell something or wash cars or anything.

I see panhandlers all the time, too. These are different. They put on that they're with a church or some organized charity and they're not.

If you don't see a fire truck parked on the side of the road and a guy with big red suspenders collecting money in a fire boot, don't fall for it.

This happens all over. The problem with panhandling in general is that most, not all, just most are not needy at all. They did an expose' on one guy here in Sacramento a few years back. He lost his $50,000.00 a year job when the company went broke and needed to keep his home. He was working for a fast food resteraunt and panhandling on the side. The fast food job ended after a week when the guy realised he made more money in that one week than he had in 2 weeks of his original job. At the time of the broadcast, the guy owned a brand new custom made home that he had paid cash for, and had 2 brand new cars in the drive. He wore suits everywhere he went eccept for the 3 days a week he "worked". (panhandled)
I would urge people to give money to their local food closet, homeless shelter, or charity that helps people. This is the only way you will know that your money is going to actually help someone who really is in need.

I don't know how other churches work, but our church doesn't even consider doing a bucket thing. Most of our fundraisers are directly within the church, so contributions come from church members on the weekends of our services. I, too, am among those that never contribute to the buckets, the sole exception is when the firefighters are out, and they are pretty obvious. Oh, and our church also has the policy of not giving money to those who need it. What happens is, we'll give a gift card to a restaurant or motel so that we know that the funds are actually being used as intended.

The problem with panhandling in general is that most, not all, just most are not needy at all. They did an expose' on one guy here in Sacramento a few years back. He lost his $50,000.00 a year job when the company went broke and needed to keep his home. He was working for a fast food resteraunt and panhandling on the side. The fast food job ended after a week when the guy realised he made more money in that one week than he had in 2 weeks of his original job. At the time of the broadcast, the guy owned a brand new custom made home that he had paid cash for, and had 2 brand new cars in the drive. He wore suits everywhere he went eccept for the 3 days a week he "worked". (panhandled)

These guys give panhandlers a bad name.......
Just kidding......I really don't like seeing people do things like this.

This is just why places like NYC get reputations as being "cold". Panhandlers on every corner, many looking very seedy and all allegedly needy but there's no way to tell so people just step over them.

One guy, seedy, no legs, young and preferred to sit on the sidewalk with his hand out. It was discovered he could go from downtown in the Battery to uptown and from one side of the island to the other quicker that others taking either subways or taxis.

He obviously had better means of surviving than those giving him handouts.