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Do IT this week: Layering
Columnist applies for Akron license and hits street in quest for donations. Money isn't easy
By Bob Dyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Oct 17, 2008
I'm not certain whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I have discovered that I am a terrible panhandler.
While wearing my official City of Akron Temporary Panhandler Registration badge — Number T-083, for those of you scoring at home — I didn't collect enough money to pay for the gas I burned while driving to three sites.
My dismal showing stands in stark contrast to that of the local pros. Yes, pros. There is so much money to be made that at least one panhandler, a guy who hangs out near the University of Akron, is paid by someone to stand there and collect.
One beggar near the Wallhaven Acme boasted to a donor that he had made $40,000 the previous year.
Yet another, when offered food by a female motorist, replied, ''If I take home anymore [bleeping] food, my wife will kill me.''
Some beggars wear iPods and sip Starbucks. Just how destitute can they be?
Statistics provided by the Akron police show that 21 percent of the people who have registered under the city's 2-year-old panhandling law don't live in the city.
''For many of the people who get these permits, it is a profitable business,'' says Dave Lieberth, Akron's deputy mayor of administration and the driving force behind the legislation.
''Some of these people are taking the bus in every morning from out of town. This is their job!''
Lieberth says the new law has cut down dramatically on complaints about aggressive panhandling. But it clearly has done nothing to reduce the number of people standing around with their hands out.
No wonder. Forty grand, tax-free?
Hmmm. With my stock portfolio reduced to a rotting carcass, I figured this might be worth a shot.
Could it really be that easy? Only one way to find out.
License to beg
Now, the concept of a ''panhandling license'' seems absurd. What self-respecting panhandler would apply for a license?
Incredibly, police say about 99 percent of the people they check have one. So I figured I'd better fall in line.
The first step was a trip to the cop shop, where the permits are issued free of charge.
As Lieberth points out, qualifying is not particularly difficult. ''Apparently you did, so that's a pretty clear test that anybody can get one,'' he said.
Funny.
Actually, Dave, in an eerie foreshadowing, I initially was rejected.
I showed up at police headquarters in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon and was directed to a third-floor office. When I got there, I was told drug-testing was being conducted in that office and they didn't want to ''compromise'' the area. Try another time, they said.
Three hours later, I returned and was allowed to compromise their area. After coughing up all kinds of personal information, including a Social Security number and date of birth, I smiled for the camera and was given a temporary badge good for 10 days. If I cleared the background check, I could get a ''permanent'' license good for one year.
Panhandlers also are handed a sheet of paper spelling out the rules — a mere 60 lines of type on one side and 59 on the other — ALL IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
The main restrictions: Stay at least 20 feet away from banks, bus stops, ATMs, sidewalk cafes, schools, churches, Canal Park stadium, the Akron Civic Theatre, Lock 3 Park and the Akron Art Museum.
Being a fair-weather panhandler, I waited for a nice day. That morning, I tore apart a cardboard box and, Magic Marker in hand, vowed to adhere to the rule that says you can't lie about how the money will be used.
I settled on ''Please help the Homeless.'' That was legit because I planned to donate whatever I collected to Access Inc., a local shelter for women and children.
Next, I needed a game plan. I would require not only a high-traffic area but also a place where I could stand on the driver's side of the car. That's easy in England; not so easy here.
An ideal location
A colleague suggested a spot where he had seen other panhandlers: Buchholzer Boulevard and Independence Avenue, immediately west of Chapel Hill Mall. A grassy median and a traffic light supply a captive audience with driver's-side access.
When I arrived, another beggar was already there. The nerve!
His sign, sadly, was more compelling: ''Anything will help. Homeless, hungry, need work.''
I also realized I might be a bit overdressed, despite wearing blue jeans, a cheap knit shirt, sunglasses and a ballcap. (Note to self: Next time, go with the tattered T-shirt.)
Plan B was the eastern edge of the University of Akron campus. A one-way access road that parallels state Route 8 offers a driver's-side patch of real estate at Carroll and Goodkirk.
The juices began to flow. My panhandling debut!
Almost immediately, I began to regret it.
A distinct sociological pattern quickly emerged. When motorists first lay eyes on you, their faces communicate one of two emotions:
• Pity.
• Contempt.
Being on the receiving end of either one isn't much fun.
After the initial eye contact, a third reaction usually kicks in: avoidance. It is amazing how creative people can be when they want to dodge eye-contact. Suddenly, all sorts of things need to be re-arranged on the front seat, in purses or in center consoles.
I stood there for half an hour; it seemed like half a day.
During the entire ordeal, my only donation was a $1 bill, courtesy of a young woman of college age who made the hand-off at about 10 mph.
I attributed my lack of success to my location. College kids are cheap, right?
So it was off to the Wallhaven neighborhood in West Akron, where one lane of eastbound Market Street peels off toward Exchange and Hawkins at a stoplight in front of a muffler shop.
Less than one minute after assuming my position, a middle-age black woman in a rusty car rolled down her window and handed me a crumpled dollar.
Bingo! This must be the spot.
Wrong. Thirty minutes later, my total Wallhaven haul was . . . one dollar.
I did collect some local flavor, though. About midway through, a teenage boy driving in the other direction rolled down his window and screamed, ''Get a [bleepin'] job!''
Truth be told, that was a welcome respite from the alternating looks of pity and disdain.
The bottom line
I returned to the office bemoaning the fact that this idea looked a whole lot better on paper.
''Well,'' offered colleague David Giffels, ''if there's an upside, you're just not pathetic enough.''
Maybe I should have listened to Managing Editor Doug Oplinger, who suggested I could gain a vast amount of sympathy by wearing a shirt with a Merrill Lynch logo.
In any event, I have passed along my hard-earned $2, plus $23 more, to Access Inc., which for 24 years has aided local homeless women and children.
If you really want to help the homeless, that makes a lot more sense than trying to guess whether someone is truly destitute. Just write a check to Access, the Haven of Rest, the Interfaith Hospitality Network or a similar group.
The city recently created another alternative. Two old parking meters have been painted and turned into donation receptacles. Coins deposited in a special green meter inside of Lock 3 Park go to the Haven of Rest ($100 so far after only a couple of months), and donations dropped into a red meter newly placed at Cascade Plaza will be forwarded to the Salvation Army.
Granted, none of this addresses the problem of homeless people who want to be homeless because they're mentally ill. But that's a tougher topic for another day.
One thing is certain: Throwing bills at people who might or might not desperately need them isn't the best strategy.
Those folks will always be out there, because the courts have consistently ruled that begging is protected by freedom of speech. Akron's law is about as restrictive as possible.
Meanwhile, I've come to the conclusion that panhandling is an overrated profession. Sure, it might sound great when your school guidance counselor recommends it, but you'd better do some job-shadowing before you commit.
Video
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
I'm not certain whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I have discovered that I am a terrible panhandler.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Akron, Oh
Posted 06:29 AM, 10/17/2008
look at the way your dressed Ive never seen a begger look so good. change into something that looks ragged and dirty and you will see an improvement.
Posted 07:41 AM, 10/17/2008
The sad part about these panhandlers is that you don't know who's legit or not. I noticed the one guy near by Acme#1 w/nice clothes and an ipod with his sign hiding his face. He definitely does not look homeless at all! I have given a buck or two as a kind gesture. I look at this way if they are in the wrong God will handle it in his/her own way.
Akron, , OH
Posted 08:18 AM, 10/17/2008
Did you donate that dollar, Bob ?
I think bagging food would be better than panhandling.
Maybe your next assignment should be a Congressman for a month. Then you can let us know how they get away with screwing the taxpayer so much. And still keep a job....
Akron, OH
Posted 08:36 AM, 10/17/2008
Dyer, ol' buddy. I think y'all have found a new callin'. Try it for more than a half an hour next time. And good golly, y'all gave $25 whole dollars to a charity to boot. Y'all award winnin' columnists sure are a tad tight with y'alls charitable gifts.
akron, oh
Posted 08:46 AM, 10/17/2008
homeless Men. Don'T wear Polo shirts and new sunglasses. They Guard their warm clothes with a vengeance. You see them with winter coats with them in the summer.
Plus they usually Have long dirty hair and beards.
Not a Clean shave...
Not real accurate with your look. Plus they usually don't have that stupid badge on their shirts.
I am surprised you got anything.
Live on the streets for a month Starting out with $50 on you. Then try Again. I bet you do much better that way. IF you would really like to get the correct effect.
Stow, OH
Posted 08:54 AM, 10/17/2008
Most people won't give because who knows who is legit or not .My wife and i give plenty ,but we know where it is going too.Trust but verify is my motto.
Posted 09:36 AM, 10/17/2008
Hmm, sounds like an Obama tax plan. You make $2 and give up another $23. Forget Joe the plumber, he has already been raped by the media. Now we have Dyer the Columnist. Hope you have a lock on your bloomers
Dalton Ave, Henderson, NV
Posted 09:53 AM, 10/17/2008
@Micheala... you, my friend, are an idiot. Run the numbers. As one half of a married couple making over 100k / year, we pay $750 less under Obama than we do McCain.
The proof is in the numbers...
Dalton Ave, Henderson, NV
Posted 09:54 AM, 10/17/2008
NOTE... that should have been... we WOULD pay $750 less under Obama than we WOULD under McCain
- Ed
Akron, OH
Posted 09:59 AM, 10/17/2008
I think that this was a funny article and really hit home that one should not donate their money (whether it is one dollar or twenty)to someone on the street. They have places that people needing help can go. If their sign says they need money for food, well go to a food bank or a shelter. When I see a guy begging on the corner with an IPod in his ears I think to myself, is that money really going to food or is this person wanting free handouts to buy just about anything. Go to a shelter, we are all struggling to some extent and we help dig ourselves out.
As for the guys who do this everyday for years on out (we have all seen them), in those years they have had plenty of chances to go to a shelter, apply for jobs, find help to find a job....no pitty from me.
Old Faithful, WY
Posted 10:09 AM, 10/17/2008
anyone who gives a panhandler a penny is a fool. how about giving someone who works in a thankless service job a tip? in a perfect world, panhandlers deserve a boot to the skull.
akron, oh
Posted 10:41 AM, 10/17/2008
only the people on here "michaela" would make this about obama........
akron, oh
Posted 10:42 AM, 10/17/2008
and these are some "nice" comments...I don't hear anyone saying, get a job, get off welfare, as they would if he were um, black
Posted 11:09 AM, 10/17/2008
In light of the fact the Beacon Journal continues to force a reduction in its workforce, Dyer's recent experience may actually not be all that far away from future reality.
Akron, OH
Posted 11:33 AM, 10/17/2008
Do not give money to panhandlers!
Donate to charities, etc.
Posted 11:51 AM, 10/17/2008
Ed
Thanks for the kind "Idiot" word. Ah, a true liberal curse for a satirical comment. Don't worry, I get that type of speech from all of my Democratic friends.
Don't let your head explode. Kiss, kiss
Akron, OH
Posted 11:54 AM, 10/17/2008
Who has any money to donate these days?
Posted 11:58 AM, 10/17/2008
Very creative!!! This should be on national news such as CNN. Bob really does look like he should be on the golf course though, and the Merrill Lynch polo shirt probably would have been appropriate... On a sidenote, Akron is very fortunate that we have such local charities as Haven of Rest and Salvation Army for people to contribute to.
Posted 12:47 PM, 10/17/2008
I have a wonderful opportunity sometimes once or twice a month to go to Cleveland to feed the homeless. We go under bridges and to the shelters. One time a group of people we were with stopped randomly because there were people laying outside in a yard of some church ... and we gave food to people who had IPODS (I had some thoughts about that) ... however, when I attended u of a I learned never to give money to anyone who asks for it ... if they are liggett, they will be happy to have food (like our people in cleveland) ... don't judge someone on the streets ... maybe get to know them and hear their story as to why they are on the street.
I think it is silly that Akron has the law where you have to be registered ... I guess maybe to stop the "fakes" or maybe it is to deter people from begging in the city and to keep them off the streets. There are full shelters ... I know the ones in Cleveland are overflowing ... I believe with our economy it will get worse ...
Posted 01:53 PM, 10/17/2008
I am currently living in New York so this story is a stark contrast to my experiences in city. And after experiencing the homeless population in Akron and NY, I'd have to say the city of Akron does well managing its Panhandlers. There's just no way in a city of this size to pass a law to "register" panhandlers. It's almost as if Akron has made panhandling into a registered "profession".
Posted 02:00 PM, 10/17/2008
Instead of putting this gentlemen down maybe you all should read the strory and pay attention to what you just read. Hi is dressed nice bacause he isn't homeless. He is volunteering his time to raise money for the Axcess shelter. Maybe you all should volunteer your time seeing as how you must not have much else to do. This world needs more caring people like him. Try it sometime Give and not always try to receive. God bless
Posted 02:51 PM, 10/17/2008
As a result of all the information about Akron's panhandlers that has been revealed in the ABJ, I no longer even consider giving money to them. I give it to legitimate shelters and food giveaway programs.
Posted 03:31 PM, 10/17/2008
some ideas if you don't want to give money:
carry around gift cards to McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King
keep non perishable foods and blankets in your car
some shelters have business cards, direct the pan handler to the local shelter
I think the reason why our friend wasn't given much money is because either have people who are wise or people who are not compassionate ...
Posted 03:49 PM, 10/17/2008
Another thought....
Maybe, given the current state of the economy, people are being more frugal with their own hard earned dollars to give it to a man who appears does not look homeless.
Posted 04:01 PM, 10/17/2008
to the person who wrote "nice" comments about if he were black. in my 65 years I've been robbed three times by black people, my handicapped son was pushed off his bike it was stollen by a black kid. i'm assuming the people who did thies things didn't have jobs,and they never panhandeled. they did have guns. never been robbed by a panhandler.
The Great City in, OH
Posted 04:03 PM, 10/17/2008
Posted by sonya 11:00 AM, 10/17/2008
Instead of putting this gentlemen down maybe you all should read the strory and pay attention to what you just read. Hi is dressed nice bacause he isn't homeless. He is volunteering his time to raise money for the Axcess shelter. Maybe you all should volunteer your time seeing as how you must not have much else to do. This world needs more caring people like him. Try it sometime Give and not always try to receive. God bless
_____________________________________________
He wasn't volunteering his time to raise money for Access; he was experimenting with a theory.
In his own words he said next time (if ever) he will definitely dress "DOWN".
If he really wanted to raise money for a charity, he would have just wrote a check from the comfort of his easy chair.
Nonetheless, his article and the comments here were an eye opener for me; this one is a keeper!
akron, oh
Posted 06:44 PM, 10/17/2008
With as bad as the ABJ has gotten in the past year, i consider their asking for now .75$ in a form of panhandling. Just say NO.
Akron, Oh
Posted 06:47 PM, 10/17/2008
If you guys would like to give money out, then give it to me. I'm a college student, working part time. I need all the help I can get. Why should these bums get the hand outs when I'm trying to better myself! It's not fair. Why should I go to college, pay for the education, when I could panhandle.
For those of you that give, I say "Give me, the hard working college student, your dollars and your food. Give me, the hard working college student, who is trying to better him self, the free hand outs."
Akron, oh
Posted 07:35 PM, 10/17/2008
People....If you don't give these people money, they will move on and hopefully out of Akron. I am tired of seeing the guy at Merriman and Portage Path. I give him the evil eye everytime I drive by. These lowlifes make Akron look bad (as if it isnt bad enough).
m, m
Posted 07:45 PM, 10/17/2008
ACORN alert !! these guys had to show a SOCIAL SECURITY number to get that licensed. I thought they all were 'disenfranchised' homeless who could not provide that information.
Posted 07:46 PM, 10/17/2008
I would donate the want ads out of the sundays' paper to the panhandlers.
Posted 01:06 AM, 10/18/2008
Have you seen the guy with his big black dog that panhandles the corner of Eastland and Darrow? He has a sign that says help him feed his hungry dog. The dog looks pretty fat and healty to me. Besides the guy dresses pretty clean cut too.
Posted 03:55 AM, 10/18/2008
What is politics doing in this item? Must be the losing side looking for an audience to cry too. Just check last sundays Parade magazine and see how the tax effects you.
akron, oh
Posted 05:54 AM, 10/18/2008
Dyer: " What's with the bad comeover?"
akron, oh
Posted 01:33 PM, 10/18/2008
to john if you are giving a panhandler a dime you are being robbed, one of the panhandlers on tallmadge rouye 8 said he was waiting for his social security card from of all places louisiana that was back in march he's still waiting today go figure, and i do stop and talk to him, i say get a job there are a lot of places that pay under the table (panhandling is one).
Posted 05:18 PM, 10/18/2008
Panhandling is such a scam. I don't have pity for these people at all--it is a CHOICE to be homeless! Everyone has family or friends to stay with unless they have burned their bridges mooching off them! And there are always shelters, churches, and foodbanks to help. There are places to work and get paid the same day you work. I work hard for my money and pay taxes on it! I also have a family to support and when some lazy fool dressed in Nike clothes comes up asking for ".55 cent for bus fare" or ".90 to help an old guy get a drink"--it makes me MAD! When a man 6 ft 4 comes running at you asking you to roll down your window, its threatening when you are 5 ft 2 with a baby in the car! Especially since he corners you at the traffic light shouting thru the window! I can't go to the gas station on the corner or Tallmadge and Main without getting hit up for money by at least 3 people on the way in! It's just rediculous! If you have all day to stand out here and beg hardworking people, then you have time to work a job the old fashioned way and EARN your money like I have to! Mc Donalds is always hiring! Look out for the guy who sits on the Tallmadge Ave exit too--I see him walking down my street all the time carrying beer from Circle K, and now his leg is broken to add to the pity act. Yet he's clean, carries a NEW backpack, NIKE clothes and hat on......HMMMMMMMM.....I actually think he lives right around the corner from me. GET A FREAKIN JOB ALREADY!
akron, oh
Posted 06:43 PM, 10/18/2008
Where can you get a drink for 90 cents?
Posted 09:53 AM, 10/19/2008
For some, this is the only thing they can do. They dont have the mental compacity to hold a job and this is they only way they can make money. They cant handle a real job. Its sad, because they want to live normal but the mental condition does not allow them. Some handlers are for real and this makes it all look like a joke. Not a great story for those who are real.
Posted 08:51 PM, 10/24/2008
The world needs ditch diggers too!!!
