Panhandling

It is a sad state of affairs that panhandling has increased. It is one of those issues that bring the righteous on both sides of the fence out. The city council is trying to figure out how to get a handle on the panhandling. They fear legal retribution but at the same time want to make the tourist feel better for coming here. When I first moved to Bend in 1988 there were no panhandlers....heck Frank wasn't even playing the coffee shop circuit back then. He might have still been in the military??? But in the last 10 years there has been an increase and in the last 2 years all manner of panhandlers have come out of the closet.

One of our councilmen says the panhandlers are not the working poor ,who in the recent economic downturn have been forced to it, but are people who have never worked. I am not sure he has his facts straight.

I do know that I rarely give money to panhandlers but use my extra cash for the guy who pumps gas or waitress. I'd rather buy a cup of coffee for the person holding a sign on a corner or tip the car wash kid...or my newspaper delivery person.

The panhandler has the right to be here as long as he or she is not endangering others. So the person who stands on the medium of Hwy 97 and Mt. Washington drive needs to be escorted to a different corner...too dangerous for them and the drivers. The city council doesn't want the tourists or locals to feel uncomfortable. I, on the other hand want to feel uncomfortable...and I want you to feel uncomfortable also. For it is this discomfort that bring in our visual field the hardship of others and although uncomfortable I like knowing that I have feelings for all kinds of people and that because of those feelings I extend my hand to people I see along my way. I support food banks and have in past times made sandwiches and served those whose only meal may come at a soup kitchen. I hope the discomfort makes people work to find a way to help one another that doesn't mean arresting the panhandler.

So today I had the dreaded job of taking the recycle cans to the store. I hadn't done it in months and had at least $15 worth of cans. I normally go to the Safeway on the westside because their recycle area is clean....but for some reason I pulled into the old Albertsons. I wasn't even sure where their recycle area was. I backed in and when I got out of the car a man approached me. He said, "I am sorry my life has come to this, where I have to ask for help. But if you could let me have your cans I can recycle them for you and you can help me." SWEET! I told him deal! He helped me unload the 3 big bags and as he thanked me, I in turn thanked him. Thank god I decided to stop at Albertsons because in helping him I saved myself from sticky hands, hot recycle area and an hour of time. Panhandlers can be saviors.