If you’re nice, you’ll tell this panhandler that she and her pony dreams aren’t getting shit from you.
And to think, all this time you thought you were just being a heartless bastard, and you were really being a civic leader! Go you!
From this morning’s Plain Dealer:
If a panhandler holds out his hand for help, walk on by.
Yes, it sounds cold. But the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving Cleveland’s downtown, is passing out fliers to downtown businesses and apartment residents with the message “Don’t Give Where It Can’t Help.”
So just say no, or, if you’re feeling frisky, try asking the panhandlers if they have any spare change. That usually throws them off. — Joe P. Tone
This article appears in Aug 15-21, 2007.