Begging and panhandling: an age-old tradition

By David Farside
Farsidian2001@yahoo.com

The City of Reno is finally addressing aggressive panhandling on their city streets. It’s about time. Last week the RGJ did a story covering the concerns of the city and prospective from the beggars themselves.

According to “Wikipedia” begging is the request for something, by someone who will suffer emotional or physical harm if his request is not met. The problem is, the beggars downtown are threatening physical harm to anyone who doesn’t give them a handout.

Reno resident, Scott Quigley, was walking in the downtown casino area where he was spit on by a beggar because he refused to give him money. Quigley said, “They act like you have to give them something. It’s robbery.” He’s concerned the casino’s “ are going to lose all the tourist trade because of these guys.”

I remember years ago the RSCVA surveyed tourist in downtown Reno. In response to the questionnaire they complained about Reno’s homeless, prostitutes, beggars and dirty streets. At least they have cleaned up some of the filth on the streets.

It could be argued that in a free-market capitalist society, begging is one of only three ways to survive. Selling labor and living on income-investments are the other two. One of the arguments for the security of a socialist economy is that less people suffer the humility of begging. As an example: there are few visible signs of beggars on the public streets in Cuba. Instead, most people live secure under the same political blanket of poverty.

But not all Reno beggars live in poverty. Thomas Hogan who begs daily on the sidewalk between Fitzgerald’s and the Eldorado said he has made as much as $300 a day panhandling. That is almost four times poverty level income.

The RGJ reported that some proposals for eliminating panhandling in downtown include: more aggressive police presence on the streets. , extra jail time for repeat offenders. , posted signs asking the public not to give handouts to panhandlers and possibly, privatizing city streets and sidewalks. Mayor Bob Cashell ruled out privatizing the streets because of the threat of ACLU lawsuits, maybe Cashell should examine what other communities have done to eliminate the problem.

Although constitutionally, the supreme court has not banned begging on the streets some cities and governments have created and enforced their own ordinances prohibiting panhandling.

In Canada aggressive or abusive panhandling has been outlawed. The safe streets act was introduced in the province of Ontario in 1999. The law survived court challenges to the Canadian charter of rights and freedoms in 2001. It was upheld and approved by the Ontario court of appeal in January of 2007. British Columbia followed Ontario’s example and passed its own safe streets act in 2005.

Here in the United States, Orlando Florida passed an ordinance in 2004, requiring beggars to obtain a permit from the police department. They are not allowed to beg in the downtown core of business and they cannot solicit within 50 feet of a bank or ATM. It is also a crime if the panhandler doesn’t use the money to buy that cup of coffee he begged the money for. Even though it is an unenforceable law, that sounded like a good idea to me.

In Santa Cruz, California, beggars can only “spange” in designated areas and have to be a certain distance from the door of any business. Spanging is a form of begging specifically requesting spare change from the donor.

Begging is a tradition among religious cults. It has always been thought that a person who gives alms to a spiritual believer, gains religious credits.

The Christians are prompted to give alms to the poor by something Christ taught. When he talked about prostitutes, criminals and beggars he said, “ I am the least of these.” Meaning that giving to people despised in society was like giving to Christ himself.

Today, Catholic priests and nuns live in so-called poverty financed by alms to the church. The pope also lives on the alms he begs for in the holy city of gold chalices, the Vatican. He probably didn’t read what Christ said about being the least among us.

The Hindu spiritual seekers beg for food and shelter. Working is a materialistic distraction on the spiritual path. So, rather than work they beg, which promotes human humility and spiritual gratitude. It also gives them more time to beg.

In some Hindu sects, old men give up their material possessions and become wanderers spending their last years seeking the ascetics of enlightenment. Villagers give them food and basic necessities to gain religious merit.

Buddhism has similar beliefs. Monks and nuns live by begging in the tradition of Gautama Buddha who was a beggar. The lay people gain religious merits, similar to the Hindu and Christian followers for their donations.

Begging is one of the oldest traditions in human history. Charities have organized begging to the highest form. Religions have begged for alms since the time of Moses and the poor have panhandled ever since god created man.

Reno doesn’t have to create any new laws to eliminate panhandling or aggressive beggars on their streets. All they have to do is enforce current laws and ordinances prohibiting solicitation, loitering, extortion, vagrancy and physical assault.

But just a thought. If begging pays us $300 a day, provides free room and board or a life of papal luxury, maybe we should all join with the Buddhist, Hindus and the pope in that age-old tradition of panhandling.