For Mike, making ends meet is a challenge every day.
A panhandler on Ninth Street, the 53-year old Durham citizen, who declined to give his last name, said he started asking for money on the streets because he was unable to find work and needed income for day-to-day expenses.
"[People] need to see what is going on in the streets," Mike said Monday night. "If a person asks someone politely for a helping hand, what's wrong with that?"
Mike said that he has not been able to find employment because of the challenges involved in finding work while homeless. "It is hard because all the jobs are on the outskirts and if you don't have transportation you don't get there," he said, adding that lack of proper clothes also contributed to interview difficulties.
The situation of panhandlers like Mike in Durham county is at a crossroads. The Durham City Council discussed enacting a ban on roadside alms solicitation at its meeting Tuesday evening, but was unable to come to a permanent conclusion on the issue--another proposal is already in the works. Consensus in the community is equally hard to find.
"Certainly there are ethical dimensions to [anti-solicitation measures]," said Allen Buchanan, professor of public policy. "A lot of people worry that you are reinforcing self-destructive behavior." He noted that anti-solicitation measures are commonly viewed as a means for encouraging employment as a source of income.
However, not all arguments for anti-solicitation initiatives are based on charitable concerns.
"Often the demeanor of panhandlers is thought to be repulsive to people," Buchanan said. "Where do you draw the line between behavior that is socially harmful and that which is offensive?"
Although citizens have failed to speak with a unified voice on this particular issue, some local businesses have expressed frustration with the city's inaction.
"There is nothing I can really do because every time I call the police they don't do anything," said Leo Rodriguez, manager of Cosmic Cantina in Durham. "It is definitely a city issue.... [Panhandling] really damages our business."
Rodriguez said customers are sometimes scared to walk outside and have complain that individuals soliciting money are too aggressive. "When customers don't give them money they insult them and cuss at them," he said.
Mike argued that police should re-direct efforts to theft and other such crimes. "The law is forcing their way on homeless people," he said. "[Anti-solicitation efforts] are just ignorant."
Durham's effort to ban panhandling has become a hot topic for debate in the Triangle and coincides with pushes in surrounding municipalities to enact ordinances cracking down on begging.
The number of people soliciting alms in Durham has risen steadily over the last two years. The increased presence of panhandlers in Durham County coincided with Chapel Hill's enactment of a more stringent policy.
Chapel Hill continued its crackdown last May when it prohibited panhandling on roadsides and medians. This measure added to the momentum that has been building among Durham community leaders for an amendment.
Durham's current policy is considered the most lenient in the Triangle. Raleigh and Chapel Hill have restrictions on nighttime begging, and in Raleigh, panhandlers must have a soliciting license.
The Durham roadside ban has been met with opposition primarily on the grounds that it would also encompass vendors and people soliciting money for charities or businesses. The city council postponed the discussion on banning panhandling at their Aug. 18 meeting after the Herald-Sun of Durham newspaper protested that the ban should exclude their roadside vendors and a similar stumbling block was encountered at Tuesday's meeting.
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