Walk With Confidence Past Panhandlers

On our way into the office we just saw a guy packing in a saxophone at 1st and Marion downtown. "Too damn cold," he said. Luckily we read the Seattle Times's "Just say no to panhandlers?" article over the weekend about a brochure that downtown businesses will distribute to shoppers and knew not to deal with him. Instead of commiserating with a fellow human being out in the sharp air we clutched our Nordstrom bags close and stared off into the distance, pretending like we hadn't heard him. What panhandler?

From the Seattle Times:

The brochure also provides a list of human-service agencies to which people may donate as an alternative to giving to panhandlers. It is targeted at panhandlers, too — providing information on where and when they can get free meals or other help.

Designed to discourage panhandling by making it less lucrative, the brochure is eliciting mixed reactions among homeless advocates and others who serve that population.

Bill Hobson, executive director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center, has seen the draft brochure and says its overall content appears reasonable and is consistent with his own practices. Hobson is a member of a human-services task force organized by the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA).

We can't wait to see this brochure.