It’s a typical late summer afternoon in downtown Athens, less than a week into the fall semester. Quiet but for the sounds of slow-moving traffic, subdued conversations at outdoor cafes or while strolling to a favorite spot; quiet but for the soft guitar-strumming of street performers. As is usual, downtown Athens draws people together in its mellow, friendly way. A mix of fresh-faced students, workers on midday break, shoppers, and a few panhandlers, all sharing the public space.
“It is no accident that public streets and sidewalks have developed as venues for the exchange of ideas,” wrote Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts in a 2014 ruling regarding the right to freedom of speech. The sidewalks – of Athens or any other town – are not just pathways to get from one place to another. They provide a setting for social exchange and a sense of community. Encounters between patrons of downtown establishments and panhandlers are among those.
My focus within this downtown beat will be indigent individuals among us and intersections of their lives with society around them. My intent is to peer through multiple lenses, including views of downtown business owners, visitors to Athens, and local residents, as well as through the eyes of the homeless and panhandlers in our community.
I am motivated to pursue these topics for several reasons. One is relevance of the issue at this time, given a recent Supreme Court ruling. Another is my interest in disparities of wealth and power and how they play out in people’s lives. And additionally, I see this topic as an opportunity to explore commonalities across the human condition – our shared needs for belonging and inclusion as well as human fallibility that inflicts us all. It should be fun! Really – I do not intend for this to be a depressing series of articles but one that sheds insights on various aspects of the issue.
This is what I know thus far:
- There are not reliable estimates of the number of homeless individuals in our community at any given time. A “point in time” measure is taken yearly by counting known or observed homeless individuals on a particular night in January. This measure does not include anyone in an unobservable location at the time. On January 27, 2016, 225 homeless people were counted in Athens Clarke County, a figure nearly identical to that of 2015 (which stood at 226) and was down by approximately 8.5% from 2014 (when it was 247).
- Panhandlers are not necessarily homeless. Estimates of the percentage of panhandlers who are also homeless vary greatly, making generalizations difficult. The highest estimate has been 82%, determined through a study done in the San Francisco area in 2013. Most other estimations are much lower.
- It is difficult to determine the amount of money panhandlers take in, again with wide variations reported. A commonly cited mid-range figure is $20-$50 per day but this cannot be substantiated.
- Panhandlers can take different approaches to solicit donations. These approaches are broadly categorized as “aggressive” or “nonaggressive”. Aggressive methods include acts such as calling out to passersby and following individuals to ask for money. Nonaggressive panhandling can take the form of holding a sign, sitting silently with a collection cup, or performing for donations.
- The public at large and business owners are understandably most concerned with aggressive methods, but any form of panhandling may have some impact on businesses in a downtown area.
- Most municipalities have anti-panhandling ordinance, as does Athens. Section 3-15-1 of the Athens-Clarke county code of ordinances bans aggressive panhandling but does not prohibit nonaggressive panhandling. This is consistent with many municipalities across the nation.
- Anti-panhandling laws are now in jeopardy of being overturned by courts because of a recent Supreme Court decision regarding free speech. By extension of principles cited in that case, anti-panhandling ordinances in almost any form would be unacceptable to the courts. Although Athens anti-panhandling ordinance remains on the books, it may be subjected to challenge.
- A sociological perspective of panhandling looks at solicitors’ acts as attempts to gain not only donations but are also to overcome the “nonperson” status often accorded to indigents. The acts, then, are categorized as narrative dramas played out for passersby to take notice. This perspective offers an appealing journalistic approach because of its inherent “storytelling” nature.