Recently our nephew John, a doctoral student at Clemson, visited Raleigh for a chemistry symposium.  When asked about his impressions of the Downtown, the first thing he mentioned was the number of people who approached him on the street, asking for money.  He is not alone in his feeling of discomfort at being confronted by requests for change.  District Captain Kevin Craighead of the Raleigh Police Department mentions that panhandling is the most common concern expressed by Downtown residents.  See our previous post “DLA Helps Draft Panhandling Ordinance”.

Many have gotten involved in this issue over time.  As early as March 2000, a newsletter of the Historic Glenwood Residents Association discussed possible approaches that residents and businesses could take to meet the growing challenges posed by vagrants displaced from center city park benches and drawn to the development in Glenwood South, “Street people, OUR Neighborhood, YOUR Business”. The emphasis has often focused on employing legal means to control this invasion on our sense of safety and well being.  Ordinances are in place which require licensing for solicitation and restrict distances from businesses, bank machines and bus stops, as well as limiting hours to after 8AM and before 8PM.

But there is another way to greet panhandlers.

As a past resident of several large cities, including London and Philadelphia, I’ve noticed a different, more inclusive attitude toward street people.  In fact, there was a man named Earl who spent each day at the bottom of the steps that joined our Philadelphia condo building to the underground train terminal.  As business commuters passed by him, I noticed that people would greet him by name.  “Hey, Earl!”  “Hi, Earl.  Your cold better today?”  Over time, I started taking leftovers downstairs to Earl, and especially fruit, which he told me he loved.  One day when he wasn’t there, I left bananas and apples at the 7-Eleven near his post, and the clerk promised to give them to Earl when he returned.

I learned from these people that there was another way to greet panhandlers.  Not everyone gave Earl money or food, but most were influenced by the friendliness shown to him.  I would say that the greetings that flew his way actually gave us all a sense of community that might not have existed otherwise in that stream of suits that came and went by the clock.  I decided then that the bare minimum I could offer anyone was to look them in the face and simply see them.

Something funny happened when I started to do that.  I felt safer.  I didn’t need to worry any more about that feeling of dread that used to wash over me as someone approached.  I didn’t offer them money, but I also didn’t let our interaction steal our dignity.

I believe that our fear in the economic downturn has increased our avoidance of panhandlers.  As many have faced job losses and increased financial hardships, we see in them what visits us in our worst nightmares.  We have an opportunity here to express compassion for ourselves through witnessing them with kindness.

How do we do that in a way that keeps us safe, and doesn’t promote panhandling?  The Downtown Raleigh Alliance suggests giving money not to individuals, but organizations that provide support like the Raleigh Rescue Mission, the Salvation Army, Urban Ministries and The Healing Place.

So one scenario might be:

Hey, you got some spare change so I can get a hamburger?

No, but I do contribute to _________, and I know that they have services that could help.

There are those who go over the line.  If you feel in danger, contact a Safety Ambassador (919-368-7962) or call 911 to dispatch the Raleigh Police Department.  But there is a distinction to be made, so that you don’t feel blanketed by anger and annoyance each time you’re approached.  This is part of our choice in living Downtown.  In the suburbs, we segregated with others who shared our backgrounds and we looked at the rest of the world through our windshields.  But by choosing to live Downtown, we choose face-to-face diversity that sometimes creeps into the shadowed places we’ve avoided, including in ourselves.   Sometimes that feels uncomfortable, undeniably, yet it also comes with possibility.

I sat with City Councilman Thomas Crowder at a luncheon for Artsplosure today and I mentioned urban living as the new frontier.  His Downtown district covers diverse economic and social backgrounds.  We all have the opportunity to rise together above old fears and judgments.  There is so much potential on these streets, and we can all be part of it by embracing our commonality and discovering solutions together.

The change we seek can start, one greeting at a time.

For additional information developed by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance go to www.PromoteRealChange.com