I am a generous fellah, I like to give…I am a giver. So when I see a dude on the street that is down on his luck I feel compelled to give him something. I have given dudes a PB&J, a banana, a fruit bar, a greens bar which did not go over well, and last but not least money. I don’t know about you, but giving makes me feel good. I don’t think there is another feeling like it in the world. I am sure that is the way God intended it to be, giving is magical and will be helpful to both parties involved.
I can remember giving to a dude on the side of the street on a cold day and no sooner after we had exchanged greetings the poor dude was on the ground being arrested by the police. I know there are laws and licenses that need to be followed, but seriously the dude was not being forceful at all. But the police sure knocked him down pretty hard, like he had just got out of a car that they had been pursuing for 20 miles. It must be some kind of initiation for the new cops, I can hear the conversation now (let’s drift into our imagination for a bit).
You have two cops in a car, the old cop says to the rookie “you ready for your first take down?”, to which the rookie says, “yeah, sure” followed by a hard swallow. Then…
Old cop: “you need to arrest the bum over there for pan handling without a license.”
Rookie: “Ok, but he doesn’t seem to be doing anything wrong?”
Old Cop: “are you afraid?”
Rookie: “no”.
Old cop: “then take him down, boy”.
Rookie: “ok”.
The take down ensues, the bum is booked on pan handling without a license, which can be a good thing if it’s cold outside since you get 3 square meals and a bed in jail. So it is a way for both the rookie and the bum to get warmed up as it were, but still I think it is a little crazy. I can see it as a bother if the dude is following people around at a shopping mall but on the side of the street they seem to be harmless especially when they are merely holding a sign.
I think the problem could be solved if we were permitted to carry guns, then the pan handler would think twice if he was going to rob you because you have a gun on your hip. Then again, I think guns solve lots of problems, I am partial to the feel of cold steel on my hip.
So if you are looking to give to the poor, help out a local charity or church group, this will prevent a fellah from getting locked up for asking or receiving money from you. If you have trust issues with an organization, just think of what would happen if you just gave money to a homeless man, he is just looking for a good time, so whores and 40’s is where it’s at.
Happy giving!