Another Admiral Beez rant against panhandlers

[Admiral Beez]

Roadside panhandlers

Every day I drive home from the west end, I exit from the Gardiner at Jarvis, and head along Lakeshore and up Parliament to Cabbagetown. Almost every day while I wait for my light at the bottom of Jarvis and the
Lakeshore, I encounter several people walking up and down the rows of stopped cars holding out cups, trying to make eye contact and begging for money.

My understanding is that the Safe Streets Act and Highway Traffic Act prohibit solicitation of persons on roadways. Thus, I was always perplexed by the lack of police enforcement, particularly as 51 Division is
just a few blocks away. Meanwhile, motorists, trapped in their cars waiting for traffic must avoid the fellows, roll up their windows and wonder how this is permitted when the law prohibits roadside solicitation. When tourists visit Toronto from the Niagara border or anywhere west, they will often come down the Jarvis exit on their way to a sports event, theatre show or a downtown hotel, and roadside solicitation is the last thing our tourists need to see.

Thus, I was very pleased to see two bicycle mounted police officers on Wednesday this week stopping the two panhandlers from roadside soliciting and I believe issuing tickets. Of course the panhandlers were back
yesterday, as enforcement is not consistent, but I was still pleased with Wednesday's events.

How can we let the police know that their work on this corner is important, and appreciated? How can we achieve consistent and regular enforcement in order to rid Jarvis/Lakeshore of this problem? Should I call my local police department, or my local city counsellor?

 

[lordmandeep]

How can we let the police know that their work on this corner is important, and appreciated?

]


call the local division or talk to the police officers themselves...

i believe our laxed approach has made Toronto and even Vancouver a new hum for panhandlers...

 

[Tuscani01]

What is ticketing these people going to do?

What a joke. They probably went back to panhandling the next day to pay off their ticket from the previous day, lol.

 

[ShonTron]

The nametags make it easier to identify officers for either complaints or complements.

The last direct contact with the police was several years ago when I was a passenger in a car in a collision with a tractor-trailer making an unsafe lane change on the 401. The OPP already had name tags, the cop was great, so I made a complement towards the officer at the Port Credit OPP detachment, and only was able to do so thanks to the nametag.

I would not be one, however, to compliment the police for merely ticketing a homeless individual for panhandling.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I would not be one, however, to compliment the police for merely ticketing a homeless individual for panhandling.

Panhandling, does NOT automatically make them homeless.

Unfortunately ticketing is all we've got, since you can't be thrown in jail for panhandling, at least on your first few offenses.

 

[AndreaPalladio]

Dear Officer,

Thank you for harrassing people because they're poor, instead of spending your time on serious matters, like murder, illegal gun ownership, or say, the rampant corruption within the Toronto Police force.

 

[markel]

Dear Andrea,

Since you are wording letters, how would you word the letter to the victim of the gentleman that was killed by the panhandler a few weeks back?

While I agree that the poor and homeless are a large issue in T.O. lets not assume all these panhandlers are poor and homeless.

Just last week there was a pan-handler on Bathurst and Front wearing bright white Nike's, and a Guess jacket. Poor my arse!

 

[Urban Shocker]

A public inquiry - rather than allowing the police to investigate themselves - would be the best way to deal with the problem of police corruption.

 

[poomar]

so what? it's a free country--they can choose to hang around on the street and you can choose not to give them any of your money if you find it offensive that they might own some of the same possessions as you do.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

i hope they do something about those UNICEF kids that come to my door every year always asking for change. they're really starting to piss me off. it's like clockwork, every october 31st they bust my chops. i think they might be satanists or something. they're all dressed up in evil clothing. i think they use the money in some kind of ritual and possibly to buy drugs for kids in africa. and while they're asking, they're all hopped up on stimulants and popping some kind of pills called rockets. i think it some new form of LSD.

i always tell them to get a job. you don't see the kids in china & africa asking for money at peoples doors. they have real jobs. they work in the coal and diamond mines. they're not going around like hippies on the 31st.

 

[lordmandeep]

so what? it's a free country--they can choose to hang around on the street and you can choose not to give them any of your money if you find it offensive that they might own some of the same possessions as you do.
Reply With Quote

NOT UNLESS THEY START to threaten the security and safety of people working and living downtown and they do....


Any regular person would be thrown in jail, while we let them do what ever they wish.


Its a serious issue, if a person gets yelled at by a panhandler that person may not come to downtown as often...

your all bunch of bleeding hearts!!

bleed your hearts for the people who deserve it....

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

NOT UNLESS black guys START to threaten the security and safety of people working and living downtown and they do....


Any regular person would be thrown in jail, while we let the black guys do what ever they wish.


Its a serious issue, if a person gets yelled at by a black guy that person may not come to downtown as often...

your all bunch of bleeding hearts!!

bleed your hearts for the people who deserve it....

i hope you understand the point i just made. if you substitute a group of people with another in this argument, you can see how shortsighted it gets.


what's the real problem? panhandling? homelessness? or aggressive behavior?

 

[Admiral Beez]

what's the real problem? panhandling? homelessness? or aggressive behavior?

Illegal panhandling, in contravention of the Highway Traffic Act and Safe Streets Act that prohibit roadside solicitation. There's no hidden agenda here. I see the lawbreakers almost every day, and saw the law being enforced last week, and want it consistently enforced.

IMO, the vast majority of the Jarvis-Lakeshore roadside panhandlers come from the Gateway Salvation Army shelter on Jarvis, with the rest coming from the other shelters up on Jarvis and Sherborne. I believe a large portion of the tenants of these shelters do not come from the City of Toronto, but come from all over the country. Thus, these shelters serve as a magnet to the country's downtrodden, but the shelters take no responsbility for their affect on the area. Perhaps it's time to make the shelters accountable for the illegal activities of those they house? If I rent out my house to a group of people and they commit crimes against my neighbours (such as contravening the HTA and SSA), I imagine I could be held liable for putting the area at risk.

 

[Admiral Beez]

i hope they do something about those UNICEF kids that come to my door every year always asking for change.

Wake up, UNICEF cancelled the hallowe'en collection by kids back in early 2006.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

markel:

Since you are wording letters, how would you word the letter to the victim of the gentleman that was killed by the panhandler a few weeks back?

I believe the last thing this person was is a "gentleman", if media reports are to be trusted. That aside, the law already allows for punishment for those who kill - and pandhandling wasn't the issue - physical harm leading to death is.

So the letter should go as - sorry to hear about your loss - the responsible parties will be brought to justice as per the laws. However, your (insert familal relationship here) was a fool to taunt others to start off with - what makes you think doing it to others on the street is an okay, compared to other locales like bars, pubs, etc?

Illegal panhandling, in contravention of the Highway Traffic Act and Safe Streets Act that prohibit roadside solicitation. There's no hidden agenda here. I see the lawbreakers almost every day, and saw the law being enforced last week, and want it consistently enforced.

Indeed. Let's start with consistent and complete crackdown of all drivers who violate speed limits.

AoD