If you have ever been to a bigger city, odds are that you have run into at least one person who is asking for your money.
While some may truly need help through no fault of their own, others do this for a living and can become aggressive if you turn them down or do not give them as much as they want.
There are two ways for how to handle aggressive panhandlers; one is telling them that you have no money to give, while the other is simply ignoring them and hoping they get the hint and walk away. The best way is simply to tell them that you do not have any money on you and keep walking.
Panhandlers are often outside busy shopping areas or at street intersections, asking people for money. Sometimes they can be pretty insistent.
Dealing with these people properly can go a long way in protecting your own safety, as well as possibly saving the person some embarrassment.
Reasons People Panhandle
Several different reasons drive a person to stand on a street corner or busy shopping center. The main reasons can be:
- The person lost their only source of income (work-related).
- The person suffers from a drug or alcohol addiction.
- They want money without having to work.
- The person suffers from a mental disorder.
Out Of Work
There are plenty of people who may have just lost their jobs and need to feed themselves and/or their families.
Sometimes, asking for money is the only way to do that initially.
These are the people who work hard and, for whatever reason, find themselves in the no-win situation of being without a job and without enough money to buy food.
These are typically the people that you can tell are frustrated by the position they are in.
Losing a job is no fun, and not being able to provide for themselves, or potentially a family, can feel degrading at times.
Addictions
This is a group of people that have lost complete control of themselves because of their addiction and can no longer function in any type of workplace.
Drug addictions can get the best of anybody.
You can usually tell if the panhandler is a drug addict because their physical features may look sunk in, or they may have bad skin from abuse.
Those that have addiction issues may or may not be prone to violence, either in outbursts or physical.
Other times they may be meek and mild and simply looking for their next way to buy alcohol or drugs.
Refuses to Work
As sad as it may seem, some people out in the world are simply content with barely getting by.
These are the ones that do not want to work and may represent themselves as being something they are not – like a disabled veteran, for example.
Mental Disorder
Some people who have mental disorders may end up on the streets. This can be due to lack of care or not being able to secure long-term work.
Mental health can also tie into this, as certain events in one’s life can lead to mental breakdowns or lapses in judgment,
Types Of Panhandling
Now that we have the basic model of the main reasons that people panhandle, what about the different types of panhandling?
There are two main types that people employ:
- Passive
- Aggressive
Passive Panhandling
Passive panhandling is what you find when you run across people who are sitting outside of an open business asking for money.
They can also be those people who are standing on a median somewhere, without approaching anyone with a sign asking for money.
These panhandlers are the least of your worries as they do not approach or harass you for your money.
If you decide not to engage them, the best way to deal with them is to continue walking or driving out of the area.
What Is Aggressive Panhandling?
Aggressive panhandling is, well, just like it sounds. This is when a person approaches you and attempts to intimidate or scare you into giving them money.
Additionally, these are the people who will not leave you alone as you walk toward your car or into a business.
These people may be dangerous or may just simply be doing what they can to get you to hand over your money.
How To Deal With Aggressive Panhandlers
As stated above, there are two main ways in which to handle any type of panhandler – one is through letting them know that you have no money to give them.
The other is to simply ignore them altogether.
While either one may work, the best way to deal with any type of panhandler is to let them know that you have no money to give them.
With an aggressive panhandler, they may not accept the fact that you will not give them any money and could continue to harass you until either you give in or they get tired and move on to the next person.
Ignoring any panhandler, especially an aggressive one, may make the situation worse.
This person may go from simply bothering you to get money to becoming irate because they feel less human because you refuse to acknowledge them.
Options
When either of the above fail and the panhandler is still aggressively following you, there are a few different options that you can employ to keep yourself safe.
They are to:
- Flee the area.
- Yell or scream to get the attention of anyone in the area.
- Call the police and keep walking.
Flee
In the worst of scenarios, walking fast or running from the situation may be the best option for you.
It will most likely catch the aggressive panhandler off guard, which will provide you time to get to an area that is more populated where the person will be less likely to continue to harass you.
Call Attention To Yourself
Another option that anyone has with an aggressive panhandler is to yell or scream to get the attention of others that are in the area.
This does two thing. It makes others aware that you need assistance and it will most likely cause the panhandler to flee because they do not want police attention.
Call The Police
While there may be no laws in your area that prohibit people from panhandling, there are plenty of laws everywhere that entitle you to go about your daily life in peace.
If you are being harassed and bothered by an aggressive panhandler, call 911 and keep them on the phone until an officer gets there.
If the panhandler continues to stay while knowing you are on the phone with 911, keep in open communication with the dispatcher so that they are apprised of any changes to your situation.
Most likely, the officers will not be going lights and sirens to get to you as it is not a life or death emergency, but should something change, the dispatcher can let the responding officer know so they can expedite their response.
Should You Give Money To A Panhandler?
You may be wondering if giving money to a panhandler is a good idea. After all, how do you know if they truly need money or if they are just using it to feed whatever addiction they may have?
The answer is, simply, the majority of the time, you will have no idea which type of person you are facing when they are panhandling.
Therefore, there is no clear answer as to whether or not you should give them any money.
If you decide to give a panhandler money, you are either:
- Helping a person who needs it.
- Enabling a person.
If you happen across someone who truly needs the money and you provide them something – then, good for you for helping someone out.
On the other hand, if that person is merely seeking money to feed their addiction, it can have a negative impact.
While this does not specifically answer the question, it can help give you some type of direction.
Usually, the answer is a judgment call for you, based on intuition and what you are seeing and hearing about the person when they are standing in front of you.
How To Tell If A Panhandler Is Lying
Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule to tell for certain if someone is lying about needing money.
However, there are some signs that you can look out for when you see that next panhandler:
- They are clean and seem well-kept
- They have items on their person that a homeless person would not (expensive shoes/sunglasses)
- Watch them to see where they go at the end of the day
The majority of people who need money so desperately that they are willing to stand somewhere and beg most likely will not have the cleanest of appearances.
These are the people whose shirts are dirty, hair a mess, and have other appearances that let you know that they truly need help.
The panhandler may be wearing expensive items of clothing or jewelry that a truly destitute person would not have – such as expensive watches or sunglasses.
While you may think that it’s because they have owned those items for a while, if they did and they were truly desperate, they would have sold those to get money to feed themselves.
Another way to see if a panhandler is lying is to sit by and watch where they go at the end of the day.
Someone who is truly homeless and in need will walk into the woods or somewhere else where they are probably staying.
Someone who is lying will walk to a nicer car parked in the parking lot.
Final Thoughts
Remember, above all else, that people who are asking for money are human beings and should be given the common decency of acknowledging that they exist.
Not all panhandlers are doing it for the wrong reasons.
Keep yourself safe by staying away from panhandlers if you are concerned about your safety, or at the very least, make sure that there are plenty of people around you should something happen.
Be ready to call 911 or flee if the situation warrants, and above all, be safe.
This article does not have affiliate links and is unsponsored. For more details, see my Affiliate Disclaimer.