Panhandling in Northampton is certainly a complex issue and I appreciate the mayor’s office’s efforts to find a viable solution.
I am aware that people have different views about how to go about finding one. More likely it will involve a set of different solutions.
While I agree with the point made by city councilors Alisa Klein and Maureen Carney that we should not just make the panhandlers “go away” as this would be lacking in compassion for those who find themselves in the fringes of a capitalistic society, I disagree with their stance that the Panhandling Work Group should be dissolved (“In defense of panhandling,” May 10).
Gun-rights owners often use the Second Amendment to argue that they have the right to own guns but sensible people think that there should be limits to what kind of guns can be procured (for the record, I am against the ownership of guns no matter what, but am all for stricter regulations).
In the same way, I feel that while panhandling is protected by the First Amendment, so do I believe that there are certain limits to panhandling. And what are such limits? When it begins to affect the foot traffic in downtown Northampton, thus affecting businesses; when Pulaski Park starts to be filled with litter, and its beauty and tranquility for which it was built disappears; or when downtown residents and visitors start to feel harassed by certain panhandlers.
Stating that we should simply accept that certain people make a living off the sidewalk and that the sidewalk is home to them does not reflect a willingness to see the issue from all sides. Other residents in downtown Northampton also feel that they have the right not to be harassed by panhandlers in their own backyard. Businesses have the right to expect the city to make sure they stay afloat, if not profitable.
There’s also the issue of the homeless. While imperfect, the survey conducted by the Panhandling Work Group at least presents and asks the survey-taker to weigh in on a variety of approaches to this issue that has dogged the community for years now.
I agree with the two councilors that the panhandlers should have a say on how this issue is to be resolved. I hope that they help the city find a way to carry this out.
More importantly, I hope that together as a community we can find real compassionate solutions that would integrate everyone, including at-risk populations, into our vibrant and humane city. It does not help us to see this as an “us” versus “them” issue.
Richard Chu
Northampton