Pan-handler fraud here in Louisville

April 11, 2006

TechRepublic’s office here in Louisville is out in the suburbs on the eastern edge of town. So when I was working there I only occasionally saw panhandlers. Pan-handling generally requires interacting with people on foot and out in the ‘burbs people are rarely ever on foot. It’s all about driving the car/SUV/mini-van.

Now that I’m working downtown I’ve had a chance to see a bit more of the local pan-handling crowd. Thankfully not anywhere close to the infestation that San Francisco has–that downtown is so full of pan-handlers they’ve had to pass specific laws to help curb the activity. However there is one similarity in the pan-handling scene of both cities–fraud.

There’s a guy who pan-handles about two blocks from the office where I work, I pass him whenever I’m heading over to 4th Street Live to grab some lunch. He looks pretty awful, and he leans on one of those walkers for support.

Turns out that walker is just set decoration. I had to give a co-worker a ride to the hospital this afternoon (not anything bad, his wife is going into labor and unfortunately she had their one car so he needed somebody to give him a lift to the hospital). On my way back I happen to pass that pan-handler as he’s walking down the sidewalk, carrying that walker in one hand. Clearly doesn’t need the walker at all, he’s just using it to try and evoke sympathy.

The bastard. And to think I actually gave him money once. I figured that kind of fraud only happened in big cities like San Francisco. Well now I know better, I’m going to stop giving money to the local pan-handlers.

I’m such a sucker for a sad story, even when it’s a fake.