Proposed Panhandling Bill Hawaii County

[Frank Underscore Black]

I don't know so much about Pahoa, though I've spent quite a bit of time there over the years- but in Kona there sometimes are some pretty aggressive panhandlers. I saw someone here suggested telling them "no". That's a good way to handle it- the cops rarely enforce ordinances like this anyhow. I take this route this sometimes, but on more than one occasion the panhandler's response has been pretty derogatory, and one time I actually ended up having to physically sit the guy down and tell him that he's overstepping his bounds, and that he is going to find himself in a really bad spot if he doesn't stop.

The problem with some panhandlers is that (like any demographic) some of them can be really dumb and really nasty. Others can be kids looking to buy a pack of smokes, a local drunk looking to get a bottle of wine- whatever. But it only takes a couple bad apples to bring down the whole cart.

Truth be told, I was homeless once- for over a year, back in 81-82, and I know where they think they are coming from. But coming from the standpoint of one who has been there, if I owned a business I'd be really pissed about someone harassing my customers for spare change.

I have to wonder what happened to the local boys who used to regulate this island pretty well. I know where some of them are but there is really not much of a new guard- none that have any kind of standards. Everyone is too busy drinking and drugging to watch over their home, yeah? Sad.