Dealing with panhandlers in Peoria in 2021


As someone who has always enjoyed what I call "urban hiking", I've spent a lot of time around panhandlers, which just means people who are out in public asking for money. And if you're puzzled about what to do with panhandlers, I think that I can help. At least if you're in Peoria, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix) in 2021.

Let's be clear here, asking for money out in public isn't illegal in Peoria. Think about it, if it was, the Salvation Army wouldn't be allowed to ask for donations in front of stores during the holidays. And since you're probably already wondering it, no, being homeless or being a transient isn't illegal either. Well, not in Peoria, Arizona, where I spend most of my time pedaling around nowadays. These things are controlled by the local laws, and are enforced by the City of Peoria police. But if you're considering panhandling, or being a transient, you'd be wise to know that there are several things that can get you in trouble, including being aggressive.

When I lived in Santa Barbara, California in the 1980s, I remember that the panhandlers could often be very aggressive. They would lunge at people who were trying to go into a restaurant, or shout taunts, or sometimes just block the sidewalk. But I rarely went to restaurants, I was usually down by the beach, walking my neighbor's dog. And the panhandlers would look up at me (they were usually sitting leaning against palm trees), ask for spare change, and I learned to acknowledge them, say "No, thank you" and walk on.

Over the past couple of years I've seen more transient people in Peoria. I say good morning to them and pedal on. There's one guy in particular, who always has his shopping cart and a big dog. The dog is on a leash, and if they're blocking the sidewalk, they move out of the way. I have no idea what's going on with them, but it's a free country, and as long as they're not breaking any laws I don't see a problem.

I spoke to a young man out in front of the QT a couple of days ago who described himself as homeless, and very much looked the part. It was a hot day, but he was wearing a wool cap, and I could tell by the way he wore his backpack that it contained stuff that was valuable to him. He didn't ask me for any money, but he let me look at the little sign that he'd made that said "Homeless, donations appreciated" (or something like that). I offered to show him where he could go to get help, and food, at a local non-denominational church, but he politely refused, and we parted on good terms.

I used to see a lot of transient people when I lived in California, and while most of them were what we traditionally think of as "homeless", some were just traveling around, seeing the world, rejecting the rat-race. I would try to see the world through their eyes, but I've always wanted my comfort too much to ever be that free. And I knew that they were human, just like me, and wanted to live their life on their own terms, not hurt anybody, and not get in trouble with the law.
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