EDITOR: It needs to be said and said clearly that panhandlers on the roadways are a menace. Their presence creates dangerous situations for drivers. They corrupt the natural flow of traffic, provide distractions to drivers and increase the irritation level of everyone in the area. There is nothing good about this, and it needs to stop.
I just moved to Denver, and I can’t believe that this is allowed. It’s one thing to have it around Five Points — that’s troublesome for its own reasons, but you can avoid that area, and they aren’t hassling motorists who are trying to drive. When is this going to be treated as a traffic hazard and removed?
“Oh those poor people” — give it a rest. First, who is truly needy and who isn’t? Second, there are institutions set up to help those people, and my tax dollars already pay for it. Third, if you want to donate, do it through a legitimate charity. By ‘helping out’ those people you throw spare change to, you are only facilitating and propagating this behavior. Why would they have any motivation to improve themselves and their lives when all they have to do now is grab a lawn chair and a cardboard sign and stand around for a few hours receiving money? Time to wake up.
David Walker
via AuroraSentinel.com