I don’t usually give things out either, because my philosophy was that you should be able to find public resources for the things you need (food stamps, via a formal shelter etc), and that protected my safety as a young woman.
But then recently, this new guy I’m dating is super generous to the homeless, I think because he had a period in his life where things were really hard when it came to finances. I’ve learned a lot of compassion from him, I think. Part of stopping to give some cash for him is also to interact with that human and show them some dignity by looking them in the face, and also asking about how they are doing. And often times if he has extra food with him (often Costco hotdogs, because those things are so good, you can’t just buy one haha) he will share those too.
One of my other friends from college didn’t specifically give things to panhandlers, but was the type of guy who would definitely give you the shirt off of his back.
I’m usually more hesitant to do these things, so it does make me stop and reflect on myself and my morals when I meet people who give so freely, even when they often don’t have the means or less means than me.
That said, I also just (well almost a year ago) took my friend into my apartment for a year when she was about to become homeless, and her two cats and her homeless boyfriend. I remember my boyfriend (who I had just started seeing at the time) got moved to tears when I told him about it (again, probably because he has been there or close to there himself in the past). Unfortunately I don’t have the resources to also help her find a job or find better housing, so now that our one year lease agreement is coming upon an end, we are having a real conundrum about what to do when my lease is up for renewal.
It’s a slightly different situation than giving something to someone randomly panhandling on the street, since I have know her for years and years, but I do think we’re all one big community and one human race and we should watch out for each other. And I learned a lot of homelessness after I met my friend’s boyfriend and learned a little about what he went through that caused him to be unhoused, and also from watching him blossom from a shell of a person when he was out on the street, to becoming much more confident and functional when my friend originally took him in, and then also when he had been living with me now for the recent year.
Anyway, the ticket in the video in the OP is clearly sending the wrong message. A warning, some education, is fine, but a large fine seems ridiculous and it doesn’t solve the real problem which might be that we need more affordable housing, more social services/more well run and accountable systems to help individuals who are in difficult situations.
