The Tucson Weekly office has been in the northwest area for almost two years, so I’m familiar with the the panhandlers in the medians. I can’t say I enjoy seeing people day after day, hanging out, usually holding signs asking for cash identifying themselves as veterans or single moms, or other desperate situations.

I’m usually not one to roll down the window and hand out cash, and quite often I think to myself that saying, something like, “There but for the grace of God go I.” I’m a single mom, who primarily lives paycheck to paycheck. There are nights that I think to myself that that could be me. I don’t have much of a safety net and my support system is pretty minimal. I’m also someone who is fiercely independent and not one to ask for help. Last week, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of new regulations on dealing with panhandlers on traffic medians. I guess I should be happy that I won’t have to avoid making eye contact with panhandlers as often as I do now, nor think of my own high-wire act, but I’m not. Mostly, I find myself disappointed that we can never come up with more creative or real solutions to the problems that create these situations to begin with.

Years ago, I worked in Seattle. I took a year off to focus on freelancing and I also snuck in some time to volunteer with a new organization called Real Change. Its mission was to produce a newspaper that homeless people in Seattle could sell, keeping a portion of their profits and some of it to help the newspaper support itself. A few homeless people produced the content and different writers, some professional and some with a love for the written word, produced other stories. The goal was to create a product that people wanted to pick up—something worth the spare change people were asking, panhandlers turned newsies. It worked.

Back then, mid-’90s, homeless newspapers were an idea many large city organizations embraced and produced. I know in this day and age it’s considered crazy to start a new publication given the state of media, but perhaps this would be different. Perhaps it would offer folks a source of cash, a voice and a point of pride. Does something like this address all the safety issues brought up at that first town hall meeting? Probably not. There are always going to be a few bad apples, but rather than moving the panhandle-herd to another area or take up the sideawalks with more people, let’s think creatively or arrive to real solutions. Maybe it’s time for a Real Change here in Tucson?

— Mari Herreras, mherreras@tucsonweekly.com

This article appears in May 26 – Jun 1, 2016.

7 replies on “Editor’s Note”

  1. “There’s always going to be a few bad apples?” Funny you don’t apply your theory to him ownership.

  2. What, pray tell, do you mean by “him ownership”?

    Seriously, is this an acronym that means something besides “health insurance manual”?

  4. Mari, Good share!
    Tucsons wonderful weather is part of the homeless attraction. As we are not likely to see freezing conditions often, nor do we get much rain, Tucson seems to always face this issue. What’s the answer!? What does our community want to do for / with them?! How much of our resources do we pour into other solutions and what do we sacrifice instead!? I like the idea of a homeless paper, but I’ll be very honest n that I’m not reading it. Although, I would be intrigued to learn about why some people are where they are in life. There is a lady who lives around Sabino Cyn and Tanque Verde, and has been there for months. I often see her reading a book as she casually waits for help.

    Do we ask the city for more funding for programs and see more tax increase? Do we move funds from other services such as the fire department, police or our already underfunded education system?
    Well, appears part of our answer is to get them out of our sight under the idea of “safety” … Seems more like we are not fixing the issue.

  5. Mari, a lot of us are in the same boat that you find yourself living check to check. Very gracious of you to say so. Screw on a smile and continue to put one foot in front of the other. There is no way that biblical parable would ever apply to you because of your refusal to be an addict. The human weeds hanging around on our crappy roads have the same opportunity that you have. If they can’t hold a job, then people should STOP PAYING these reptiles which they promptly use for their drugs and liquor to “treat themselves”. It’s common knowledge that Tucson’s ability to “treat” incorrigible addicts should shove off to more “godly” grounds such as San Fransicko.

  6. These are the modern day HOBO’s the community gains and losses in size proportional to income disparity. For some reason I seem to equate my healed wounds to others as My cut was deeper but I healed. Looking back 70 years it seems I survived, and seeing and remembering those that were not able. Whose burden is it to continue their quality of life, by another’s values. ” NOT ARE PEOPLE IDEA OF ZERO IS THE SAME “

  7. S­t­a­r­t­­­­­ y­o­u­r­­­­­­ h­o­m­e­­­­­­ b­u­s­i­n­e­s­s­­­­­­ r­i­g­h­t­­­­­­­ n­o­w. Spend­­­­ more­­­­­­ time­­­­­­ with­­­­ your­­­­­ family­­­­­ and­­­­­­ earn. Start­­­­­­ bringing­­­­­­ $60hr­­­­­­ just­­­­­­ on­­­­­­ a­­­­­­ computer. Very­­­­­­ easy­­­­­­ way­­­­­­to­­­­­­ make­­­­­­ your­­­­ life­­­­­­ happy­­­­­­ and­­­­­­ earning­­­­ continuously. Start­­­­­ here””­­­­­­….SD!46
    #############> w­w­w­.­j­o­b­i­n­c­o­m­e­3­0­.­C­O­M

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