Panhandling concerns citizen

My name is Kim Sutherland. I am writing this letter in regards to the ongoing problem in our town.  When I walk down Main Street and see some of our local panhandlers my stomach just turns. I either have to walk fast past them, or go on the other side of the street, because they either ask me for money, of they ask for smokes.

I work very hard for my money as well as everybody else that gets up everyday and goes to work. There are people who have to work 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet. So why do we have to as a society not feel comfortable to go out into a business without them asking for something?


I honestly do not understand why our local RCMP thinks that is a joke to come and get them when they are drunk and panhandling from paying customers. They just take them to jail and let them out the very next day to do it again. I do not want this to come just from me but from everybody else that is tired of the bumming and seeing them sleeping outside of certain places. where they know that either people are tired tired of them asking for money and give in or they will feed them.

These people will even ask our young kids for money and it seems like they don't care or they don't have enough respect for themselves.

As far as I am concerned that is really sad. Is there NOT something that we can do to stop this and make our society feel happy to be able to walk down the street and talk to friends, or even go into a business without saying, "No, sorry, I've got no extra change."

Just a thought to think about.

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