A panhandler stands beside the road at the entrance to Wal-Mart last year. Panhandling has become prevalent in the Bay Area in recent years. - World Photo by Madeline Steege

COOS BAY — There is a simple reason why panhandling is prevalent in Coos Bay. It pays well.

A survey conducted by the Coos Bay Police Department found that people who ask for money outside the Wal-Mart on Newmark Avenue can make $300 in one day. In comparison, an employee inside the store, working at minimum wage, would need to put in five, eight-hour days to make that much.

If residents want to see fewer panhandler in the area, they shouldn’t look to the police. They need to stop giving out money and teach others to do the same.

“We are not going to target panhandlers,” said Coos Bay Police Capt. Rodger Craddock, who spoke a gathering of business owners at a presentation on panhandling Thursday. “We can’t do that.”

“But if they aren’t getting money from us, they aren’t going to stand on that corner.”

Craddock explained that asking for money is considered protected speech, which means police have no reason to arrest someone for panhandling. He also noted that most panhandlers are not criminals.

“They are nearly as likely to be victims of illegal acts as they are of committing them,” he said. As an example, Craddock recalled an incident in which a panhandler was hit over the head with a flower pot and had his wallet stolen. The money in his wallet was not collected from panhandling, but rather was from public assistance checks.

Craddock noted that most panhandlers are on public assistance and know where to go to receive help.

“Most (panhandlers) have lived here a long time and actually have homes,” he said. “This is just their chosen profession.”

Although most are docile, Craddock said some resort to criminal acts, including disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing. If such behavior occurs, Craddock asked that people report the incident as soon as possible. He noted that most such crimes do not involve jail time, but even being arrested can serve as a deterrent to crime.

Bob More, director of housing and emergency services at South Coast Community Action, agreed that the worst thing to do is to give a panhandler money.

“They are there for the money and the money is there to feed their addictions,” he said.

He suggested creating a voucher system, allowing residents to hand a panhandler a slip of paper that could be redeemed for a meal or a place to stay at a shelter.

More also cautioned against stereotyping all panhandlers as people taking advantage of the kindness of others. He noted that some panhandlers have mental illnesses that need treatment. Those people won’t seek help, More said, if they are being given money.

“These are broken people who will never be able to hold a job,” he said. “They need disability payments.”

Having brought up the issue of free speech, Craddock was asked if telling people not to help panhandlers might be restricting those people’s speech.

He was not inclined to view it that way and neither were most of the business owners in the audience.

“We are trying to educate the community that they have a choice,” More said. “That’s not suppressing their freedom of speech.”

Bookstore owner Kate Fox said businesses should embrace their freedom of speech and put placards in store windows telling people not to give money to panhandlers.

“This is about behavior modification,” she said.

Mayor Jeff McKeown, who was in attendance at the meeting, said it is a balancing act between preventing problems in the business district while pointing people in the direction of the services they need.

“We have a responsibility to you business owners, but we also need to be empathetic to people in our community with these problems,” he said.