Advocates for Homeless Label Plan Insensitive : Koch Considers Advertising Push Against N.Y. Beggars

NEW YORK — Mayor Edward I. Koch said Wednesday that New York City is considering an advertising campaign on subway trains asking people not to give money to beggars. Advocates for the homeless promptly protested the plan as insensitive.

The mayor said his Human Resources Administration was studying placing the ads in the subways to encourage contributions to organized charities and to show beggars that other forms of help are available.

“It’s not illegal to panhandle,” Koch said. “I think many people who panhandle just don’t want to work for a living.”

The mayor said when people give money to beggars, they “encourage people not to look for jobs or take jobs.”

“Anybody who wants a job can get a job,” Koch added.

Begging ‘More Prevalent’

“Public begging has become more prevalent in the city lately, and we don’t think it should be encouraged,” said Ann Ormsby, a public relations officer of the HRA. “We don’t think it should be a socially acceptable way to make a living.”

Advocates for the homeless reacted--strongly.

“I think we should pray for Mr. Koch and urge him to seek spiritual and moral guidance,” said Robert Hayes, chief counsel for the Partnership for the Homeless, in a letter complaining of the mayor’s plan he sent to Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.

Ed Abrahams, New York director of the Coalition for the Homeless, charged Koch was being “mean-spirited” and said the ad campaign actually would promote a “lack of caring.”

The mayor said he got the idea for the campaign after Pat Thaler, his sister, told him she was approached several times by a woman with a young child who was panhandling at an uptown subway station.

No Precise Statistics

Neither municipal officials nor advocates for the homeless have precise statistics on the number of beggars in New York City, other than to say there may be thousands. But during this hot summer, many residents say beggars seem more prevalent than ever.

On the sidewalk outside a bank cash machine at 1st Avenue and East 79th Street in Manhattan, one street person has set up a bridge table with the large bottle from a water cooler for coins and cash as he asks for help for the homeless. Sometimes, the man’s two dogs accompany him, and apartment house dwellers provide food for the pets.

Many beggars congregate on the subways, where there is a captive audience. Some play musical instruments or sing. On the F-train to Brooklyn, a favorite ploy of one beggar is to say he is a Vietnam War veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange. The other day, a rider who was in Vietnam stopped the man and asked in what unit he served. He seemed startled, mumbled some gibberish and fled the train at the next stop.

Some beggars on the streets mix humor with aggressiveness. A panhandler who regularly works lower Broadway politely approaches people as they cross the street. “Could I have $100 for a cup of coffee,” he asks. When most people laugh, he adds, “It’s marked down $99.” Often, he receives the dollar.

Inquires About Health

A journalist who spent months in Boston, recently ran into her regular beggar on 14th Street in Manhattan. He inquired politely how she was. “I haven’t seen you lately,” the panhandler said.

But other beggars are less polite. “Every night when I go home, I am asked for money from three or four people,” said Ormsby. “Last night, a young woman came up to me and asked for $2. I think they are becoming more aggressive. I didn’t say anything to her because I had given on the subway.”

Concern over aggressive panhandlers last year prompted Seattle to become the first major U.S. city to take tough legal action against beggars.

A controversial “pedestrian interference” law that took effect last November gives police the right to arrest panhandlers who touch, threaten, block or harass anyone walking down the street. Police said Wednesday that 49 people have been arrested under the new law, which is being challenged by the Washington State Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 90 days in jail.

In New York, sometimes even the best intentions of socially concerned citizens can backfire. During a recent rainstorm, a concerned woman went into a bakery to get cookies and coffee for two destitute looking men huddled under an awning. They turned out to be security guards. Undaunted, she walked around the block and found a genuine beggar.

Researcher Lisa Romaine in Denver also contributed to this story.