I remember how, some years back, Ninth Street in Durham was inundated with panhandlers and homeless people aggressively asking for change. This presented a real dilemma for the kumbaya crowd. Their instinct was to protect this vulnerable population from those who felt intimidated and just annoyed by the constant begging.
So, nothing was done.
But the, months later, it seems even the left-leaning folks on Ninth Street understood that this kind of thing is just not good for business. Fliers were circulated and signs put on cash registers urging patrons not to give money to panhandlers because it just encourages them. Soon, only a few diehards remained.
It seems that another lefty enclave has learned the same simple lesson, that you get what you reward and get less of that which you penalize:
Safety seems to be one reason many UC students steer clear of Telegraph Avenue. More than 66% of the respondents – who were overwhelmingly female – said they would patronize Telegraph Avenue more often if they felt safer. Seventy-five percent said they would walk around more if the streets were “cleaner and more inviting”, and 65% said they would visit more often if there were fewer panhandlers. The percentages were slightly lower for the downtown area.
