Letter to the Editor

I was so outraged over the downtown association's campaign against panhandling, and the media's naive coverage of it, that I wrote a letter to the Calgary Herald.  My letter appeared in the paper yesterday, however my criticism of the Herald itself had been edited out.  Here is the original letter:

Target Poverty, Not People

Re: "Anti-Panhandling Campaign Begins", October 4, 2005
Dear Editor:

I do not believe that adequate attention is being given to the issues raised by The Calgary Downtown Association's new campaign against panhandlers.  As journalists, you are required to explore the underlying issues of the stories you report, yet Gerson's article reads as though she has simply taken from the Calgary Downtown Association's media release.  None of the key questions were asked: Who does the downtown association represent?  Whose interests does this campaign serve?  In what way does the campaign address issues of poverty?  What will the impact be on the panhandlers themselves?  How much did this campaign cost the Calgary Downtown Association?

The reality is that The Calgary Downtown Association represents businesses in Calgary, and not citizens.  This campaign is aimed to enhance the business milieu of downtown Calgary; it is not aimed at ameliorating conditions for panhandlers.  To be clear, I am not advocating for panhandling.  However, I am very worried about how the downtown association's campaign obscures the realities of poverty by reducing the issues to addiction.  Furthermore, I am concerned at how the campaign itself will impact the people living on the streets.  As you reported, the campaign involves having people, dressed as 'professionals', stand at intersections, holding signs asking for spare change to support their addictions.  To me, this is a hostile act against panhandlers.  It makes a mockery of poverty and dehumanizes the homeless.  Would we, the citizens of Calgary, ever allow such targeting of any other social group?

Finally, The Calgary Downtown Association asks Calgarians to contribute to organizations, rather than giving to panhandlers.  I would like to ask the Calgary Downtown Association: how much did this campaign cost and why was the money not used to develop real solutions to poverty?

Comments

[Scott Tribe]

Good on you for taking the time to write in about something you feel strongly about. A lot of the time people will complain about something that bothers them and do nothing else - this is true for bloggers as well as the everyday citizen.

I like your blog's new revised look too, by the way.

[Joanne Costello]

Thanks for the positive feedback, Scott. It has been a lousy weekend, so it was nice to get some encouragement!

[Brad]

Big congrats on the letter. As Scott said, it's one thing for something to piss you off and for you to simply rant about it. It's another thing entirely to actively participate in order to realize the desired ends. Good for you.