a little help from my friends

What do you think about the smelly guy who hangs out on the bench in front of Peet's as if it belongs to him?  And how about the lady in the wheelchair in front of the Post Office who greets you and asks for spare change?  I saw her and another street person in a heated exchange the other morning.  They were engaged in a turf war-he was panhandling as people entered and exited the facility and she was explaining her tenure at this spot.  I didn't stay around to hear the end of it.

And how do you feel about the hungry, haunted look on the face of a lost soul who clearly hasn't a warm place to lay their head?  Are they entitled to congregate all day in the town square, to the eventual exclusion of families with young children, downtown office workers and others of the more 'civilized' ilk?

What of the small business owner who smells the evidence of use of their doorway as a street urinal when they come to open the shop of a morning?  And whose clientele is intimidated by the gauntlet of beggars they must run to get to the shop?

What does the law have to say about this?  What is the humane- the human way to balance the interests of the parties involved?  I don't know, really, but I'm thinking of writing a paper about this.  And here's where you come in.  Have you opinions about this issue?  Have you had experiences you are willing to share?  How do you view street people?  Does the presence of a group of unkempt, talkative people keep you from frequenting certain places?  Do you give spare change to the person who asks?

Here's me with my virtual hand out, not for money (although, what the hell, I'll take it!), but for your honest feedback.  Have a good day.