Ryan Bray was in his vehicle at a Bradenton, Florida intersection when a panhandler came and asked for money. He reached into his car, rested his arms, and asked whether he had money. He replied no and said he had something better for him, Bray remembered. Instead of handing out money, Bray gave the panhandler a job.
Bray, who works for his family’s firm, Bray Remodeling, claimed he’d pay the man $15 an hour to perform yard work at his house, which was only down the road. Instead of being appreciative of the chance to make an honest livelihood and accepting the offer, the panhandler was not pleased with the suggestion.
However, the individual did not just refuse the offer. Bray claimed the panhandler became hostile and cursed after declining the chance to employment, and he even went so far as to kick Bray’s Jeep as he was instructed to leave. Bray drove away, but he’d soon return to the scene of the scuffle with his own sign.
“I offered him $15 an hour to do yard work for me and he refused. If we as a community stop paying them, they will leave our neighborhood,” Bray’s placard stated. And he spent three hours with the vagabond by the side of the road, holding that sign aloft for all to see as the man begged passersby for money. But that isn’t all.
As per Bray, the panhandler threatened to rape his mom and murder his wife when he refused to give him money. Bray was unfazed by the threats and vowed to alert others. So, instead of remaining away, he went to fight back against the nasty panhandler once more.
Bray returned to the corner of 75th Street W and Manatee Avenue W, this time with a local reporter in tow, to meet the panhandler who was unhappy about his offer. Obviously, the nameless panhandler was irritated when Bray returned with his sign or when the reporters who had accompanied him confronted him.
The homeless approached Bray and the television team, stating that he had done nothing wrong and that he was being harassed. While Bray remained nearby, the panhandler shouted harsh words, yet he still managed to receive money from at least one motorist. “You can’t stop me, brother,” he exclaimed after his panhandling triumph.
In another video, the unidentified vagabond displayed much more impatience and hostility toward reporters on the busy street corner, where he continuously approached automobiles. And it’s clear to see why Bray, a businessman, believed panhandlers were bullying his community.
Ryan Bray said he appreciates the situation of the homeless, but he wants begging for money to stop. He wishes for tighter laws against it, as well as for vehicles to cease passing cash through their broken windows, so that panhandlers leave and drivers stop pestering them. He can’t have his 13-year-old daughter and his wife driving around with their windows up and being yelled at the whole time if panhandlers don’t get money, he added.
Adell Erozer, executive director of Turning Points, a homeless-assistance charity, stated that some individuals made a life off of panhandling and prohibited people from giving money to panhandlers. It’s difficult to discern the difference between someone who is truly homeless and a person who is merely panhandling, she added, giving suggestions to people who wish to help the homeless.
Based on the executive director of Turning Points, if you want to assist, you should give money directly to groups that support the homeless rather than to individuals asking for money on the street. If one all genuinely wants to get rid of panhandlers, the best thing to do is don’t donate to panhandlers, Erozer added, stressing that contributing to panhandlers fosters the habit.
“Give a man a fish, and he will eat today; teach a man to fish, and he will eat forever,” as the proverb goes. What do you do when the man has no interest in fishing and prefers to spend his time asking for your catch? Ryan Bray may have discovered a possible answer by simply holding a sign warning others while encouraging panhandlers and the community to desire a hand up rather than a handout.
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