I Hate to Say I Told You So…
But I told you so. 32-year old Shanisha Davis was atacked at the I-69 and Keystone off ramp by a panhandler while trying to give him some money. According to police reports, the woman saw the man with a sign that said will work for food, tried to give him $5, but but he pulled a knife on her and forced his way into the car.
Luckily Davis managed to get out with just a minor cut on her hand and police are still searching for the man and the stolen car. But this situation could have been a lot worse. The woman may not have been able to escape and something else could have happened.
I bring this up because I hope this will give the opponents of an anti-panhandling proposal something to think about. The measure which failed to pass last week would have banned panhandling at off ramps and near intersections. Democrats and Libertarians opposed it saying it restricted speech and intruded on the panhandlers liberty rights. Sorry folks, there is no right to carjack a woman at an off ramp.
Now there are those people who will say that an ordinance would have not made a difference. I disagree. Had their been an ordinance, the police would have had the authority to tell that panhandler at I-65 to get lost and go somewhere else and beg. But instead opponents are more concerned about his rights than those of the begger than people like Davis.
Well I hope they’re happy. And who knows, maybe the next woman who’s attacked by a panhandler at an off ramp won’t be so lucky.
