Tuesday, August 03, 2010

A New Panhandling Tactic?

It was 3:35 a.m., and I thought maybe it was time to think about going to bed. So, I was driving home, heading south on 19th Street, and preparing to turn east (left) on Broadway, when I saw a car that was either parked, or seeming to be signalling to turn north (right) on 19th. That caught my attention, since making that turn would put driver in the wrong - heading against traffic on a one-way street.

Nevertheless, as I sailed into the intersection I noticed two things:
1.) the fellow wasn't signalling to turn, but signalling to catch my attention; and,
2.) the fellow came bounding out of his car into the intersection to wave me down.

So, I stopped in the middle of the turn, to see what his issue was (the sort of thing you can do in a busy intersection like 19th & Broadway at 3:35 a.m. that you ordinarily shouldn't do at any other time of day).

Holding several dollars in his hand, the African-American male in his late forties pleaded that he needed cash for gas to get him back to Elk Grove. So, I gave him $2.00.

Still, that's a bit odd: waving drivers down to panhandle. The sort of thing you never see, except at 3:35 a.m. on the streets of Sacramento.

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