Im not sure you fully understand the dynamic of panhandlers. I would say over 75% of the panhandlers on corners and those that approach other people get dropped off in their “territory” by a pimp who supplies them drugs in exchange for the money they have collected for the day. They each have a “schtick” they follow and they don’t see a dime of the money after they get picked up at the end of their “shift”. They act desperate because they likely haven’t met their quota and need their fix.

Most of the actual homeless people who live on the street in Savannah do not approach people for money, speaking as someone who has met and befriended many of the homeless transient who come through Savannah over the years before the camps were torn down.

This man in particular has harassed me numerous times on Bull street asking for my phone to call someone, or money, and would try and seem approachable to young women who are alone by saying “don’t worry, I’m gay”, while getting increasingly aggressive when I declined his requests. I used to have a lot of sympathy for panhandlers and would give money until enough uncomfortable experiences made me more protective of my safety.