KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Holiday shopping — with security. That’s what owners of the Country Club Plaza say they want for customers, and the motive behind a new effort to curb panhandling on the plaza.
However, some people say this is cruelty to people in need.
“Don’t give money to aggressive panhandlers.”
Those words are written into a new pamphlet being distributed by security guards on the Plaza, and they’re given to people who are seen giving money to panhandlers. One Raytown man said he received the pamphlet, and he’s angry about it because he was only trying to help.
Chris Sembower couldn’t believe his own voice, as he read from that pamphlet, which he received on December 2.
Sembower and his fiancée were walking into a bookstore when Sembower stopped and gave some change to a woman sitting on the sidewalk. Seconds later, a Plaza security guard gave him a card.
“At first, I just thanked him for the card,” Sembower said.
Then, he read it. The pamphlet advises shoppers not to give money to panhandlers, and that giving handouts won’t help remedy their despair. Inside, it lists contact info for local charities that help the homeless.
“To me, the card seems like an effort to shame people into not giving and an effort to get these people out of the Plaza,” Sembower said.
Sembower is a graphic artist, and he’s been shopping at the Plaza since he was a kid. He says he keeps loose change in his car with the intention of giving it to the less-fortunate.
“I don’t like to be told, first of all, where to put my money,” Sembower said. “I certainly don’t like to be told where I can help people with that money. I found this card to be pretty disheartening overall.”
Highwoods Properties operates the Country Club Plaza. Glenn Stephenson is a vice-president with the company. In a statement — Stephenson says the pamphlet is meant to proactively inform customers and keep them safe.
“There’s nothing in this pamphlet that brings people’s awareness,” Vickie Riddle from the Homeless Services Coalition of Greater Kansas City said. She’s also lived near the Plaza for 15 years.
“I don’t know a single person at Highwoods and I can’t ascribe a motive to them, but every community wants their community to be well-observed and comfortable,” Riddle added.
That statement from Country Club Plaza management says the use of the pamphlet is being re-evaluated. However, it also points out that use of similar documents isn’t uncommon at other shopping destinations and attractions.
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