Anonymous wrote:Panhandlers close to metro stations come from other areas. They go where the $$$ is. Also true about bus depots.
The people panhandling in the intersections in the Fairfax County burbs typically do not take the bus or metro to get there. Many of them are part of organized groups that drop people off (and I've actually seen a group of them chilling at Starbucks mid-day when it's slow and then getting back in their car to be dropped off), or they have their own vehicle they park nearby. (I've seen this.)
Same with the gypsy families that send the women and children to beg in shopping centers. I've seen them get picked up in a nice late-model SUV.
Some of these groups should register as small businesses, because that's what they are.