Molly Jalma knows St. Paul’s new “Be the Solution” campaign featuring anti-panhandling signs has become polarizing.
The signs state, “For everyone’s safety, DON’T GIVE IN ROADWAYS,” and point people to a website that lists a few organizations where they can donate instead.
As someone who has worked toward uprooting homelessness in the Twin Cities for more than 20 years, however, Jalma also believes in the city effort’s ambitions in posting those signs.
“It comes down to a couple different camps, and honestly, I think if you put every provider, people like myself who have worked in this field for a really long time, we would probably disagree [with one another],” said Jalma, the executive director of St. Paul’s Listening House, a daytime shelter. “That’s because it just comes down to your own personal values about how you want to give and where you think you can help. For some people, that’s directly, without a middleman. And for other people, I think it’s to an organization where they can track that money and know where it’s going to be used.”
She added: “I think the city of St. Paul is … I think they’re mindful in their approach. They’re thoughtful.”
It’s important to listen to Jalma and others on the ground. And I believe good people are behind this campaign in St. Paul. I’m concerned, however, that this approach will contribute more to the confusion around how best to give to those in need than to the solution.
The messaging around St. Paul’s campaign has centered on public safety. I can understand the vulnerability for all in situations that involve panhandling. First, those seeking support face danger at busy intersections. Distracted drivers can be impacted, too. The potential for chaos is real. Still, I worry that this brand of messaging is acceptable only because of the negative perceptions around the unhoused.
To me, this campaign may inadvertently resemble the series of signs in parks that tell people to stop feeding the birds, mostly because they’re a nuisance. I don’t believe that’s the city’s intention, but I’m also not sure where else I’ve seen signs that encourage people to withhold direct help from one another. That’s the power of signs. They tell us to stop. They tell us to go. The premise of a city sign is about restriction and to announce that any opposing behaviors are either risky, illegal or both. They can also be dehumanizing.