Busking & begging on city streets -

Here are a few readers' responses to Robert Doyle's suggestions, from this morning's paper:

Driven by desperation
February 19, 2005

When I read that Robert Doyle wanted beggars off the streets in time for the Commonwealth Games (The Age, 17/2), I remembered a conversation I had with Wayne, the "beggar" in your photo. I had stopped to give him money and, having worked in a homeless service, asked if he had tried to find a bed at Melbourne's four crisis services. He said he was on the waiting list at each one. Knowing that there are fewer than a dozen beds available in the crisis accommodation system in metropolitan Melbourne each day, and that hundreds of people want them, this didn't surprise me.

We then chatted about attitudes towards homelessness. Wayne said something blackly humorous, sad, and very nearly true: "I dunno why some people get so down on homeless people. We're just the same as they are - oh, except half of us are paranoid schizophrenics."


The real nuisances

Robert Doyle, there are two intrusive activities that are far more of a nuisance than the odd beggar propping you for a few cents, however credible their line! "Got any change for a bus fare, mate?" being the most used and least likely.

The first are the omnipresent charity collectors and leafleters that adorn our streets, and in particular Princes Bridge. The second activity relates to unsolicited phone calls at home from a plethora of people wanting you to avail yourself of a free holiday, or to take part in fake research, or a trillion other equally annoying sales ploys, including doubtful charities. The opening lines change more rapidly than computer viruses. Just the thing you need after knocking back beggars all day, and negotiating Princes Bridge.

Robert Doyle, is there any chance of banning that lot in time for the Games? You'll get my vote if you're successful.


Punish the poor

Apparently it's fine to create beggars by withdrawing or selling essential social services, as the Liberal Party did during Jeff Kennett's reign. It's also fine to encourage an atmosphere of economic self-interest and paranoia, as neo-liberals both Labor and Liberal have done. It's even fine to beg for millions of state and Commonwealth dollars if you are a multinational, such as Kodak. For Robert Doyle, what is not OK is self-interested poor and homeless people who lack the capital to justify their "scamming". In short, more of the hypocritical, bully-boy behaviour that characterises neo-liberalism globally: feed the rich, and punish the poor for being hungry.


Shame, Mr Doyle

Robert Doyle, many beggars are mentally ill and have been thrown onto the streets under "de-institutionalisation", started by Jeff Kennett and enthusiastically embraced by Steve Bracks. Ironically, funds that should have been channelled into mental health services have been sucked into the black hole of the Commonwealth Games budget, now blown out to more than $1 billion. Any money recouped from the sale or disposal of our mental health institutions went into consolidated revenue, not back into mental health programs. Most overseas Games visitors are unlikely to be fazed by the odd beggar (given the countries many come from) but are certain to be aghast if they see police arresting beggars and throwing them into divisional vans. And where will police detain them? Perhaps in a detention centre, like Cornelia Rau?
~

My hometown has a busking festival every year. Busking's pretty big and popular in most of the areas of Canada I've lived in.

It's so popular here in Toronto that they have auditions for the premier locations in the subway system. Some of them make a decent bit of money. There are a few (Lorena McKennit is one of the most obvious examples) who have gone on to verra verra lucrative recording contracts.

We like our buskers. There's a bagpiper who plays down on the street below the building I work in, in the summer. After the first couple of afternoons of surprise, we quite like it.

Sounds great, ehBeth! I like the sound of Toronto!

windsor does the same thing, we have an annual international buskers festival

It's a dandy city, MsOlga. I do think you'd like it.

(I'm trying to find some info on the licensing on the good subway spots, maybe a list of the musicians - really some very fine stuff going on)

Same in Wales! Busking has an annual festival in Cardiff! I haven't spoken to you guyz before have I?

no, i've seen you around though, welcome wr

Hey, all your buskers sound almost like professionals!

Good day, wales rules. Nice to meet you!

msOlga - some of them do seem to be semi-pro. Quite a few of them are music students filling in between more regular (though less well-paying) gigs.

Then there are the fellas who are happily singing toothless and tonelessly on guitars without strings. (one of them runs for mayor here every coupla years)

the ones that come to the international festival are basically professionals, theu travel the world from festival to festival for a living

when it comes around this year i'll post a list of the acts, there's always at least one from oz

Thanks guyz! Well, no not professionals, I never said they were any good...

here's a link to the website for the festival

windsor international buskers festival

Ah, my sort of buskers!
Does this guy get many votes, ehBeth?

He gets enough votes to be counted every time!

This is probably Canada's most famous graduate of the busking tradition

link

I threw her quite a few quarters in the early 1980's.

Now ...

http://www.wbr.com/mckennitt/




She's come a long way, baby.

Oh, do!
Come to think of it, if you're brave (and/or talented enough) it's probably as pleasant a way of making a living as any. And a great way to see the world, djjd62!

Hey, anyone got any photographs?

check the link a few posts back, there's pics from last years festival

Wow, there's gotta be a movie in this story, ehBeth! She certainly HAS come a long way!

I was mad for these guys when they were out on the street.

Now I follow the work of Mike Murley through the local clubs and the CBC stage.



http://www.shuffledemons.com/legend.php

link to a sample (I hope)

Spadina Bus sample