[seanmcdirmid]

They are panhandling for drug/alcohol money probably, given that food is not that hard to come by. The same is true in almost any big city, though.

Aggressive panhandling to me is having little kids grab onto my legs and try to drag me. That only happens to me in non-developed countries.

[simoncion]

Some are very likely panhandling for drug money. Others are probably panhandling for better food than they can find from the outreach shelters. (I've seen many folks in this coffee shop that I frequent from the nearby homeless shelter.)

I would be supremely unhappy if some little kid latched on to my leg and tried to drag me. How is one supposed to handle that sort of situation?