I am writing here out of despair, anguish and a mounting sense of moral outrage. In recent weeks there have been a number of stories in different media outlets about the problem of “aggressive panhandlers” in Charlottetown who have caused a flurry of social media commentary.

While there has been a fair amount of reasonable, compassionate responses, there have also been a number of egregious and unforgivably ignorant comments. It is some of these comments I would like to address.

‘Foreign workers are keeping Islanders from finding work’

‘It’s a scam’

‘It’s a choice’

‘I won’t support someone’s addiction’