Winnipeg drivers might not know A.J. Cook by name, but they might know him by face.
Cook said he’s been panhandling on the streets of Winnipeg for the last nine years at various intersections.
“I try not to scare anybody when I do this,” he told Global News at the corner of Main Street and the Disraeli Freeway Tuesday.
Being approached by panhandlers can be scary for many, especially when some are aggressive.
On Monday, police said a 27-year-old man had been charged after he allegedly destroyed a woman’s windshield with a squeegee over the weekend.
Police said after a woman refused to exchange money for having her windshield cleaned, the man struck the front windshield several times with the squeegee, causing the window to shatter. The woman wasn’t hurt.
Last month, Winnipeg mayor Brian Bowman said in his state of the city address that he wished to see a crackdown on aggressive panhandlers in the near future.
“I’ve heard from many Winnipeggers who feel there’s an uptick in the number of people at intersections in particular,” Bowman said.
“I just think we should be having a discussion. We’ll be talking to a number of stakeholders, including the police association.”
Cook claimed not all panhandlers are aggressive.
“We might talk a lot of stuff but it never gets physical,” he suggested.
Cook said after dealing with a mental illness, he turned to drugs and alcohol and ended up homeless. He said he’s been clean for three years now, but still has no intention of getting off the streets of Winnipeg.
He claims to make up to $40 a day panhandling, though most drivers ignore him, for their own reasons.
“I do not give,” one driver said at the intersection. “I chose to give to some to the food banks instead, that way I know it goes to proper food.”
“I normally have two kids in the back, I usually don’t open up my window in that case,” another driver said.
As the interview wrapped up, Cook was given $2 and an apple from two drivers.
“It’s embarrassing but it’s got to be done though, it’s survival.”
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