Zero-tolerance toward beggars defies modern values

The latest attempt by the Shanghai subway to tackle begging includes a controversial Weibo post which lists the top three beggars who are most frequently reprimanded by the local police. The recent post on guijiaojinghua, the official Weibo account of Xujiahui urban rail police, revealed the beggars' details, including surname, age, physical condition and the number of times they have been reprimanded. It became a public focus immediately after it was posted.

On August 6, the Shanghai subway launched a campaign to regulate subway begging. It encourages passengers to report beggars by sending a micro message to subway police. As a part of the campaign, it revealed beggars' information on Weibo.

The actions of the local authority do have some redeeming features. It warns the passengers to cooperate with the subway police by exposing beggars in disguise. For example, one of those on the list, an 88-year-old surnamed Chen, is said to have spent most of the money she gained from begging to play mahjong. However, blacklisting beggars triggers public suspicions that the authorities are treating them with prejudice and intolerance.

Begging has long been a headache for city management officers. Subway begging, especially the aggressive kind, can bring inconvenience to passengers and is loathed by some. There have been public demands to tackle the problem, but that doesn't mean the city should adopt a zero-tolerance attitude toward beggars.

In recent years, some cities' policies on tackling begging have received widespread criticism. It was exposed online in early July that the ground under an overpass in Guangzhou was riddled with pyramid-shaped cement cones to keep away the homeless. Also in July, the Shenzhen Urban Management Bureau had to revise a policy concerning panhandlers after coming under great public pressure. In its original plan, it regulated that the performance assessment of chengguan would be negatively affected if beggars were found begging or sleeping in streets under their administration.

Begging is a real problem confronted by every city around the world. Take the beggar list in Shanghai. Those beggars on the list are either disabled or elderly, and it's hard to imagine how they can secure their lives if they are not allowed to beg.

To some, the existence of beggars does affect the city image to some extent. But changing the situation is a comprehensive task that cannot be finished within a short time. City civility is not reflected in zero-tolerance toward begging, but its tolerance of disadvantaged groups.