Cooper says he is also HIV positive, and has abroken neck from an old bone infection that heclaims "doctors ignored because they thought I wastrying to get more pain medication out of them."

The articulate and well-spoken Cooper claims adegree from Newbury Junior College, but declaresthat he is too physically disabled to get and holda job.

Cooper also has much less financial successthan the other panhandlers, claiming only $10-12 aday.

"I hear people talking about $100 a day. I'dget a room if I made that much, but I guess Idon't fit people's criteria for homelessness,"Cooper says. "My clothes are too clean."

"I'm old, people think their dollar is betterspent elsewhere," Cooper continues.

On the Corner

Pausing at the corner of Mass. Ave. and ChurchStreet, about to leave, Jerry finally strolls upand spontaneously begins talking about panhandlingon Mass. Ave.

"Most of the panhandlers here are scams, justlike me," he confides.

Jerry says he works in front of Store 24 everyday, but "makes nothing from panhandling, it justfills in for the drugs and food."

Jerry admits that he and his girlfriend aredrug addicts, and claims that he has been a dealersince he was 13-years-old.

However little he makes panhandling, Jerrydeclares that he cannot get a real job, becausehis accumulated child support payments and owedincome tax would ensure that he would getvirtually nothing.

"I could get a job," Jerry claims, "but it'd belike being a slave."

Instead, Jerry says he works at temporaryunderground jobs including lifting boxes anddriving a florist truck.

He says his employers pay him no overtime orbenefits, and do not report his income to the IRS.

As Jerry walks off to find his girlfriend andgo home, Daniel continues to stare disconsolatelyat his cardboard box, and Cooper limps off to finda meal and shelter for the night. Outside CVS,Shorey finally gets his post, and the panhandlinggoes on