Hundreds of buses crowded the streets of the Costa Rican capital on Tuesday in a protest to demand support from the government in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I saw these panhandlers all the time — men and women, all ages and shapes, who stood before the busload of people and recited their grievances in rehearsed monologues. Then they made their way down the aisle, taking coins in their hands. Sometimes they sold things, like breath mints or religious tchotchkes. Other times they asked only for alms.
