Gypsies

Walk into an historic church or through any heavily trafficked area for that matter and you're likely to encounter a gypsy woman begging. Sometimes she will be hunched over with her forehead to the ground, arms outstretched with hands together in prayer, murmuring. Always there is a basket for coins nearby. A young gypsy woman sits by our supermarket entrance with her daughter nearly everyday. The little girl colors, looks through the glass door or eats food people give her while her mother just sits for hours. I've seen the mother get off the bus and walk to her spot, as if commuting to work. She is very attractive and appears healthy as an ox. I think to myself, why don't you knit or help people with their groceries or do something? Isn't it boring just sitting there all day? We've seen one old gypsy outside a church begging while talking on her cell phone. They can be prostrate and moaning one minute and an instant later, spry as can be, they scurry off. There seems to be a subgroup of musical gypsies who jump on trams, strum their guitars and sing for a stop or two, then jump off after passing around the basket. On one metro a tiny boy strolled down the aisle with a self-playing accordion. Carter and Stephen were somewhat offended that he wasn't actually playing the accordion for his money. Most troubling is how the gypsies exploit their children in this way. We've been told that their culture is based on cheating, stealing and begging. I've seen people give them coins and food and the Italians seem to tolerate them. What is the appropriate Christian response?