INC NEWS - right-of-way solicitation

[RW Pickle]

I don't know what the County decided at their meeting last night, but it's
something the City should look into adopting as well. I hope the County
adopted a new ordinance and the City will follow soon. It just makes
sense. I have yet to hear anyone explain why it makes sense to have anyone
standing in the middle of the road all day panhandling. Maybe if those who
think this is a good idea could educate those of us who think it's a bad
idea, maybe we'd change our minds.

The one-legged guy Bill mentions (that was on 15-501), if it's the same
one (and I believe it is since these are the panhandlers I see most often
going to and from Chapel Hill), at one time had a sign that said he was a
disabled veteran. He's not, but it sure looks good and tears at your heart
strings. He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident (and according to the
police officer telling me the story, received a large settlement; last
time he was arrested the officer said he had a huge roll of cash with
him).

And the "better dressed/clean-cut" folks you see on 15-501 with the white
buckets and small white trash cans... they come all the way to Durham from
the other side of Pittsboro because the traffic count is higher on 15-501.
So we even get out-of-town panhandlers coming here because we're so
generous. How could it make sense to anyone that these folks stand out
there in the right-of-way every day for nothing? I parked on Hillandale
Road one day and just counted the number of cars exiting I-85 that gave
the panhandler something. I couldn't see if it was change or $100 bills.
But in the time I spent there, using a $1.00 just as a figure to get some
idea, the panhandler was making over $60/hr. If it was more than a dollar,
then it was more of course; and vice versa. He averaged about 200 cars an
hour at that intersection (at that time of day). I'm sure there are better
ones around town and that's why I don't see him there anymore...

Atlanta, Evanston, Pittsburgh, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa
Clara, Washington, New York, Cleveland, Austin, Dallas, Sarasota, Phoenix,
St. Louis, Flagstaff, Anchorage, LA, Chicago, Houston, Little Rock, and
the list goes on. Many cities have enacted or are working on right-of-way
solicitation ordinances. In fact, in many of the cities I've read about,
instead of it being a burden for police, it is part of their mission. They
place emphasis on the fact that the basic police mission is to develop
strategies that are proactive in traffic safety, crime prevention, fear
reduction, problem solving, order maintenance and developing an effective
partnership with the community. Panhandling ordinances are one of many
strategies that can be utilized pro-actively in accomplishing the police
mission. So it's not like a burden to them as suggested. And I could find
no place that indicated that it required any larger budget to accomplish
their mission. It looks to me like law enforcement would be behind an
ordinance banning panhandling.

As I keep mentioning, and as stated again above, safety is a major
priority; not just for the panhandlers, but for the general flow of
traffic. I don't want to hear the "cell phone issue" again because if it
were that big of an issue, I'm sure the laws would change to protect us
all (not just City or County laws, but at a much higher level). What's
next, no talking to others in your vehicle? Kids can't cry when riding in
a vehicle? No McDonalds hamburger on the run? Will drive-in windows cease
to exist? No poodles on laps? Cars with no radios... There are plenty of
distractions to just ordinary driving out there already. Having someone
soliciting in the right-of-way can be removed as one. It's just not
necessary (unless one is crossing the road).

The theme of telling everyone to stop giving to panhandlers is just the
newest technique to be deployed by those who would want to stop
panhandling. It's a "nicer" way of saying, "we'll cut off your funds so
there won't be any reason to stand here all day anymore". Really, that's
what's it's all about. In Denver, they advertise it as "Please help. Don't
give". Under the First Amendment, panhandling cannot be prohibited; it can
only be limited in certain ways. So this is really not about stopping
panhandling, it's about saying where it can an can not occur. That should
make good sense to everyone. And in the middle or on the shoulder of any
road is a good place to start. It just makes no sense to have people in
these places all the time.

A recent paper by Katy Mack on panhandling in Memphis gives you a pretty
good picture of it, who does it, why they do it, who the donators are and
why, and so on. We're not Memphis, but it was interesting to see how it
all tied together. Just do a search for the name, city and panhandling and
I'm sure you'll find it. Although it gave no economic impact figures as to
what/how panhandling causes a city to be one way or the other, it did say
that tourists and convention goers were already in the spending mode, so
they made excellent targets. Perhaps Reyn has some figures on how
panhandling works in his business. With all of the Universities in our
region, we get a lot of tourists to them for sure. Maybe that's why the
15-501corridor is so popular. One way is Duke/NCCU, the other way is UNC.

RWP
27 Beverly