Dallas Cracking Down On Panhandling Downtown
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas City Hall is cracking down on panhandling in the downtown area and some entertainment districts surrounding it.
The timing of the crackdown occurs as the city prepares for Super Bowl XLV.
"I try to be giving but sometimes you can't carry enough for everybody." J.D. Copley says he can't always just mind his own business. People asking for money often approach him. "Sometimes when I come back and forth I get stuck between feeling angry because they do tend to be a little aggressive sometimes."
The council expanded its 'panhandling' ordinance beyond the core downtown, saying residents and tourists alike can feel threatened by sometimes aggressive panhandlers.
"I think it's a feeling and if someone feels threatened, you believe it, then there's the belief," explained Dallas councilwoman Pauline Medrano.
Medrano's district covers much of downtown and outlying areas where the homeless and others approach locals and tourists.
The Council voted to create four around-the-clock "solicitation-free" zones, in the downtown business district, Deep Ellum, Uptown and Victory Park. The city already bans panhandling at night, along streets and at cash machines and parking meters.
Some West End regulars say they've not been bothered. "Never truly been approached by anybody wanting money or anything else," say Ralph Blackman from Bedford.
Others say they're not surprised it's an issue. "Places like this you want to feel safe and I assume that other people have been approached and felt unsafe at times," said Oklahoma visitor Farrouk Karim.
Police claim they have had some success fighting panhandling in the core downtown area…now they want to see if they can get similar success in entertainment areas like Victory, Uptown or Deep Ellum.
"Crime in downtown is down almost 19%...but you still have those---if they were accosted by one individual---then their perception is going to be that downtown Dallas is not safe," says Assistant Police Chief Vince Golbeck.
Police have begun addressing other downtown nuisances in anticipation of the Super Bowl, like this week's initiative to control fighting outside some nightclubs.
"I think it applies to the Super Bowl, but it's an ongoing issue," says Mayor Tom Leppert.
A quality of life issue as more people live downtown and come February, visit it.
Leppert and other officials insist they're not making life hard for the homeless, that the city has invested heavily in 'The Bridge' shelter and other services for area homeless.
The stricter panhandling ordinance takes effect January 1 and violators face $500 fines.
