City Leaders Work to Crack Down on Panhandlers

By Kirsten McIntyre, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- City leaders said panhandling is a growing problem in Oklahoma City, but an new effort is meant to crack down by making the city's current ordinance tougher.

Panhandling is protected by the Constitution, so it will never go away completely, but with more people out there asking for donations, the city wants to focus on keeping people safe.

On most days at the intersection of Northwest Expressway and Hefner Parkway, there is someone panhandling. It's something police said drivers often complain about.

"About the number of individuals in the streets confronting people who are driving pulled up to a stoplight those types of things," said Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty.

Another complaint has been that panhandlers are standing in the median asking for money. Right now, the city ordinance states they can't stand "in" the road seeking donations, but it does not say anything about the medians.

"It was an oversight as to where those individuals could safely do their solicitations because we cannot eliminate their ability to solicit, but we can control exactly where they do that," Citty said.

That's why city leaders are now considering changing the ordinance to include medians.

"It's become a hazard. I've had many, many phone calls and complaints from folks asking if there wasn't something we could do to protect everybody's safety," said Meg Salyer, Oklahoma City Councilor, Ward 6.

Dan Straughan is with the Homeless Alliance and said many panhandlers are asking for money to support their addictions. He said he supports keeping them out of the roads and off the medians.

"About 20 percent are actually homeless," Straughan said. "Frankly a good thing for the homeless. Some of the panhandlers, it's weird even to say it, they give the homeless a bad name."

Under the new changes to the ordinance, firefighters who collect for the MDA or other groups would still be able to purchase five day permits for $200.

A public hearing on the new ordinance is scheduled for two weeks and a final vote is set for August 17.