Proposed Panhandling Ordinance Would Boot 'Fill The Boot' Fundraiser

The days of being asked for money by someone on the side of the road may be numbered.

Tuesday, September 15th 2015, 5:55 pm

By: Karl Torp


The days of being asked for money by someone on the side of the road may be numbered.

An ordinance to ban panhandling in the medians in Oklahoma City was presented at city council meeting Tuesday.

The bill authored by Councilwoman Meg Salyer would make it illegal for anyone to stand in a median or the road and ask for money.

9/12/2015 Related Story: City Councilwoman To Present Proposal To Cut Down Panhandling

No exceptions are being made in the latest panhandling ordinance, and that includes firefighters and their “Fill the Boot” campaign.

For three days each year, firefighters can been seen going up to cars on the road to collect cash for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The MDA fundraiser collects around $27 million nationwide.

In Oklahoma City, firefighters collect around $300,000.

“People in Oklahoma City have been so good to the firefighters and therefore us. It allows us to do good things here,” MDA central division chief executive Brad Barghols said.

Barghols said the “Fill the Boot” campaign has been the exception for panhandling bands enacted in other cities across the country.

“We don’t have to throw out the baby with the bath water,” Barghols said.

Salyer said no exceptions will be made with her proposal.

“If you allow anyone to have a permit to do something that we have said is a public safety issue, it’s a violation of free speech,” the councilwoman said.

The ordinance will be debated at the next council meeting in two weeks.

Karl Torp

Karl Torp is an award-winning journalist who’s been part of the News 9 team since 2012. He co-anchors the 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts on weekdays. Karl loves telling Oklahoma’s unique stories, and he’s also a huge sports junkie. He loves to think of trades that would help the Oklahoma City Thunder win a World Championship (despite knowing little to nothing about salary caps and luxury taxes).

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

September 15th, 2015

June 19th, 2025

April 30th, 2025

April 30th, 2025

Top Headlines

July 3rd, 2025

July 3rd, 2025

July 3rd, 2025

July 3rd, 2025