Greensboro City Councilmember Sharon Hightower brought up the need to do something about panhandling at the Tuesday, Sept. 21 City Council meeting.
Hightower said, “I want to touch on a subject that is going to make everybody upset, make everybody nervous, but listen, this has become an issue. I hear it from a regular every day. I see the emails come in on it. I go to community meetings and one of the first questions they ask what are we going to do about the panhandling, how are we going to get panhandling under control.”
Hightower added, “I think there has been an integration of panhandling and homelessness and quite frankly I don’t believe panhandlers are homeless. There may be a few that are.”
Hightower said she talked to a woman who was panhandling with her four children and asked why the children were not in school and the woman told her she was from a different county.
Hightower ask City Attorney Chuck Watts to look into the panhandling ordinances to see how they could be tweaked and what peer cities were doing. She also suggested forming a panhandling task force, which is a case of deja vu all over again.
For those with good memories, this statement from Hightower was strange because in 2018, when the City Council spent four months passing and rescinding panhandling ordinances, holding public hearings on panhandling ordinances and hiring expensive legal consultants to write panhandling ordinances, Hightower voted against all the panhandling ordinances.
Or to be more precise in the end Hightower voted against all the panhandling ordinances. The first go round in April 2018 Hightower voted for a panhandling ordinance whose chief proponent was Councilmember Justin Outling. Hightower then became upset with Outling over a Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise (MWBE) issue and changed her vote on Outling’s panhandling ordinance. The result of Hightower changing her vote was that for months the city had no ordinance covering panhandling at all.
In July after a summer of public hearings held by the consultants, the City Council finally voted again and passed the panhandling ordinance that Hightower had originally supported, this time without Hightower’s support.
Three weeks later in August 2018 the City Council passed the new panhandling ordinance that was the result of the summer of public hearings and had been written by the consultants and rescinded the ordinance that had been passed three weeks prior. Hightower voted against that ordinance also.
At the Sept. 21 meeting in response to Hightower’s statements Mayor Nancy Vaughan said, “I think you made a really good point that not all panhandlers are homeless. The panhandling really is rampant.”
Vaughan noted that the city did have panhandling ordinances on the books but added, “On behalf of our police force though, the last time we had this discussion they came away with a bit of a mixed message on what was to be enforced and what wasn’t to be enforced.”
What to enforce and what not to enforce WOW that’s a real shocker from this council just like this past June telling the police not to enforce burning looting or rioting laws Election time can’t get here soon enough. Please vote there’s not enough lipstick in NC for all these pigs
That’s actually a good idea. Every road intersection in the City has pan handlers. It is uncomfortable and a bit scary. We need a stronger ordinance.
Greensboro City Council-this is on you. You allow people to beg, intimidate, walk into roads, and sleep everywhere downtown (and other areas of the city). Instead of talking and forming committees, actually do something.
It is a huge problem-they walk up and down the median strips on Wendover Avenue-they fight each other outside the Sheetz store there. There is even one in a wheel chair rolling in the median on Wendover- cars flying by.They stand in the roadway.Its a mess and you politicians have allowed it to happen.One of these days I fear a terrible accident where one of these inebriated beggars is hit and killed by a car.Their blood will be on the hands of small time petty politicians who let this situation fester.Do your jobs-fix it…and have the sheriff check on the trash and garbage they leave on our streets while you’re at it.
Im all for helping people who need help-but not on our streets and public places.FIX IT-petty politics be damned.
Actually that young guy in a wheelchair with no legs who works Wendover & Stanley Rd is one of the few I’ll give a few bucks. He’s faking nothing. We can all see his predicament. I don’t know his story, and I don’t presume to ask. Perhaps he had his legs blown off by a land mine in Iraq. Perhaps he was involved in a horrific car accident.
Regardless, he has obviously met with some kind of tragedy.
He smiles, and waves agreeably, and I find it hard not to help him a little. How can you not?
Already happened, they didn’t care then and won’t now.
John, I will be labelled “heartless” for this, but how about we apply the law of supply and demand and STOP giving our money to panhandlers, and watch how quickly the problem solves itself – NOT by homeless or down-on-their-luck souls starving or freezing to death, but by pointing out all the stores and restaurants surrounding them with “help wanted” signs?
That makes entirely too much sense!
Some of these Council Members need to hang out in the Wal-Mart lot near the intersection of Bridford and Wendover and see some of these “homeless” driving in and parking their Silverado Pickup trucks and such in the morning!
First they come for the helpless homeless sleeping in rags around their City Council chambers. Now they target those that dare ask “can You spare a dime, brother?”
They already hide from public comment at every turn, preside over a murder filled languishing midsized beautiful city that is actually a festering pit for know it all smiley faced fascist.
Freedom of speech is not to be infringed. Period.
Alex, hold my gun snowflake socialist whiner.
The homeless bums are like stray dogs, if you don’t feed them they’ll go away hopefully to the socialist blue states they came from and take their drug addictions and the accompanying drug dealers with them. Hell Alex, take your feel good policies and go with them. With you indoctrinated college educated mind, I believe you can save those dregs from themselves. Good luck professor libtard. Or is it professor fascist? You can’t rewrite the constitution no matter how many statues your comrades tear down. Social media like Facebook and TWITter have proven free speech CAN be VIOLATED however, the 2ND Amendment SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. Maybe all you fascist indoctrinated socialist libtards should study more U.S. History and a hell of a lot less gender studies( there are only (2) two) Or reimagined history like the phony narrative 1619 project. Wake the F up which is to say, don’t be woke you stupid dopes.
Somebody got triggered by someone with empathy. LOL
If someone asks me for help, I will help them and not judge them, but I almost never have to deal with panhandlers in downtown GSO because I avoid it
In the case of panhandlers on Wendover near Walmart, and Sam’s Club, I have paper bags with 2-3 small Sunny D’s, some nuts, cookies, raisins, a toiletries kit, a Christian tract, and a $five-dillar bill. I try to have my back floorboard filled with bags. In the summer, I give a white hat as well. I am not a liberal do-gooder using someone else’s money, it’s all mine and I pay my assistant or grandkids to fill the bags.
As for the case of Hightower and others in agreement with her BS at city hall, I wonder if any of them ever use their own money to help anyone? For most liberals, that is a big “no way”
You’re right – they only use the taxpayers’ money to help themselves.
The problem with this administration is there are to many task forces, to many studies, to much talk and absolutely no action. Talk is cheap. Get off you butts and DO SOMETHING.
Take money that is wasted on illegal aliens and divert it to helping Americans that are struggling.
Citizenship must be confirmed for help.
May I suggest a sure fire way to get rid of panhandlers.#1 Donot lower your driver window,#2 do not give them any money.The drawing power you gave them is MONEY.If no money then panhandlers disappear.I heard of a person that wanted to help a panhandler:he offered bottled water and the panhandler rejected it. I happened to be in Walmart one day and saw a panhandler that had been on Wendover earlier.He had bottles of wine under each Arm.He may have been the exception but I saw this one.
Every citizen in a free country has the right to ask other citizens for money.
Are we still a free country?
Do they have a right to follow you around berating you until you cave in? Do they have a right to deface every place they stand with mountains of litter? Do they have a right to take a dump right there in the street? Do they have a right to say that they are homeless and then get into their car and drive to the crack hotel with your donated money? GTFOH
Your anger is palpable. I don’t know why you hold such vitriol for those people, but I suggest you seek help from a mental health professional.
They’re just asking you for a few bucks.
Get a grip.
Nice to find SOMEONE on here that isn’t a genocidal cryptofascist who pay a hefty license fee to hunt down humans in the street. You can tell which ones call themselves “Christians” by the hatred is and vehement actions they propose.
Thank you, but I myself am a Christian. A flawed one, but a Christian nevertheless. Nobody’s perfect, nor is any religion, but at least we don’t use butcher knives to murder those who can’t recite a verse from our holy book.
Keep windows closed,do not give money.No panhandlers.
Maybe if folks would stop enabling the panhandlers, the problem might resolve itself.
One of the fist issues the City Council needs to address is prohibiting these panhandlers from standing and sitting in the medians at intersections. I almost hit one the other day while making a turn on South Elm-Eugene near I-85. Also their litter habits need to be addressed as well. And what ever happened to the requirement that they have a permit that is supposed to be displayed on an outer garment? There is certainly a lot that needs to be looked into by the City Council.
I give them a dollar and a Christian track, if only one person reads the message and is saved that is a blessing. God tells us to help the poor.
When you give these people anything they laugh at you later. You are feeding addictions. Give your money and goodie bags to organizations which actually help people who need help…..there are many. Also-many of theses orgs are Christian. I fear your tracts will become just more litter they leave behind on the streets.
They are professional beggars-follow some of them some night.They either crawl somewhere and get stoned or go to their house in their car.
If these people really needed help they would go to ,lets say to,aSalvation Army facility.There they would hear the Gospel as well.As long as you give them tax free money to spend on alcohol and drugs and who knows what else-they will never go to those places for help.why? they don’t need or want help. They want your money.For those who are addicts and truly want help,they know where to go to get it-and that is not the busy streets.
Hightower should only be allowed to handle the pan on the stove top.
I thought they passed a law several years ago that a panhandler could not approach you unless you gave them the ok.
Panhandlers have money for cigarettes and cell phones and I’ve seen them dropped off by large expensive SUVs.
There are many public assistance programs available, especially in Greensboro.
I totally agree that they would go away and have to get a job or avail themselves of public assistance, if do-gooders would stop giving them money and other stuff.
There’s plenty of jobs available all over for these people, but why work when you can be out there making tax free money in cash. They probably make between $15 to $30 an hour. The people need to stop supporting them with money. Give them something to eat instead and they’ll be moving along when the money dries up.
Can’t wait to see these same folks fight “for” coming black – owned pot dispensaries in their neighborhoods….
To everyone saying that there is a law or ordinance in place regulating panhandling or requiring a permit or what have you… City council did away with the entire panhandling ordinance years ago, which is why we have been overrun on every street corner with beggars. Permits for begging were deemed unconstitutional and also went away. They were useless anyway. The only law that still exists prohibits “aggressive panhandling”, which basically means they can’t commit a robbery on you. Other than that, it’s the wild west out there folks.
This is what we get when there is NO WHITE MEN on the City Council. This is the nature of the people we have on the City Council NOW. This is the kind of life that THEY understand and IT will become more inhuman as time goes by.
Amen Martin AMEN
You don’t need a task force. Just more talk with Democratic inaction. Ban panhandling throughout OUR city: period!
A simple problem requires a simple, common sense solution.
I agree with everyone, about everything. Personally, as long it doesn’t interfere with me, or business, I see nothing wrong with asking for handouts.
I witnessed a car pull into the Walmart parking lot on the corner of Gate City Blvd and Holden full of 5-6 people. The trunk popped open and it was FULL of signs. All shapes and sizes. I watched as each one grabbed one and went on their merry way to beg. These people are not destitute. I suppose if we send them to the neighborhoods and places our council frequent we might get something done.