City Designates Panhandling Areas

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - "Please beg in the designated area." That's the message from the Memphis City Council. Now there's a special committee giving panhandlers some guidance by putting out mats to mark the suggested spots. Right now there are three of these designated panhandling spots, but a committee made up of city leaders and Memphis Police are expected to add more.

For the last 6 months Mike Hensley has been serving up dogs at Court Square Downtown. He's done well, but said he doesn't like the distraction panhandlers in the area pose for him and his customers.

"I've had a lot of tourists come up to me and tell me they don't like it. They don't like being bugged by them."

However Hensley is encouraged by a new approach to panhandling in Memphis. Just feet from his hot dog cart is one of 3 new mats declaring certain areas a designated panhandling spot.

"These spots are places picked for you to carry on that peaceful activity. If you engage in aggressive panhandling, that's illegal," said Center City Commission President, Paul Morris.

The Center City Commission said the ordinance marking a specific area and outlining the city's panhandling rules was passed by city council last spring. A committee was then formed to come up with the best spots to help rezone where this kind of activity takes place.

"We want to make sure if this behavior is occurring, it occurs safely and that no one's in jeopardy," said Morris.

According to Morris, the mats marking the 3 spots already in use were chosen because they're areas of high traffic and have cameras nearby. He said not having them in isolated pockets of Downtown helps the public and the panhandler.

"In the site picking, we're sensitive to the fact that you have a right to go out to peacefully ask someone for money as long as you're not pursuing them, or aggressively going after them and making them feel threatened."

Meanwhile Mike Hensley said he's watching to see what happens, hoping this new approach works.

"If they stay in the designated areas that will be great. [It] would be a lot better than now, where they're everywhere," he said.

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