STARKVILLE – Panhandling will no longer be allowed after dark in Starkville, following the board of aldermen’s unanimous vote Tuesday evening to add a nighttime ban to the city’s solicitation ordinance.
The amendment prohibits solicitation between sunset and sunrise, a change Mayor Lynn Spruill said addresses occasional encounters reported at gas stations and convenience stores.
“I’m pleased with our ordinance compared to the state’s, but that was one thing that the state ordinance addressed that we did not, and it made very good sense to me,” Spruill told The Dispatch following the meeting.
Spruill said the provision mirrors part of the state’s Safe Solicitation Act, which took effect in July and requires anyone panhandling for donations to obtain a daily permit. Starkville opted out of the state law since it adopted its own ordinance last year governing solicitation and establishing penalties for “aggressive panhandling.”
Under the city ordinance, solicitation is deemed aggressive if it involves violent or threatening gestures, approaching someone after they have declined, touching a person without consent or intentionally blocking pedestrians or vehicles. It also prohibits solicitation within 20 feet of ATMs, parking garages, restaurant entrances, bus stops, public restrooms and similar locations.
Violations are considered a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to 90 days in jail or both.
Ward 4 Alderman Mike Brooks, who proposed the original ordinance after receiving repeated complaints and encountering aggressive panhandling himself, said the ordinance has made a notable difference.
“If you’re out driving around, you don’t see panhandling in the intersections like we used to,” he told The Dispatch after the meeting. “I’ve gotten very few calls since we got this. Before, we did get a lot of calls. People felt like they were getting, maybe, harassed or put in difficult situations. Everybody wants to be generous, but at the same time you’ve got to take care of yourself. But it’s gone way down.”
Still, the issue hasn’t disappeared. During Tuesday’s public hearing, resident Alvin Turner told the board that panhandling remains a concern for some people.
“We have people that use panhandling as a way to hustle and get on people, and the way things are going now, it’s very scary,” Turner told the board. “People don’t know who they can trust (and) who they can’t trust.”
Police Chief Mark Ballard said reports of panhandling continue, but he believes the number of calls has dropped substantially since the ordinance was adopted
“Right before the board meeting, coming in, we had a call of panhandling over at one of our local establishments,” Ballard told The Dispatch. “So, it’s something that we see, but fortunately we haven’t had to take a lot of enforcement. … A lot of people, when we approach, they understand, and this ordinance gives us some teeth to back it up to where it’s not just simply asking.”
Brooks said the nighttime restriction strengthens what was already a solid framework.
“I felt like it was a good ordinance at the time, and I’m still a strong supporter of it,” Brooks said. “And I think this little change from day to night will just strengthen it.”
Posted in News
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