If Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham has his way signs discouraging giving money to panhandlers would be posted at several busy intersections in Jackson.
He would like to erect signs that read: “For traffic safety please don’t give to persons in the roadway. It’s OK to Say No to Panhandlers.”
The signs are needed because drivers sometimes make unexpected stops when there is a greenlight at an intersection manned by a panhandler so they can hand over money, food or other items and that’s dangerous because it is a potential for a wreck to occur, said Graham, who represents District One, which includes northeast Jackson.
Across the country, numerous cities have posted signs that ask drivers to refrain from donating to panhandlers because stopping in traffic can create a traffic hazard. Some signs list the name of a nonprofit that helps people in need or a phone number where they can call for help.
In Evanston, Ill., the signs read “Have a heart. Give smart. Panhandling isn’t safe. Donate to social service organizations today.”
In Santa Fe, the message is “Say No to Panhandling. Give to Local Charities.”
In Rapid City, S.D., the signs read “It’s OK to say NO to panhandlers” and provides a phone number to donate instead via text. The bottom portion of the sign provides a phone number to resources and a website that provides links for community resources in the area.
Susan Russell, executive director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful, is familiar with the no panhandling sign Graham would like to have posted.
“Where I live in St. Tammany Parish, we have signs like this, but the sign directs people to the Northshore Community Foundation which supports community organizations that support people who are homeless or underserved,” she said.
Graham would like to have the signs posted on the I-55 frontage road at busy intersections that include County Line Road, Beasley Road, Northside Drive
and Lakeland Drive.
He admits he doesn’t know if the signs would be effective but thinks they’re worth a try. “We have to do something,” he said.
Steve Baker, property manager at Canton Mart Square shopping center, thinks no panhandling signs might be helpful and make the roads safer.
“I always wonder about the people who stand on the corner around County Line Road,” he said. “It’m surprised no one has been hurt or run over.”
Canton Mart Square is near the I-55 North frontage road but vagrants are not a problem. “I pay $100,000 a year for security, which keeps the tenants happy and makes me feel better,” he said.
Exactly what can be done to prohibit panhandling is difficult to determine.
According to a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision, panhandling is considered freedom of speech.
The Jackson City Council voted in October 2020 to repeal city ordinances against panhandling. The move was in response to pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, which had threatened to file a lawsuit about the matter.
The council voted to repeal Chapter 94 of Jackson’s code of ordinances, which deals with “peddlers and solicitors” and section 118-480, which deals with “pedestrians soliciting businesses of contributions from occupants of vehicles.”
Graham said he plans to discuss the signs with Ashby Foote, who serves as president and represents Ward One on the council, and with Willie Simmons, who represents the central district on the Mississippi Transportation Commission. The Mississippi Department of Transportation is responsible for the interstate highways, including I-55.
Foote is concerned for the safety of panhandlers but also with the perception visitors leave with when they see panhandlers at intersections. “It’s not a good look for the city,” he said.
Virgi Lindsay, who represents Ward Seven, said she received a letter from Graham about the signs and it was forwarded to the city’s legal department and public works department.
Jackson Police Chief James Davis said in 2020 that state cuts to mental health and new detention rules associated with the COVID-19 outbreak have created perfect conditions for panhandling to thrive in the capital city.
“Panhandlers have plagued the capital city, not only Precinct Four, but all over Jackson,” he said. “You cut the funds for the state hospital and now cities across the state are feeling the effects, because you don’t have a place to direct these mentally ill individuals.”
The Jackson Police Department can arrest individuals for obstructing traffic – that’s when those individuals walk out to a car and take money, and as a result slow traffic down.
Individuals charged with misdemeanors are not held at the Hinds County Detention Center.
“We field release them, because there’s nowhere to house them,” Davis said. “That may contribute to the increase.”
For panhandlers needing mental help, Davis said there are few options because of state cuts in mental health funding.
