I just listened to a long conversation on the Louie Free Show about the problem of panhandlers in downtown Youngstown. One character mentioned has the nickname of Crackpipe.
If there isn't a law to remove these rough individuals from our downtown, then maybe there should be.
It isagainst the law to panhandle, but not enforced
pandhandlers give flavor to the downtown. how do you think i strech my fixed income from month to month? ;)
According to Louie the panhandler is working the downtown patrons again this morning.
Where are the police when they are needed?
Panhandling is OK by me.
Unlike the welfare system, it gives the donors the option of giving and doesn't cost one red cent for administrative bureaucracy.
Maybe the people against it are embarrassed saying "NO" face to face.
Of course they could say yes.
From City of Youngstown Codified Ordinances:
509.08 BEGGING PROHIBITED.
(a) No person shall beg for money or other things of value within the City.
(b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
I have the all day pleasure of viewing the 2 panhandlers with their dog that sit at the corner of Wick and Rayen every day. I have watched her sit down on the pavement behind the old St. Vincent DePaul building and urinate. Disgusting. I can't tell you how many times YPD has stopped and talked to them but they are still there every day. Is it because they have a sign that says "Roof Work for Free Rent" that it is not considered begging?? I can't figure it out???
That couple's choice of location is quite telling. They sit 100 feet away from a treasure trove of information which they could use to make themselves productive members of society, yet they instead choose to sit in ignorance on the corner. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. They led themselves to the key to the way out but they won't avail themselves of it.
With panhandling being a minor misdemeanor its not worth the attention of the police. What can they do with them? Many live down along the river and if they disappear more will come to take their place.
i read an article in "The new yorker" several yrs. ago concerning panhandling in new york city in which it stated that there is a school in NYC to learn panhandling and its legalities. there is also a union that a panhandler(s) can join that comes with benefits in NYC. as for the couple and its dog i had the pleasure to talk to them when they were in my neighborhood on the southside. everyone should remember one must walk in one's moccasins before bestowing judgement.
She sits on the parking lot with her pants around her ankles and urinates. She then waves at us because she know we are there. Sorry....not gonna walk in those moccasins!! Disgusting!!
Why wouldn't she use the restroom in the public library?
One would think she has violated many city ordinances. Maybe Rusty River could advise us on this one.
How about
indecent exposure
public urination
panhandling
Is her action visible to any security cameras? The proof for prosecution many have already been acquired.
A first offense of Public Indecency, exposure, is a fourth degree misdemeanor. If done in the presence of a minor, it is a third degree misdemeanor. Each subsequent offense increases the penalty by a degree.
We do not have any security camers in our location. I don't know about the Library. I would doubt that they would have a security camera pointed at the St. Vincent DePaul parking lot.
She is certainly in plain view of anyone at the public library who is in the stairwell and walkway with the glass wall. My personal opinion is that they need not to be allowed on that corner. They leave trash on that corner as well as behind the building. People stop and give them food, etc. and the food and trash end up all over the corner. There are agencys in this city that provide both food and shelter. If they choose not to use the help provided by those agencies that is certainly up to them but they don't need to sit out here on the corner every day begging.
Edited to add that the urination in the parking lot is not a daily occurance, they must go somewhere else to use the restrooms most of the time. This just happens once in a while. You should have seen the looks on the faces of the people here in our office the first time it happend. I have never seen jaws drop that quickly. :o
Now for the rest of the story...
When this couple and their dog were working Midlothian my son spotted them routinely.
One day he stopped to talk to them. He then returned to his office where he is vice-president of his father's company and told of what he encountered.
His father felt for the couple and instructed my son to offer the man a job at their company, which would have included benefits, AND also offered to pay their rent for six months to allow them to get on their feet.
You have all witnessed their choice.
P.S. My son did the math and figured with the amount of cars traveling Midlothian they must have figured the tax free income to be better.
Maggy,
Is your son's company still looking to hire? I know several people that would prefer to not be sitting on their butts doing nothing that can't find work.
FWIW, most were employed right around the corner from this couple's Midlothian location.
Shar if you saw this person urinate on the sidewalk why did you not report it to the police on the non emergency number? i do it all the time when i see ghetto and white trash people littering, play loud music or if they look at me the wrong way, which does not take much these days. i do not put up with foolishness from people neither should you or the public. shar instead of complaining about on this problem on this board about these ind(s) take pics of them when they violate the law then you have a strong clear case until then wash those moccasins and walk in them.
Why? Town,
Unfortunately the recession has impacted their business as well and they can't hire.
Maggy