By Valerie Baldowski
vbaldowski@henryherald.com

The City of Hampton may soon be cracking down on local panhandlers.

The City Council is expected, next month, to take up an ordinance introduced this week creating a new section in the city code addressing panhandling and soliciting.

The second reading of the ordinance is expected to be heard at the Feb. 2 workshop meeting, according to City Clerk Kim Drinkall. The ordinance can be adopted after the second reading, and would take effect 10 business days after that, said Drinkall.

“We’ve had a couple of individuals who are going door to door and begging for money,” said Hampton Police Lt. Derrick Austin. “We have no way of enforcing anything to keep them from doing that.”

The panhandling problem has been lingering for at least a year, he said.

“It’s been narrowed down to just a couple of people,” he added. “It’s not a major problem. We know who the people are. We just can’t prevent them from doing what they’re doing.”

“When I heard about it, I was surprised,” said Hampton Mayor R.W. Coley. “We’ve never had this problem in Hampton before, that I’m aware of.”

Austin said that in the past, police unsuccessfully asked the individuals to stop soliciting handouts.

“We hadn’t had any problems where they were violent, but they scared some people,” he said.

Austin said police researched the city code, and learned there were no ordinances preventing panhandling.

The proposal would give police the authority to stop the individuals from knocking on doors to ask for money, said Coley.

The proposed ordinance defines “aggressive panhandling” as:

• “Intentionally or recklessly making any physical contact with, or touching another person or their vehicle, in the course of the solicitation without the person’s consent.

• “Following the person being solicited, if that conduct is intended to, or is likely to, cause a reasonable person to fear imminent bodily harm or the commission of a criminal act upon property in the person’s possession.

• “Continuing to solicit within five feet of the person being solicited after the person has made a negative response, if continuing the solicitation is intended to, or is likely to cause, a reasonable person to fear imminent bodily harm or the commission of a criminal act upon property in the person’s possession.

• “Intentionally or recklessly blocking the safe or free passage of the person being solicited, or requiring the person, or the driver of a vehicle, to take evasive action to avoid physical contact with the person making the solicitation.

• “Intentionally or recklessly using obscene or abusive language or gestures intended to, or likely to cause, a reasonable person to fear imminent bodily harm, or the commission of a criminal act upon property in the person’s possession.

• “Approaching the person being solicited in a manner that is intended to, or is likely to, cause a reasonable person to fear imminent bodily harm, or the commission of a criminal act upon property in the person’s possession, or is intended to, or is reasonably likely to intimidate the person being solicited into responding affirmatively to the solicitation.”

Individuals violating the ordinance would be guilty of a misdemeanor.

“It’s not unusual to get one person a week coming in for money,” said Candy Franklin, owner of East Main Collectibles and the newly-appointed Hampton Main Street director.

Franklin said when panhandlers come into her shop, located on East Main Street, they sometimes ask for gas money and offer to leave merchandise at the store, with the promise that they will return later to pay her back and recover their merchandise.

Franklin said she will feel more comfortable when the ordinance goes into effect.

“I pity the people, but I don’t want to encourage this by giving them money,” she said.