Virginia Beach considers signs to discourage roadside panhandlers
Panhandlers who stand on roadsides, looking for sympathetic motorists, could soon have a more difficult time getting spare change.
At a City Council meeting Tuesday, Councilwoman Sabrina Wooten proposed that the city post signs at spots where it would be unsafe for a driver to give a panhandler money. Wooten said panhandling is not illegal in Virginia Beach, but that it’s increasing and is dangerous.
Instead, she wants people who need help to be directed to the right organizations.
“I have a heart for the homeless,” she said Thursday.
Her proposal is modeled from Norfolk, she said. But there are also similar signs in neighboring cities.
The signs would state: “Please do not encourage panhandling by giving money from your vehicle. If you are experiencing a housing crisis, call the Housing Crisis Hotline at (757) 227-5932.”
Wooten said later that her ordinance could be on the agenda for the first meeting in August. She has some locations for the signs in mind, but thinks it would be good for the city manager and his staff to do a sweep and look for the best spots.
Panhandling was illegal in Virginia Beach until 2018, when the city attorney’s office realized that banning it violated a 2015 Supreme Court decision that considers limits on begging to be an infringement of the First Amendment and free speech. But it’s still a class 2 misdemeanor to “occupy a highway median” in the city, with a couple exceptions for issues like vehicles that break down.
Virginia Beach resident Ernest Docs, who attended the council meeting, said he thinks the city is more concerned about how panhandling makes the city look.
“They’re not concerned about the people,” Docs said, adding he understood that in some locations, begging for money could be a safety issue.
Noble Brigham, noble.brigham@virginiamedia.com
