$500 fines for being on Dallas road medians may do more harm than good, homeless advocates say

Patrick Davis says he wouldn’t be in the middle of the street asking strangers for help if he felt like he had other options.

The 52-year-old said he’s been homeless for four weeks after losing his housing in Killeen. Standing on a median in the shadow of U.S. Highway 75 in Dallas’ Lake Highlands, he held a cardboard sign on Tuesday telling drivers that “anything helps.”

After about an hour at the Forest Lane and North Central Expressway intersection, Davis got $2 and two plates of Swedish meatballs, corn and fruit.

“I’m grateful,” said Davis, who has been living under the interstate bridge. “But I hate this. It takes all the nerve I’ve got to be out here.”

A proposed new city law would mean a ticket and fine of up to $500 for people who stand or walk on some traffic medians. Dallas officials say the proposal is to promote pedestrian safety, but the city has been trying to stop people from panhandling in road medians or the middle of the street for years. Some people who ask for food or money on the street don’t have stable shelter.

Local homeless advocates say they support the city’s traffic safety efforts but were mixed on the citation approach.

Imposing more financial burdens on low-income or unsheltered people who panhandle may do more harm than good, said Bruce Butler, CEO of Union Gospel Mission Dallas.

“There has to be a balance because you want everyone to stay safe and for people who feel like they have to panhandle to have viable means to get funds,” he said. “But fining people who likely don’t have money doesn’t make a whole bunch of sense.”

Butler said he believes most people panhandling on Dallas streets are either experiencing some form of homelessness or are close to it. He also said that the misdemeanor appearing during background checks could also negatively impact the prospects of someone trying to get housing.

The city should continue to examine the root causes of panhandling, he said, and should work with local providers to help people in need.

Davis said he understood the safety concerns. Some people walk into oncoming traffic or knock on vehicle windows to get drivers’ attention. He said he’s seen police officers chase away some people from their spots because they were harassing drivers.

Being on the median lessens the chance of getting pushed out by a business near the sidewalk, Davis said. He was unsure whether the risk of a fine would stop him from panhandling, but said some people may feel it’s one of their few legal options for quick money.

“Many of us are out here doing what we have to do to survive,” Davis said. “If people want to give and we’re just standing here not causing trouble, I don’t think that should be a crime.”

Penalties for panhandling

City council members heard a proposal earlier this week on an ordinance that would allow police and city marshals to issue Class C misdemeanor citations to anyone on medians that are less than 6 feet wide, in a street without medians or in other areas of the road such as bike lanes.

The proposal doesn’t outright ban panhandling, which is protected under the First Amendment. People or groups looking to solicit money for charitable fundraisers may be able to get permission ahead of time from the city.

Bob Sweeney, executive director of Dallas Life Homeless Recovery Center, said he supports any city effort to try and end panhandling.

Some panhandlers aren’t in dire need and capitalize on charitable strangers, he said, and giving cash on the street to people isn’t a long-term solution.

Sweeney said a panhandler spit on a Dallas Life worker after the person tried to connect the panhandler with services instead of giving money.

“They didn’t want to be offered recovery, they only wanted cash,” Sweeney said. “Ultimately, I want to see recovery. I don’t want to just see someone being able to go to Whataburger on my dime. I want to see them never needing to ask me for money for Whataburger again.”

Brenda Ewing Snitzer, executive director of The Stewpot, declined to say whether she supports the city’s proposal because she didn’t know the success rate of similar plans in other cities. She said she didn’t agree with fining panhandlers. But she prefers people direct panhandlers to homeless service providers for aid or alert the city’s 311 non-emergency line rather than give food, money or other items.

“People panhandling or sleeping on the streets or in encampments need help,” Snitzer said. “But helping the providers that are working to get those people housed or other aid is better than community members going out and doing it themselves.”

People who get money and food on the street may be less likely to seek help from organizations that may be able to guide them to the resources they need, she said.

Dallas City Council members could vote on the plan as early as next Wednesday. But some asked for more work be done to flesh out the ordinance to specify details like how long people can be on a median before it’s considered a violation.

A city pilot program was launched last year trying to divert people from seeking money on the street and urging drivers not to give. Plano has also recently begun a similar plan.

Davis said he planned to stay in the median asking for money until he collected enough to buy dinner.