MACON, Ga. — Sheriff David Davis says his deputies arrested 10 panhandlers this week after receiving complaints from all over Bibb County.
We spoke to the sheriff's office and a downtown business owner about the arrests, why they happened, and how panhandling affects the downtown.
A handful of downtown restaurant owners say they see panhandling almost every day. The owner of the A Brooke Haven Lounge says he sees most of them coming up from Carolyn Crayton Park.
"It's one of those things where I try not to let it impact my business," Darrin Ford said.
Ford says he tries to put a positive spin on it by putting the panhandlers to work.
"They'll ask me for money or something along for those lines. I say, 'Sure. Come back at 10:00 and help me do X, Y, Z.' I'll pay them and give them some money. Otherwise, I give them some food because I know they are displaced," Ford said.
But sometimes, panhandlers still bother his customers.
"I don't think it's impacted business, saying, 'I'm not going to come back to Brooke Haven because there were panhandlers outside,' that kind of thing," Ford said.
Bibb County Sheriff David Davis created "Operation Clean Corners" to stop illegal solicitation.
This week, they arrested 10 people accused of solicitation and panhandling. They were charged under a county ordinance that bans aggressive panhandling. Davis says the suspects were warned, "But, obviously, they continued on, so we had to continue into the next phase, which was to take them into custody. It troubles me that these individuals really have some underlying issues, and that's what we want to try to do by doing this. At least this gets that conversation started," Davis said.
Sister Theresa Sullivan with DePaul USA's Daybreak says the county also needs to address mental health problems, which she says play a role in panhandling and homelessness.
"The sheriff's office has a very hard rule that panhandling shouldn't be allowed, but I'm not sure putting people in jail is the answer. We have to address the source of the issue," Sullivan said.
"The biggest thing we could do as business owners and as Bibb County is put them on some resources to see if they are willing to be helped to get out of their situation," Ford said.
Ford says he's never had to call the sheriff's office, but he has threatened to.
While courts have ruled the First Amendment gives anybody the right to ask for money, the county ordinance bans aggressive panhandling, like abusive or threatening language, blocking or grabbing people.
On the DePaul USA Daybreak app, you can find a community guide, which shows where to find showers, food, clothing, and more.