- Video shows a recap of the City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 28.
- Several members of the downtown business community shared their concerns with aggressive panhandling.
- City Council passed an ordinance involving offenses against public peace, such as loitering and accosting.
It's an issue FOX 47 has been following in Jackson. Katti Chivington, an employee at Town Bar, says she sees it on a regular basis. "Once we have to remove them, they get irritated with us," she says, regarding aggressive panhandlers. "I've experienced that just recently, that a guest was not very happy with me and started following me around and memorizing my schedule."
Other downtown businesses have also experienced situations they say are aggressive. Employees at Jackson Coffee Company shared that they recently had someone who was panhandling throw a fan at their roaster, and another tried to assault an employee.
Other businesses shared that they've had to ask unwanted visitors to leave anywhere from once, to five times a week. Some of those businesses have had to call the police more than five times already in 2024.
Some of those businesses also shared that they've seen theft, attempts to break their windows, and their garbage being thrown outside.
Matt Prysiazny, of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, shared in the meeting, "When surveyed, the greatest concern among more than 90% of our business owners is this kind of aggressive behavior. Among community leaders, including elected officials, these behaviors are seen as the greatest hurdles holding Jackson back."
It's an issue that the Council has noticed, and on Tuesday, took action. City Council unanimously passed adding an ordinance of public peace to the City Code.
Mayor Daniel Mahoney states, "To me, this meant we can pass something that gives our employees, our citizens, our people who work downtown some coverage if they are being aggressively accosted by someone. But also, being able to protect the rights of someone to beg and ask for money at the same time."
The ordinance applies to those accosting another person within 20 feet of an ATM, any public transportation vehicle or where they take passengers, any outdoor dining area, or at any special permitted event. Also included in the ordinance is a section on loitering, whereas a person cannot loiter after being requested to leave by the lawful owner or representative, nor can they loiter in or obstruct a doorway.
The ordinance states that anyone who fails to comply with these provisions can be fined up to $500 or imprisoned for up to 90 days. Business owners hope, that this ordinance, it will bring peace and security to their businesses.
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