Homelessness and panhandling are distinct issues, but they’re often linked, with the former usually triggering the latter. However, for the local business community, there’s a key difference: Empathy and compassion still largely exist for people experiencing homelessness, but panhandlers are bringing them to their wit’s end.
“I have a real heart for these people, but they have to follow the rules,” says Chris Nichols, a retired social services worker who co-owns two downtown buildings. “We need more housing, but we also need to quit handing money out at the exits.”
Though arguably most concentrated downtown, panhandling is pervasive throughout Baton Rouge. Solicitors often approach patrons in the parking lots of big-box retailers along College Drive, Bluebonnet Boulevard, Essen Lane, Government Street, Siegen Lane and other heavily trafficked thoroughfares. Drivers divert eye contact from sign-bearing strangers asking for gas or food money near the exit- and on-ramps of Interstate 10 throughout the city.
There is also data suggesting panhandling is on the rise here over the past decade. In the year between Sept. 23, 2008-2009, public records show 11 people were arrested for violating City-Parish Ordinance 11:96, which prohibits pedestrians from “soliciting rides, business, employment or contributions of a charitable nature” under certain circumstances. Within the year leading up to Sept. 23, 2019, the number of arrests rose to 19—a roughly 53% increase.
As the city looks to navigate this issue, much is at stake for Baton Rouge’s economy, from the larger industries—such as tourism and real estate, which are particularly vulnerable to outsiders’ negative perceptions of the city—down to the smaller mom-and-pop retailers, who rely heavily on foot traffic from locals who presumably feel safe walking the streets.
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