Aggressive Pan Handling

[carltonplace]

AEP/PSO has sent the following message out:

February 20, 2014
Beware Aggressive Panhandlers in Downtown Tulsa
In keeping with our "See Something, Say Something" safety philosophy, PSO is sending this alert to all employees in the General Office.
A woman was assaulted recently in broad daylight during the lunch hour by a man aggressively asking for change at the intersection of 5th & Main in downtown Tulsa.
The victim was walking from Billie's On the Square after picking up lunch when the man asked her for money. When she said she didn't have any change, he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. The perpetrator then released her. She was shaken up but otherwise unharmed, and nothing was stolen.
The Downtown Tulsa Coordinating Council has received reports from the public that a group of men, sometimes accompanied by a pit bull dog, has been congregating at this intersection, and can be quite aggressive when asking for money. The Tulsa Police Department is aware of the incident.
Billie's is a popular lunch stop just a few blocks from the General Office. Employees who frequent Billie's are encouraged to either re-think their lunch plans, or go as a group, for safety.
Always look ahead when walking in the downtown area wherever you are going. If you see a group of people asking for money, turn around and go somewhere else for lunch. 

[Townsend]

Same warning at other DT businesses sent out Friday.

[sgrizzle]

http://www.newson6.com/story/24792274/aggressive-downtown-tulsa-panhandler-gives-group-a-bad-name

AEP-PSO seems to be credited as the author in this story.

[cannon_fodder]

I'm a healthy middle aged male.  I am downtown daily, early and late.  I'm comfortable with all kinds of people.

BUT, this winter the panhandlers/ bums have been more numerous and more bold.  Asking for money from further away (that is, one cannot avoid them). Cat calling women.  And generally being more aggressive.

I have never been assaulted, verbally of physically.  But if I am made to feel uncomfortable I can imagine a lone person who is older, smaller, or less confident in an "urban" environment being flat out scared.

We need a panhandling ordinance and we need a way to enforce it.

You are free to be a bum, but leave people the hell alone. 

Sorry.

[Gaspar]

Hmmm.  That's not a panhandler.  That's a mugger.

Perhaps people should recognize the difference?

[davideinstein]

Needs to be illegal. Completely ruins the 5th and Boston intersection.

[davideinstein]

And Holy Trinity needs to get involved. It's fine that they feed the homeless, but they bring tons upon tons of them to the area everyday then they linger and cause problems. We've had stolen bikes, female employees harassed, people causing trouble in the store and now they are all walking around with pit bulls. We need to take care of the homeless, but not at the expense of everyone else.

[Townsend]

And Holy Trinity needs to get involved. It's fine that they feed the homeless, but they bring tons upon tons of them to the area everyday then they linger and cause problems. We've had stolen bikes, female employees harassed, people causing trouble in the store and now they are all walking around with pit bulls. We need to take care of the homeless, but not at the expense of everyone else.

I contacted Iron Gate a few years ago asking them to reduce the use of Styrofoam containers and to ask their guests to act more respectably toward the DT workers walking past going to work.

The phone call and following emails I was accidentally left on were less than a shining example of love thy fellow man...

I was quite the hater of the down trodden and Jesus would judge me when the time came.

[Gaspar]

Unfortunately if you feed, house and clothe them they will stay.  If you provide them with Greyhound gift certificates and make it less convenient for them to use public/private space as over-night shelter, and loitering areas, then they will migrate to more comfortable surroundings.

I felt sorry for the guy sleeping across from the courthouse over the last few weeks.  I hear Florida is nice this time of year.

[DTowner]

This email was circulated last week to my office by our landlord.  While I agree panhandlers have gotten more aggressive this winter, this story has a lot of holes.  This is a busy area at lunch with a lot of foot traffic and construction workers working on the Owasso Cheerleader Honorary Fountain.  Yet, a man with a pit-bull grabs a woman by the hair and no one sees or does anything?  For that matter, this woman is assaulted, but doesn't bother to report it to the police and cannot provide even a basic description? 

[cannon_fodder]

Eid I mention bums poop in the lobby of my parking garage.  Not even my dog poops where he sleeps.

[Gaspar]

Eid I mention bums poop in the lobby of my parking garage.  Not even my dog poops where he sleeps.

Should have seen the Mayo before renovation. Hard to get that out of your head.

[Conan71]

Billie's sucks.  Pack a lunch.  That's all.

[sgrizzle]

I'm confused by the part where they say 5th & main is full of panhandlers when the intersection is closed for construction.

Wondering if DCC originated this.

[Gaspar]

Billie's sucks.  Pack a lunch.  That's all.

Ate one lunch there a couple of weeks ago. Like bad school cafeteria food. I don't get the popularity.