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Winston-Salem Looks At Ways To Address Downtown Panhandling Complaints

Some business leaders and residents say they want more police patrols in downtown Winston-Salem to help prevent harassment from "aggressive panhandlers." KERI BROWN/WFDD

Some local residents and business leaders are concerned about an increase in what they describe as “aggressive panhandling” in downtown Winston-Salem. They want city officials to address the issue.

People who ask for money in public places in Winston-Salem are required to have a permit and have to follow certain rules. For example, they have to stay out of highway medians and can't solicit someone within 100 feet of a bank or ATM.

But several downtown businesses and stakeholders say some of the panhandlers are too aggressive.

Jason Thiel is president of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership. He says the issue isn't about people being homeless.

“What we're experiencing is something quite different," he says. "We are experiencing people that just don't want to take no for an answer, will follow you down the street, seem to pop up out of nowhere, and it's become very frustrating for people.”

Thiel says he wants to see more enforcement of the permit ordinance and other safety measures.

City Manager Lee Garrity says he is working on a plan with police to address the complaints. He says he'll have more information on what that will look like sometime next week.

You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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