Public Announcement
♦ PANHANDLER ALERT: Reported Uptick of Panhandler Activity in Salisbury N.C.’s Historic District.
Several community activists have reported an increased number of panhandlers and unkempt suspicious persons going up to front doors and knocking, requesting money. In some cases panhandlers are walking around the sides of houses, confronting people tending their gardens, or entering garage areas. If you see this kind of activity, call the police. The city has panhandling ordinances in place.
If confronted, be polite, but tell the person or persons to leave and let them know their activity is disallowed by city ordinances. Do NOT open the door to your home. Call 911 if you feel threatened or the person persists. If you see these persons entering a neighbor’s yard or trying to gain entrance to sheds, garages, or appearing in anyway suspicious, dial 911 immediately.
The increase of panhandler activity may be the result of homeless males and women living on the streets of Salisbury or they may be persons dwelling in the Historic District’s many Oxford treatment houses who do not abide by the rules. Some panhandlers may dwell at Rowan Helping Ministries and are not following RHM’s rules for sobriety.
