Neighborhood complains about panhandlers’ growing aggressiveness

Steven, a self-proclaimed street worker, is feeding a flock of pigeons that surrounds him as he sits on the corner of East Flamingo Road and Mountain Vista waiting for spare change.

“I hold my hands out, and it pays the rent,” he said.

The Michigan native, who was joined by friend Victoria and Chihuahua Amber, said he has worked that corner for the past four years.

A nearby resident and businesses in the area say aggressive panhandlers have been a big problem as they harass passers-by and customers. Steven, however, isn’t the kind of person they’re referring to.

He and Victoria, who live in the area, said they, too, have seen other panhandlers become aggressive with customers who patronize local businesses.

“We see it happening all the time, mostly near 7-Eleven and Big Lots,” Victoria said of the businesses at the intersection of East Flamingo and Boulder Highway.

The neighborhood, one of Clark County’s poorest, has the lowest average household income among the four districts. It also has the highest percentage of residents whose income is below poverty level, according to a 2012 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Andrew Frogel has lived in the area for the past 15 years and attributes the rise in panhandlers to the changing neighborhood.

“The neighborhood was hit hard by the recession, and there are a lot of empty houses,” he said. “There are plenty of places for them to hang out.”

Frogel said he and his wife have been harassed by panhandlers on several occasions.

While Frogel was waiting at the drive-thru window at a local fast-food restaurant, he encountered an older woman panhandling.

“She approached me asking me for money, and when I told her I didn’t have any, she starting shaking her fist at me,” he said. “They don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Francesca Frias, cashier at the AMPM gas station at 4605 E. Flamingo Road, said she sees customers getting harassed by panhandlers “all the time.”

“They come around here when it’s really busy,” she said. “Some are drunk and start yelling at people. The older customers get scared.”

Frias said she and her fellow employees have called the police on numerous occasions to report aggressive panhandlers.

Officer Larry Hadfield said Metro receives calls daily about people who are soliciting donations or panhandling.

“Panhandlers tend to congregate where high volumes of vehicles or pedestrian traffic occur or where there is a high volume of homeless people,” he said.

Hadfield said generally when police are called it’s a misdemeanor crime situation, and responding officers are likely to warn or cite the person for related offenses unless other circumstances exist.

He added that there have been no incidents involving an aggressive panhandler that resulted in injury or death in the Las Vegas Valley.

Hadfield advises residents to call 311 if they come in contact with an aggressive panhandler and 911 if the situation escalates into an emergency.

He instructs businesses to call the nonemergency number and request that an officer handle an aggressive panhandler.

“When officers arrive and contact the individual, they should request a trespass of the person so that future enforcement is possible if the person comes back and continues to panhandle,” Hadfield said.

Three employees at Boulder Crossings shopping center on Boulder Highway were interviewed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and declined to give their names as they feared reprisal.

Numerous customers have entered the Radio Shack store to complain about aggressive panhandlers, a sales associate said.

“Customers come in and say, ‘You have to do something about them hanging out around your store,’ ” the sales associate said. “Customers are trying to buy something, not get harassed.”

The Radio Shack sales associate said employees are instructed to call the police to report an aggressive panhandler.

“They’re not allowed to linger around here,” the sales associate said. “We call the police, and the police will come try to calm them down and tell them to leave.”

Next door, a Papa John’s Pizza employee said the store has called the police, too.

“We see them all the time, but there’s not much you can do,” the employee said. “By the time the police get here, they’re usually gone.”

At a nearby GameStop, a store manager said employees have witnessed panhandlers near the store at least once or twice a month.

“We’ll ask them to move on because they can’t hang around the store,” the store manager said.

Frogel said he has called the police and will continue to do so when he sees panhandlers getting aggressive.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility to call and report it,” he said. “But I wish Metro would be more proactive and keep this under control. It’s just not safe.”

Contact Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Find her on Twitter: @AnnFriedmanRJ.