"...only a small percentage of panhandlers are homeless, and many are just street hustlers."

Nice to see that as Louisville addresses their own panhandling situation, the head of the downtown partnership there recognizes the fact that most Homeless don't panhandle and that the majority of panhandlers are indeed street hustlers. I can't be sure, but I'll bet Mr. Kelleher has learned much from our own Downtown Partnership's CEO, Tom Turner, who has recognized this fact long ago and has worked to offer alternatives to panhandling for those who truly need the help that a few dollars could bring. Panhandling calls for multi-pronged approach

I have read with interest the recent exchange of letters on the topic of downtown panhandling. My organization, the Louisville Downtown Management District (LDMD), plays an important role addressing this issue, so I thought I would add two additional thoughts.

First, Louisville is neither the only city that struggles with the problem of panhandling, nor is our panhandling problem any worse than that found in other comparable cities. Indeed, many downtown organizations maintain on-street safety teams that keep meticulous records of the incidence of both passive and aggressive panhandling, and those records show that Louisville's panhandling problem is roughly comparable to other cities.

During the month of July, for example, safety teams in Nashville had 230 reported or witnessed incidents of passive panhandling and 67 reported or witnessed incidents of aggressive panhandling. But Louisville's Downtown District had only 102 such incidents of passive panhandling and 11 incidents of aggressive panhandling. The point of this example is not to quantify the extent of our downtown panhandling, because many cases go unreported or unwitnessed by safety ambassadors. Instead, this example merely shows that panhandling is a common problem in neighboring cities, and that our problems are no worse than those of our nearby neighbors.

Second, we must all work collaboratively to diminish the problem of downtown panhandling if we truly seek successful solutions. Panhandling is a multi-dimensional problem that cannot be effectively addressed by any single agency acting alone. We all have a role to play.

My organization, for example, must play a role. You may have seen our on-street Clean and Safe Ambassadors wearing their bright yellowish-green uniforms cleaning and patrolling the Downtown District. One of their important work assignments is to engage panhandlers and to either assist them in getting to an appropriate human service agency or to otherwise encourage them to move along and stop asking pedestrians for money. Our ambassadors are equipped with radios and they can also call in police assistance when help is needed. It should also be noted that panhandling occurs in most Louisville neighborhoods, but only the Downtown Management District offers the services of the Clean and Safe Ambassador teams to address the problem.

Also, Louisville Metro government must play a role. They must pass an effective panhandling ordinance that will regulate and restrict this activity. Just such an ordinance was recently drafted by Steve Durham of the Jefferson County attorney's office with the assistance of a community-based panhandling task force that included LDMD director of operations Ken Herndon. I urge all Metro Council members to bring this ordinance forward promptly for consideration and approval.

In addition, when appropriate, police must arrest repeat violators, local prosecutors must bring charges, and local judges must be willing to hand down sentences that are stiff enough to deter this activity. Naturally, panhandling is not a felony, so heavy sentences would be inappropriate and unrealistic. But panhandling is clearly a problem that our citizens do care about, and if left unchecked, panhandling can undermine Louisville's needed downtown enhancement efforts. Accordingly, it is a problem that should be taken seriously by the courts. So if a slap on the wrist is the strongest sentence we can ever expect for this misdemeanor, then I urge our judges to consider issuing a slightly harder slap for repeat violators -- perhaps even a slap on the wrist that stings a bit.

And finally, each and every person who occasionally walks on our city streets must play a role -- indeed, if you are a pedestrian you play arguably the most important role of all. Specifically, you should never ever give money to a panhandler. Panhandlers choose to work city streets precisely because people do give them money. Giving money on the street only encourages the continuation of more panhandling. Giving money on the street does absolutely nothing to bring any long-term solutions to poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, or homelessness.

It's hard not to feel compassion for someone who says he is hungry. But only a small percentage of panhandlers are homeless, and many are just street hustlers. So if you want to be kind and generous, please do so by giving money to a local agency that will responsibly address such problems. A few examples include the Healing Place for Men at 1020 W. Market, the Healing Place for Women at 1607 W. Broadway, or the Coalition for the Homeless at 1115 S. Fourth Street. Please express your generosity in a constructive way by sending these agencies a check, not in a destructive way by passing out cash on the street.

Also, if you sometimes walk downtown, please program the number of our Clean and Safety Ambassadors (502-664-8654) on to your mobile phone and call us immediately if you are ever approached by a panhandler within the 61 blocks of our District. We'll send someone right away to deal with the problem.

Louisville's Downtown is a precious resource that, in a very real sense, belongs to everyone who lives close enough to visit it. Instead of debating about the extent of our typical urban problems, we should all instead roll up our sleeves and work together to reduce these common big city problems so we can enjoy the benefits of having a thriving and growing downtown with a minimum of the unpleasantness routinely associated with urban life.

DAN KELLEHER President & CEO Louisville Downtown Management District Louisville 40202