by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
City Council member Suzanne Jenkins may move forward with legislation designed to curtail litter generated by free meals served to the homeless.
Jenkins, who has received complaints from area businesses regarding trash and property damage, recently met with representatives from the City and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to determine what laws were already on the books and to determine what needs to be added or changed so improvements can be made.
“These groups who are feeding the homeless have the best of intentions. That’s not issue,” said Jenkins. “But they don’t understand they’re helping to enable a homeless lifestyle.”
Jenkins and Frank Mackesy, JSO director of patrol and enforcement, said the problem is partially caused by homeless feedings performed by churches and other charitable groups at Hemming Plaza and Springfield’s Confederate Park, but more from a lack of a commitment to regulate litter and public property damage after the groups are gone.
“It’s very frustrating because we have all these people telling us not to trash Jacksonville, but it’s still such a problem,” said Jenkins. “There’s not even a place to put the garbage a lot of times.”
According to Bob Baughman of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department, there are no trash receptacles at Confederate Park.
“One thing we need to understand is that it is much cheaper to collect trash in a garbage can than it is to send someone out to pick up litter in a public right away later on,” said Mackesy.
Baughman said more garbage cans would be a minor solution to much bigger problems, including a lack of public restrooms.
Still, Mackesy said it was still worth a try.
“If we don’t at least put some garbage cans out there, we’ll never know,” he said.
In addition to more garbage cans, Mackesy said JSO officers could pursue other methods to help curb the litter.
An unlikely option would be to criminally charge, and possibly impose jail time, for anyone caught in the act.
“It’s difficult because homeless people don’t usually carry identification with them,” he said. “I don’t think it would do anybody any good to arrest them and then release them with time served.”
Jenkins concurred, saying they would be more successful if they targeted the groups providing the food, not the ones waiting in line to eat it.
“But we have to decide what would work better,” said Jenkins. “Do we make it mandatory to apply for a permit before anyone performs a homeless feeding or do we put an ordinance in place that requires these groups to collect and remove all of the garbage.”
Baughman said any ordinance would need to be specific enough so that smaller groups wouldn’t be penalized.
“We need to make sure it isn’t too broad,” he said. “For instance, I don’t think we have to target a family having a picnic in the park who gives away leftovers.”
Jenkins agreed, but said a new ordinance was definitely worth looking into.
“All we’re doing is holding the providers responsible for what they are doing,” she said. “If they are, then we’re happy and I don’t think anyone can argue with that.”
The group is expected to schedule a follow-up meeting within a few weeks.