NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Brittany McCann is a lifelong resident of Hermitage. She said panhandling has become a growing issue.
"They come up to your car before you can even get your door open and they just wait, and then they tend to target women, women with children and senior citizens," said McCann.
That's why she, and other residents, would like to see "no panhandling" signs put up. They hope it will encourage people to give to charity instead.
"Oh, you see it every day in Hermitage. All the time," Hermitage resident Keith Davenport said. "Up at the Publix, up the Kroger, intersection of Old Hickory Boulevard, over here. It's everywhere."
McCann said she has reached out to local Metro officials but has not heard back about putting up any signs.
"For the people that think they're helping, but they're really hurting," said McCann. "If they want to give or actually help people instead of enabling their addictions or personal issues, we need to give to a charity."
But others say panhandling is just a symptom of a larger problem.
"That sign is not going to make that individual go away or make all of the things that they're experiencing go away or improve," said India Pungarcher, advocacy and outreach specialist with Open Table Nashville. "We need to remember that these are people that are also struggling and in some really difficult seasons of their lives and try to take a more sustainable and holistic approach to combating these social issues."
Until then, McCann said continue to push for change before the situation gets any worse.
"They could totally be contributing to someone's death with just a few dollars."
Other cities in Middle Tennessee with "no panhandling" signs include Mt. Juliet and Cookeville.
