RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – Anyone wishing to panhandle on a Raleigh County roadway is now required to obtain a daily permit from the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office.
The permit is free with a valid ID for one day in a specific location.
Sheriff Frank Priddy and the Raleigh County Commission are aware of all the panhandling and are looking at different means to stop it.
“You can imagine, several complaints come into the city and county related to this issue,” said Commission President Greg Duckworth. “I think the ordinance helps the high schools and junior highs raise money for field trips and things at the schools and churches. At the same time, it kind of eliminates hazards starting to happen out at the intersections.”
WVU Tech student Brayden Henderson thinks they can find a more humane, communal way that everyone can agree upon to fix the panhandling.
“But not punish people or put them down for trying to do what they can to get their money or get their living,” Henderson said.
Panhandlers say it can be a short-term survival strategy or long-term source of income.
“I’m concerned for the panhandlers, but not for myself, because I don’t panhandle,” said Robert “Bobby” Goodson. “Some people can’t work. They got breathing problems, mental problems. They’re trying to clean it up. So they’re doing a good job, I guess.”
According to Duckworth, panhandling on street corners can sometimes result in getting hit by a car. The commission will provide people with resources on where to get help.
“If you’re down and out trying to get money, the Salvation Army is right down the road, where you can go and get all the help, food, and stuff you need,” the commission president said.
Wheeling passed a Pedestrian and Vehicle Safety Ordinance in late 2024 that prohibits roadside panhandling. The Raleigh County Commission says they merged that idea into what they thought would work here.
“I think people are struggling enough around the community. We have drug issues. We already have so much of a homeless issue,” said Henderson. “I think the panhandling ordinance sort of takes away from the real problems by pounding these people who are already struggling in life. So I’m not a fan at all.”
Duckworth says the spirit of this ordinance isn’t to penalize people giving money to someone on the street.
“We’re not trying to curb that. There’s obviously a First Amendment issue. That’s not what we’re after either,” the commission president said. “It’s just getting very crowded. And I think this is a good way to manage it.”
Added Goodson: “Go to a place where they ain’t got time to write you a ticket if they know you ain’t going to pay it, and you don’t have to lay down in jail.”
Some of the panhandlers are pretty forceful about the way they ask for money, Duckworth said — and we don’t know who they are, but he says the panhandling permit will change that.
“It gives us a way of helping what could be a victim somewhere,” said the commission president. “We’re going to know who that person was for the most part, or think we are. We just passed the ordinance two days ago. We will have some growing pains and see how it goes.”
VIOLATIONS
First offense | verbal warning
Second offense | written warning
Third offense | possible $100 fine
