In the past month, Mayor Laurence Leyens invited an out-of-town couple interested in buying a local home to visit Vicksburg in order to explore the town.

The couple accepted the mayor’s invitation and came to Vicksburg, and Leyens said the visitors loved the house.

However, there was a problem.

&#8220On two occasions during their visit the couple was bothered by a panhandler,” Leyens said. &#8220After their incidents, the couple decided Vicksburg was not the place for them.”

Leyens said he knew then, as much as ever, there was a problem that needed to be addressed.

&#8220I immediately went down to the police station and said this is something that needs to be taken care of,” Leyens said last week. &#8220I basically told them we need to enforce this with a no-tolerance policy.”

Asking for donations of money, generally, is a constitutionally protected activity in public spaces. It’s not clear whether Vicksburg’s ordinance is enforceable and most other communities, large and small, regulate panhandling by the degree of &#8220aggression” shown. Any use of a threat or intimidation is clearly illegal.

Leyens said Vicksburg doesn’t have an overly serious problem, but he doesn’t want the situation to get any worse.

&#8220We’re really wanting to clean up the city this summer,” Leyens said. &#8220And people need to know we’re cracking down, on everything.”

Leyens said that panhandlers are often nuisances in the downtown area and in large parking lots, like that of the Wal-Mart SuperCenter at 2150 Iowa Blvd., which are private property and the owners are free to ask anyone to leave.

Roger Washington, co-manager of Wal-Mart, said he receives a fair share of complaints from customers about panhandling, and that there is a noticeable increase in activity just from last year.

&#8220We probably don’t get as much of it as the larger metropolitan areas, but it’s definitely still an issue around here,” Washington said.

Washington explained that when a customer has had problems with a panhandler at the store, the managers or security oftentimes can run him or her off. But he said many panhandlers are now wising up and making it more difficult to enforce for store personnel.

&#8220A lot of them know that we have a no-panhandling policy on the premises, so they’ll go out to the stop sign on the road and wait there, or find some way of getting around it,” Washington said.

Washington also noted that panhandlers have the potential to affect business negatively.

&#8220People want to be comfortable when they go somewhere to shop,” Washington said. &#8220And if people are being harassed outside the store they shop at, they’re not comfortable, and they’ll be hesitant to go back.”

Doris Glass is one of those shoppers who has been panhandled and sees it on a regular basis.

&#8220It’s just aggravating,” said Glass, a Tallulah resident who works and shops in Vicksburg. &#8220I’m not an easily scared person, but it can be very frightening if you’re alone, or it’s dark out. I definitely want it out of here.”

Vicksburg Police Department Deputy Chief Richard O’Bannon provided an explanation for the community’s continuing issue with panhandling.

&#8220Plain and simple – people are bums and (other) people facilitate it,” O’Bannon said.

O’Bannon, who has served on the Vicksburg Police Department since November 2001, said that panhandling has been an issue the whole time. O’Bannon also noted that he sees a lot of the same faces when dealing with panhandling complaints, and that they continue to panhandle because residents in the community continue to support them.

&#8220It can be a good business for not doing anything,” O’Bannon said. &#8220If you’re panhandling out by Wal-Mart, and say 1,000 cars drive by, and every other car gives you 50 cents, guess what, you’ve just made $250.”

O’Bannon also said there’s a problem of people who make complaints, but will not sign charges or show up in court to testify against panhandlers.

&#8220There’s only so much the police can do,” O’Bannon said. &#8220At that lesser misdemeanor level, it has to happen in our presence for us to be involved.”

O’Bannon said he realizes it’s a time-consuming process, but without people to testify, the police can do very little about panhandling in Vicksburg.

&#8220We want to take care of this problem as much as anyone,” O’Bannon said. &#8220But we need help from the community if we’re going to get anywhere.”