Louisville is in the midst of a public safety breakdown, and the silence from leadership is deafening.

Each day across our city, panhandlers are setting up in medians, walking between moving cars, waving down vehicles, and using our roadways as rest stops and shelters. This has gone far beyond homelessness. It is now an active threat to our community’s health, image, and security.

💩 OUR ROADWAYS ARE NOW FILLED WITH WASTE AND RISK

On Dixie Highway, Preston Highway, Poplar Level, Bardstown Road, Shelbyville Road, Blankenbaker Parkway, Taylor Boulevard, Westport Road, Hurstbourne Lane, and downtown Louisville, residents encounter:

Human feces, urine, and open defecation on sidewalks and grass medians
Used syringes, crack pipes, Narcan spray containers, and foil left behind
Soiled blankets, trash bags, and food containers rotting beside travel lanes
Individuals loitering or passed out steps from moving traffic, sometimes half-naked

But this is not just a cleanliness crisis. Many of these panhandlers are not in crisis at all, they are career scammers, who change clothes and drive in from stable housing to manipulate kindhearted people. Some own homes, collect government assistance, or drive newer vehicles than the drivers they target.

⚠️ WHO’S RESPONSIBLE? 

LOUISVILLE’S DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

Mayor Craig Greenberg along with former Mayor Greg Fischer and their allies on the Metro Council have falsely shielded this behavior under “First Amendment protections.” What began as soft policy is now outright dereliction of duty.

Under the guise of compassion, Greenberg’s administration has:

Tied the hands of law enforcement
Ignored clear health and traffic threats
Allowed violent and repeat offenders to operate freely in public spaces

Let’s be brutally honest: many of these individuals have outstanding warrants, are actively using drugs, and have prior convictions for theft, assault, drug crimes, or sex offenses. Yet they are allowed to walk up to young drivers under 18, elderly motorists, and out-of-town visitors, completely unsupervised, asking for money, sometimes aggressively.

This is reckless. And it damages the image of our city, neighborhood by neighborhood, corridor by corridor.

🚨 THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS, THIS IS ABOUT PROTECTING OUR CITY

Louisville does not belong to panhandlers, career scammers, or addicts using our medians as sidewalks.

It belongs to law-abiding families, small business owners, visitors, and citizens.

There is no justice in silencing police.

There is no dignity in pretending this is harmless.

There is no compassion in letting people die slowly in traffic lanes.

📚 2017 KY SUPREME COURT: WHY WE CAN STILL ACT

The Kentucky Supreme Court struck down Lexington’s anti-panhandling ordinance in 2017 because it was written poorly, it targeted speech, not behavior.

That does not mean Louisville cannot act. In fact, other U.S. cities have already proven the model:

✅ Phoenix, AZ

Passed a median safety ordinance banning pedestrians from standing on narrow medians due to traffic hazard. Courts upheld it because it was safety-based and content-neutral.

✅ Knoxville, TN

Implemented a “Pedestrian Safety Zone” ordinance, restricting where and how solicitation occurs near intersections and crosswalks. It reduced accidents and stood up to legal challenges.

✅ Oklahoma City, OK

Adopted a no-solicitation buffer zone around intersections and traffic corridors, enforced by traffic law and public safety departments. Legal because it targets behavior, not speech.

✅ WHAT WE NEED NOW:

Metro Council must immediately adopt a legally sound, public safety ordinance that:

Bans panhandling in active traffic zones, medians, intersections, and roadways
Establishes a 1,000-foot no-solicitation buffer around schools, daycares, and churches. Designates “Pedestrian Safety Zones” citywide Empowers LMPD to charge individuals not just for solicitation, but for:

Jaywalking (KRS 189.570)

Obstructing traffic (LMCO § 72.031)

Public urination and defecation (KRS 525.060)

Littering (LMCO § 51.507)

Possession of paraphernalia (KRS 218A.500)

👮 ENFORCEMENT STRUCTURE:

1st Offense: $25 citation + written warning + 20+ hours of roadway community service

2nd Offense: $100 citation + 20+ more hours of community service + mandatory no-solicit order

3rd Offense: $250 fine + misdemeanor charge + court appearance

4th Offense: Felony-level charge for public endangerment, punishable by up to 1 year in state prison

This gives LMPD a structured, defensible way to act, with force when needed, and compassion where appropriate.

🧾 THE PEOPLE ARE SPEAKING

I have created a Change.org petition that is gaining support from residents, business owners, and local families who are demanding this change. We’re not alone and we’re not going to be silent.

🔹 Public Health Risk

Repeated, close interactions with motorists raise the risk of infectious disease transmission, including hepatitis A and staph infections. There are no sanitation standards being followed, and no oversight for hygiene or medical risk.

🔹 Threat to Vulnerable Population

Motorists being approached include teenagers under 18, elderly drivers, and women alone in vehicles. There is no screening of individuals who panhandle, many have active warrants, prior misdemeanor or felony convictions, and histories of drug use or violent offenses.

🛑 THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW

Every day you wait, someone gets scammed, someone gets threatened, someone swerves to avoid a person standing inches from traffic, or worse, someone dies.

The blood will be on the hands of this administration if that happens. This is preventable. This is fixable. And this is urgent.

We’re watching. We’re voting. And we’re ready to clean up our streets.

The only question now is: will you lead, or will you be remembered for doing nothing?

Sign this petition to advocate for regulations that protect public health and safety while preserving the dignity and welfare of every individual in Louisville.