Just snapped a photo that illustrates one of the biggest elements of the panhandling problem in Downtown Memphis:
Every day this same cast of characters loiters outside the entrance to Walgreens at 2 N. Main (corner of Madison). Some days they’ll literally hang there all day long. When they get thirsty, they start asking people entering or leaving Walgreens for money. When they collect enough, they walk across Madison to CeCe’s Liquors to quench their thirst. Well, some of them do. About half of them are banned from CeCe’s and they have to send the others over to fill their orders.
Let’s have a closer look at this group, shall we?
There are actually a couple more members of the crew, who I suppose decided to sleep in this morning. Although Walgreens is their preferred location, they make guest appearances at Court Square and outside Jack’s Food Store at Main and Jefferson.
Why does Walgreens allow these people to loiter outside their store all day? It can’t be good for business for them to be there. Some would argue, “Well, the Main Street Mall is a public walk and they have a right to be there,” but that’s not necessarily true. A friend of mine owned a business nearby several years ago. He was able to swear out some kind of writ or statement or warrant (I forget its exact name – if anyone knows please fill me in) against individual panhandlers. Once that was in place, if they were caught loitering within a certain distance of his business, 10 feet I believe, he could have them arrested for criminal trespassing.
Want more? Here’s an Eyewitness News video, shot a couple of weeks ago, of two of these guys fighting over a bottle of booze outside of Walgreens. (It’s actually a story about a homeless man getting hit by a trolley, but they captured video of the fight while they were down there.) The guy involved in the fight who isn’t in the wheelchair is named Willie Norfleet and I’ve had him thrown in jail before for harassing tourists. Of course, he was back on the streets hours later. Mention the name “Norfleet” to any cop down here and they’ll immediately know who you’re talking about.
Here’s a pic I took of him last summer, while he was busy bothering attendees of the Court Square Concert Series:
Mayor Herenton may be King Willie, but this Willie is king of the bums.
This kind of thing has been going on outside Walgreens EVERY DAY for the entire 5 years I’ve lived Downtown. Except maybe Sundays – CeCe’s Liquors isn’t open so there’s less incentive for them to hang out on the corner of Madison and Main. NOTHING has been done about it. Walgreens doesn’t seem to care that these guys are constantly around.
Thinking about buying a condo in the core of Downtown Memphis? Take a look at the pics above and meet your new neighbors.