The sign reads: Say yes to supporting agencies that serve those in need. “

The move follows the recommendation of the county’s Small Business Commission, which advises the oversight board on policies affecting the local business community, said county administrator Jan Lescher.

The county has not yet established a timeline for the Department of Transportation to begin installing signs, but the same “no trespassing” stickers were installed in 2016 after the commission passed the Anti-Panhandling Ordinance. Signs will be installed at 32 signalized intersections. .

ordinance 2016-30 prohibits “pedestrians from occupying the medians of county highways, except as temporary shelters when crossing the highway.” Violations do not come from the act of asking for money per se, but from trespassing if you stay too long in the median.

Since 2016, only 22 subpoenas have been issued for violating Ordinance 2016-30, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Violations will result in a fine of $140.

Pedestrians can wait on the median when crossing the road, but if people stay on the median for several light cycles, a violation of the law occurs.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lieutenant Tyler Legg said calls for begging were “fairly common” during patrols, but “the approach usually taken was to educate individuals rather than to cite them.” he said.

Panhandling extends well beyond the boundaries of unincorporated counties, but counties can enforce their own ordinances only if they have jurisdiction. Although it has its own laws banning beggars, City Attorney Mike Rankin said begging itself is constitutionally protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

“What is unprotected is behavior that threatens public safety or is illegal for reasons unrelated to the content of the person’s speech,” Rankin said in an email. This includes when the person chases someone, yells at them, threatens them, makes physical contact with them, or blocks their way after being denied access.

Josh Jacobsen, member of the county’s Small Business Commission and operational leader of the Tucson Crime Freedom Coalition, a new group advocating a tougher criminal stance to address the homeless crisis in the area, said the county’s new beggar Looking for signs of

Jacobsen described the sign as “an incremental win for the community” and a way to “start educating the public about the dangers fentanyl poses in our community.”

“If you were to give someone in the median a $20 bill, they would probably have bought 20 pills of fentanyl, and that would just perpetuate the cycle of substance abuse that people are stuck in,” he said. said.

Tucson Police Chief Chad Kasmer expresses how the spread of fentanyl in Tucson will affect unprotected people as the highly addictive substance is available for just $2-3 a tablet Did.

“Drugs, fentanyl, opiates and methamphetamine contribute to many of the problems we face in our communities and certainly contribute to the growing mental health problems of the unprotected population.” Kasmer told the Tucson City Council.At the Jan. 24 meeting, he added that there were 271 fentanyl-related overdoses in Pima County last year.

However, it is unclear how the beggar will spend the money given.

Anti-panhandling signs “seem to be in use in many cities now, but we don’t know if it will reduce panhandling,” said a nonprofit with a mission to end homelessness in Pima. said Tom Litwicki, CEO of Old Pueblo Community Services. county.

“Our experience with people living on the streets is that most people spend their money on food and then on other needs such as alcohol and drugs for people with addictions and alcoholics. I’m sure people have a range of ways to spend their money.”

Instead, the county’s new sign encourages individuals to donate to local nonprofits such as Old Pueblo Community Services, which help homeless people by providing shelter and other basic necessities.

Lesher said no enforcement is planned to deter panhandling, but he hopes the billboard will spread the message.