LAFAYETTE, La. — As you're driving through Lafayette, you might notice signs along the street discouraging panhandling in the city — but what you've likely seen from the comfort of your car is the real life of many.
Take James Crumbley for example. Now 62 years old, he tells me he didn't fall on hard times until he broke his back four years ago. That injury is what brought him from his home state of Mississippi to living with family in Abbeville, eventually ending up on the streets of Lafayette.
"I just got stranded," Crumbley says. "When I first started holding this sign, I shed tears for years every time I picked this sign up. I've had a couple jobs since I've been here and it's hard to hold a job when you're homeless — you can't get no good rest, you can't clean up, you just can't get yourself prepared to go to work when you get in this position; it's hard to get back up and mostly, I find it easier at my age to sit on the corner and drink me a little whiskey and I get paid."
Moments after meeting Crumbley, I met Deshawn Smith. Originally from Morgan City, he's been on the streets in Lafayette for the last 10 years but for him, it's nothing new. For him, between a near-death experience that led to losing his mom at the age of nine, to getting kicked out of his grandmother's house at 16, life's been full of hard knocks. He tells me the street life is what eventually led to him landing behind bars just two years after that at 18.
"Possession with intent, conspiracy to distribute cocaine," Smith admits to me. When I asked him if he had any regrets, his answer was no. "It was something I had to do, I had a brother and sister to look after, I was too young to get no job when it started, so I had to beat the streets."
Now, some neighbors say they've noticed what they feel is more panhandling on the streets. Smith tells me the corners they usually work on are becoming more competitive.
"People don't be giving out money like they used to," Smith says. "There's a couple bad apples that ruin it for everybody. We ain't jacking or stealing, we simply asking for what we want but some people are too aggressive, walking up to cars and banging on windows."
Crumbley agrees.
"Majority of the time, I don't leave the sidewalk and most people are respectful of that," he tells me. "They know what I'm out here doing, it ain't no secret so I don't even have to hold up a sign, sometimes I just wave or throw up a peace sign and most people here react kindly towards that."
Still, while a lot of neighbors I spoke with say they want to help, many don't because of safety concerns.
"They remind me of my sons and I just feel so sorry for them," says Aleta McBane, originally from Breaux Bridge but a Lafayette local for most of her life. "If I do drive up to a stop sign or red light, I do get very uncomfortable and I don't want to encourage it."
According to Lafayette Police Department, the number of panhandling reports can't be tracked, partly because of a switch to a new record-keeping system at the start of 2023. Over the last few months, however, they say there has not been a particular increase. A spokesperson for the police department sent me a statement, which reads as follows:
"LPD responds to calls as they are received usually of individuals standing at intersections requesting work, food money, etc. Police are limited in our response unless the person enters the roadway and obstructs traffic. It is not illegal to stand on the sidewalk holding a sign. We strongly discourage people from giving money because there are so many services available. Past litigation with an LPD officer being sued makes officers today hesitant to engage these individuals."
Officers note that there have yet to be any violent interactions with panhandlers. They tell me the best way to help someone panhandling on the street is through calling 211 if you see someone in need, that way they can safely get assistance. 211 operators want to remind you the service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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