City Attorney Wants to Make It Much Harder For Strangers to Knock On Your Front Door

• We also get the van full of teens soliciting magazines with outdated and ragged flyers. One of the kids confessed to me that he was a run away and that a "nice" man gives them jobs and they travel from town to town. There are no magazines and whoever the adults are coordinating this are obviously crooks and corrupting/abducting minors. The next time I have one of these kids at my doorstep I am inviting them in for a soft drink and have my spouse call the police in the next room. This has to stop. I am deeply concerned about these young kids.

• well, there goes my "thin mints" connection!

• You should move to Frisco. No one will bother you there.

• So does yours.

• Your bit still sucks.

• One sentence of a differing opinion to something you volunteered is not bullying, and abusing that word doesn't do anyone any good.

• Problem with that is that the 'magazine sales reps' then tend to go around back and break in thinking nobody is home.  I do the same thing but have my Glock handy just in case.

• Friend of mine put a little notice on his door: "We kill every third solicitor." So far as i know, it worked.

• Lacey, why are you defending yourself againt this pretentious little pseudo-humanitarian prick Scott? Scott, post your real name and address so that we can direct all solicitors and homeless into your loving, welcoming arms, or just STFU. What a fucking poseur you are.

• Not wasting their time. No anti-social dementia. Stop bullying.

• Nope. Not afraid. Not isolationist. Just don't want the sales calls and junky literature.

• Tell me,  how long have you two worked for the Advocate???

• I have a homemade sign on my door has worked for three years.Why does the City Attorney and this Council spend so much time on such laws with no one to enforce them. The DFW Board selection process that was passed in November violates every ounce of 14-1 ,but Perkins seems to think excluding certain people by a comittee of 5 people, three from North Dallas,one Oak cliff, other North Oak cliff is OK. DFW agreement says Council shall apoint 6 people,there is not one sentance in that agreement about Council committee of 5 will screen nominees and chose who they will interview,than after interview send forth to Council names for apointment to 3 places and City Council will vote on those names only.City Secertary will then asign place numbers another violation of agreement that says name and place no. should be asigned when voting because place numbers have diffrent service time. I will challenge this process in Federal Court as soon as Primary election is over.

• Really Scott, I had no problem whatsoever with the usual people who choose to be/are homeless who have roamed near my complex for the last few years. They politely did their thing in looking through trash, etc., and I went on my business of walking my dog. Paths didn't cross, life was fine. Over the last 3-6 months, new and aggressive beggars have started coming into the area. They hit up anything that moves with a sob story, whether it's stopping your car to ask for gas money, or asking for spare dollars outside Walgreen's, where I know they're just gonna go purchase cigarettes. I'm nobody rich. I'm a student at El Centro. I get hit up there, too, for what, messing with my iPod as I wait for the bus home? Trying to eat lunch in the cafe area unbothered? I pay for the security and location of where I live not to be bothered for money I don't have. Justifying that has nothing to do with class. Not to mention that it is highly against the law to panhandle and beg in the Uptown area (on that whole side of Central, I believe). There are places designated by Dallas that beggars and homeless can go for help, if they decide to take responsibility for their lives. I am quite sure there is even counseling available for those who don't choose to be responsible, but still request help. Angela Hunt can't do shit about it--I was being sarcastic there, and you are entitled to your feelings about me--they're YOURS. But, I also was saying that the whole aggressive begging needs to be better controlled. I was in Brooklyn this summer, and I did get hit up about my curves and booty, but, never asked for money. If NYC can curb the issue, so can Dallas.

• You sued the Advocate, really? What an asswagon!

• It seems like this is more about getting yet another fee as opposed to the quality of life.

• What a jackass that you have time to sue a company, but not enough to go and throw away a bagged magazine you don't want to read.  Cut off your nose to spite your face much?

• Factually false.  In fact, you should be wary of your friends and those you invite in--they pose far greater statistical threat than strangers. I don't care for solicitors that want to waste my time, but I'm man enough to cut them off and politely say, "I'm not interested" though, sometimes, I AM interested.

• HOMELESS, GO HOME! classy Lacey, I thought more of you, unless I'm missing your sarcasm

• But, it apparently hasn't stopped you from wasting their time, our money for your anti-social dementia. 

• Plano. Now your posts make a little more sense. So fear-filled.

• You sound very afraid and isolationist.

• I sued the Advocate after they told me they didn't have any way to stop their trashy paper from being slapped onto my door knob.  Just wasn't within their power. Whadda you know.  Turns out they did. It's the arrogance of somebody  thinking they can walk up to my front door (which I never go out) and stick whatever they want on it that is infuriating. The City promised me over a decade ago they'd do this. Maybe now they will.

• So.... where exactly does this put those free Briefings? File under educational? Political? Charitable? Religious? All of the above?  

• I love it when that dented white van drops off like, 45 of those homeless guys in my neighborhood....and then they all walk around and smoke, and do nothing. Excpet walk across peoples grass, and check for unlocked doors.

• Years ago I called the free paper(s) and told them to cease and desist; followed by the free Plano Profile.  It's just waste, and nobody reads this crap. It's bad enough 90% of my mail is junk I don't even look at. 

• Boy this is SO true......I usually glance through the peekhole, and when it's someone I don't know, I very gruffly answer "what do you want?"  When they answer "it's SO + So with This and That, and I gotta great deal" I just tell them to go away.  You can never be too careful in this day and age!  Same thing with car problems; if it's woman with kids, or an elderly person, I'll stop and render aid; otherwise, your on your own.

• I love it how they (literally) leave the door open for political campaigners to knock on your door and also post signs, even though if you lose a kid or pet, posting signs is illegal for THAT. Nice.  Not at all self-serving. I don't want anyone knocking or leaving stuff on my door who doesn't have an appointment.  No Girl Scouts, no fundraising kids or teens, no churches, no salesmen. I finally put out a nasty sign after the creepy guy who was mooching off the lone girl next door knocked on it asking for money, after numerous failed attempts to sidle up to me over a period of two years. She used to "let him mow."  He'd be there literally all day and into the night, without ever even weedeating the edges, just hanging out. I finally added some detail to the sign, "This includes churches," after they flagrantly ignored the "No Soliciting" message. And then I wrote one exemption on it, my monthly community magazine.  Things have been much better, though I do need one also in Spanish.  At Hallowween, I cover up the sign with a big "Happy Halloween" sign.  That's one time I don't mind. Sometimes I think about finding out how to install one of those produce sprinklers you see misting the vegetable section at the supermarket on my front porch, with a button to push from the inside. 

• Of course political solicitations are exempt. We wouldn't want our city leaders to be bothered by the laws they put in place.

• I swear, you guys whine more than that cabernet I had last night! Now. Since we got that out of the way....have any of you guys ever heard of Jehovah??? Well, i'm one of his witnesses and he's after me now, because he says i've been snitching on him.

• they shouldn't be dumping that nasty shit in our water. for once carasway is doing something good.

• since the police won't respond to shoplifting charges anymore maybe they'll have time to bust people that leave fliers most of us don't want and could possibly be casing our homes. sounds good, but at the expense of ignoring actual crime? go dallas.

• If the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses don't come to me, how am I going to convert them to Gay-theism?

• The City of Dallas is late to the game. Want the discussion to get fun? Require that unsolicited material must be placed within five feet of the front door. How else can they see, in the dark at four in the a.m. when they litter up the neighborhoods, if you have a “No Solicitors” sign on or near your front door? Belo may squawk, but it is a legally enforceable requirement. http://wgna.info/notes/AL_DIA2.htm  

• It would be appreciated if the City Council would prohibit the throwing of trash in my front yard such as Paper City and Preston Hollow News.

• The sweeties selling the cookies should be coming soon to the front of a grocery store near you. Based on my experience, I would trust the Girl Scouts of America organization to carry out a ground assault on any enemy of the US.  They don't pull off selling millions of cookies every year for nothing. To get the plum spots for your troop, you have to set your alarm for dawn so you can jump out of bed and get online to beat the other troops.  There are passwords and usernames and spreadsheets to contend with.   Everyone wants Uptown.  Uptown is one of the jackpots for cookie sales.

• If someone leaves a flyer - on my NO SOLICITING sign I also warn not to leave flyers, cards, etc -- I call the phone number and let them know they have violated the ordinance and that a $500 fine per violation could get pretty expensive. Most claim they just hired a crew to go through the neighborhood and would caution them to look for signs as part of their "training." I've also called the police on those vans full of questionables, and they've been cleared out pretty quickly. Not sure how DPD would enforce -- if they're not pursuing shoplifting then I would think door-to-door soliciting violations would be even lower on the list.

• I thought Angela Hunt flipped. Didn't she holler at the homeless in the Park on Main Street "What are you doing in my Park." I am just asking?  typo Fine should have been find, hit wrong key.

• Does this apply to Hiz Honor Dwaine Caraway knocking on the doors of crack houses  with Mayor Rawlings and the TV Cameras in tow. Just saw him trying to get in a Packing House to fine out why there is pig blood in the Trinity River. Is he on the Police force or the Dallas city council. 

• Right on, mama! In my Uptown "yard", we've been getting an onslaught of homeless who hide in between the Redbox machines late at night, or some who just straight-up panhandle. We also get those magazine and "band players for the local HS" who only need $3 to get to their goal of going to Europe. The police need to be more on it. It was OK back when the homeless minded their own space and business and we minded ours unbothered. Where's Angela Hunt when you need her?

• I don't open my door unless I'm expecting someone.  Period.  Hate to be that way, but we live in a dangerous world.

• Awesome. Now, how am I to get my Thin Mints and Do-Si-Dos?

• Any chance on getting an ordinance says free weekly "papers" aren't allowed to throw their trash in my yard?

• We don't get clean-cut religious duos in our neighborhood. Instead, a van drops off a bunch of "students" who look waaay older than 16 or 17.  Or 25 for that matter. They are either selling magazines to "earn the way" somewhere or because they are "enrolled in a class about starting a business." My neighbors and I have taken to calling the police and asking for stepped up patrols bc the van arrivals seem to coincide with an increase in home break-ins.  Once the police start cruising around, the solicitors clear out within a day or two. It's especially disconcerting because there is an elementary school in the middle of our neighborhood. The more hoops these potential criminals have to jump through, the better. And I'd call the police on the religious duos, too. I'm a mom and I'm not taking any chances with my children. 

• My computer faces the front door........when I see these sh+theads approaching; I knock on the window, point to the "no soliciting" sign, and fearlessly point to the street.   I want to get a 'GO AWAY" sign, but the wife won't let me.  

• Religious duos walk down our street regularly. They're neat, polite and thorough: they never skip a house, even though it's fairly obvious that nobody's home. Maybe we should let them carry the mail.

• Um...seems to me the city is a little late to the table on this.  Surrounding communities have had a similar ordinance in place for years.  That, combined with a NO SOLICITING sign in English and Spanish on my front door have dramatically reduced the number of unwanted door knockers. I hope it can work for Dallas. But that darn Belo exemption causes a mess everywhere!

TotalComments: 47