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Residents urge action on loitering and business decline during Texarkana public comments
Summary
Public commenters at the Sept. 15 Texarkana Board meeting said neighborhood businesses are closing and loitering and panhandling near a Family Dollar have driven customers away; a resident said 911 calls did not produce timely police responses, a concern staff acknowledged but did not dispute.
Several residents used the city’s public‑comment period on Sept. 15 to urge the Board of Directors to address business closures, loitering and perceived gaps in police response in neighborhood commercial corridors.
Ruth Penny Bell described a gradual loss of neighborhood services — a grocery store, a pharmacy and local restaurants — and said loitering and aggressive panhandling at the Family Dollar had made her and others avoid patronizing the store. She recounted an…
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