TULSA, Okla. — A measure to reduce stolen shopping carts has mixed reactions, especially from those who try to help the homeless community.

Tulsa Police Department confirmed to 2 News it shared an initiative with downtown stakeholders that would treat shopping carts as stolen merchandise when found off property, and issue fines against those responsible. Officers could also choose to confiscate the cart.

Jesus Trejo Perez, or Don Jesus as he’s known by colleagues, heads produce sales at Supermercados Las Americas‘ biggest location, on East Admiral.

The grocery store also touches I-244, where numerous homeless encampments are found with shopping carts.

“In three months, we’ve gotten about 150 new shopping carts,” Perez said. “They’re expensive. But during these spans, we find carts stolen time after time after time.”

Tulsa Day Center CEO Mack Haltom said he’s trying to get more information about TPD’s approach, but opposes what he says could lead to criminalized homelessness.

“By citing an individual that’s already kind of down, it’s just going to complicate things more,” Haltom said. “Plus, what happens to their belongings then? I’m not sure if they have figured out if they would just dump the belongings on the street and then leave them there, or how that cleanup takes place.”

“And it kind of puts them into the court system, and if they don’t show up for them they can put out a warrant and they end up in jail,” he added. “Oftentimes, that’s what happens with those kinds of citations.”
Haltom also said he has yet to meet with Mayor-elect Monroe Nichols since he won the election, but is encouraged by his eagerness to fix homelessness.

Whatever options come to Tulsa’s homeless, Perez is only shopping for results.

“I couldn’t tell you the exact details or solutions. That’s really for our owner to decide,” Perez said. “But what I can say is the carts keep getting stolen.”

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