HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/16/2005, COMM - ATLANTA AGREES TO RESTRICT BEGGING T
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Atlanta
Agrees
to Restrict
Begging
From Associated Press
ATLANTA—A ban on pan-
handling near downtown At-
J lama's tourist attractions was
approved by the City Council on
Monday, $espite hundreds of
r e protesters who called the mea-
sure an attack on the poor.
The council had been consid-
ering the ban all summer at the
urging of downtown merchants
who said parts of Atlanta were so
overrun with aggressive beggars
that business was suffering.
But the plan—approved 12 to
3—sparked opposition from ac-
tivists for the poor and civil
rights groups, who complained
the ban would unfairly affect
black males.
Several dozen opponents
camped on the City Hall lawn on
the eve of the vote,and after the
ordinance was approved,about a
dozen of them erupted in shouts
and were escorted out of We
council chambers.
.This is a day nobody in At-
lanta should be prqud of!" for-
mer City Councilman Derrick
Boazman screamed as he was
led away from the meeting in
handcuffs.
The ordinance becomes law
with the signature of Mayor Shir-
ley Franklin, who supports the
ban.Atlanta joins a list of cities,
including Indianapolis and Or-
lando,Fla,with similar Prohibi-
tions.
A small area of downtown,
and the Martin Luther Hing Jr.
National Historic Site a few
blocks away,would be subject to
the rule making it illegal to beg
for money.
The ordinance also makes it a
crime citywide to panhandle at
night or near public phones or
ATMs. Violators would get a
warning on the first offense,re-
ferral to a resource c&ter on the
second and a possible one-
month jail term on subsequent
offenses.