The City of Chicago could soon be cracking down on pushy panhandlers who yell at pedestrians, hit up cars stopped in traffic or ask for change at bus stops, outdoor cafes and near ATMs.
An ordinance prohibiting aggressive panhandling, punishable by $50 fines, was approved Tuesday by a City Council committee. It could be up for approval by City Council on Wednesday.
Supporters say the ordinance is needed to cut down on harassment from beggars who try to intimidate people into giving them money. But advocates for the homeless say the law is a misguided way to address the issue of panhandling and fear the law could be used to target the homeless.
“It’s a definite problem throughout the whole city,” Deputy Police Chief Ralph Chiczewski said, adding that Chicago police get hundreds of complaints a week about aggressive panhandling.
“I personally have suffered harassment that has made me feel … unsafe,” said Sheri Mecklenburg, general counsel to Police Supt. Philip Cline. She told the Committee on Traffic Control on Tuesday that a panhandling ordinance would help police because the courts do not consider aggressive begging to be disorderly conduct.
The city previously banned panhandling under its disorderly conduct ordinance, but the City Council repealed the law in 2002 after a class-action suit was filed and it seemed unlikely that the ban would hold up in a court challenge. The city settled the lawsuit last year, with $99,000 going to panhandlers who had been arrested or ticketed and another $300,000 awarded to their attorneys, said Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department.
The proposal under consideration is modeled after one in Indianapolis that has withstood a court challenge, Hoyle said.
Evanston has a similar ordinance that prohibits panhandling at bus stops, at stopped vehicles and near ATMs. It also forbids panhandlers from touching someone who’s being solicited or blocking someone’s path. It’s punishable by a fine or community service.
The Chicago ordinance includes a list of forbidden actions, including asking for money while someone is standing in line, panhandling in groups, using abusive language or gestures, following a person who walks away from a panhandler or asking for money on public transportation or near banks and currency exchanges.
Ed Shurna, a spokesman for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, said the proposed law isn’t going to solve the problem of people begging. Instead, he said, focus should be put on helping people find jobs and affordable housing so they don’t have to ask for money.
Panhandling, though uncomfortable for most people who are solicited, is a fact of life in the city and in a society with a large gap between the well-off and the poor, he said.
“They’re not going to go away,” Shurna said. “I just think it’s a bad use of resources.”
Also, the ordinance’s proposed fines–$50 for first and second offenses, $100 after–don’t make sense for a poor population. “If you’re begging for 50 cents, you’re not going to be able to pay $50,” Shurna said.
South Side Ald. Fredrenna Lyle (6th), who voted in support of the proposal, said the city probably won’t be able to collect fines from homeless panhandlers. But the ordinance could discourage the most aggressive behavior from beggars, she said.
“We’re trying to get the message out, letting them know they’re going to be watched and giving [citizens] some recourse,” Lyle said.
Joe Gardner, a 53-year-old man who spent several years homeless in Chicago, said he’s in favor of cracking down on pushy panhandlers.
At 6-fee- 5 and 360 pounds, Gardner was too big to panhandle because his size intimidated people. But he’s seen other panhandlers abuse people who say no to requests for spare change, and he believes that poor behavior gives all homeless people a bad name.
“It’s OK to panhandle, but there’s a right way to do it,” Gardner said. “You can’t just be bum-rushing them.”
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Online poll
Chicagotribune.com asked Tuesday:
How often do you give money to panhandlers?
2.1% Every day
8% Once a week
9.7% Once a month
80.2% Hardly ever
Do you favor the proposed panhandling law?
86% Yes
14% No
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kmasterson@tribune.com
