GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—Grand Junction officials are considering making panhandling a crime to stop what they say is an aggressive and increasing practice.
Lying about what the money would be used for would be against the law, as would soliciting on buses, parking lots, near an ATM and other public places. The City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on the proposal, which would take effect immediately.
Banning panhandling is a safety issue that needs to be addressed, since the number of solicitors increases in the city because of the recession, Mayor Bruce Hill said. The city hasn’t done a count on how many panhandlers it has, but Hill said he’s seeing more of them.
The department has received more complaints recently for aggressive panhandling—another concern cited by city officials considering the ordinance, Grand Junction Police spokesman Kate Porras said. City Councilwoman Bonnie Beckstein told her colleagues during a recent meeting that a panhandler hit her car when she didn’t look at him at an intersection.
The proposed ordinances would prohibit anyone from being within 50 feet of a roadway or 15 feet from a business to solicit money. The law would apply to anyone standing on a median because they could fall onto the street, and that even cheerleaders holding signs promoting a car wash would be affected, Hill said.
“They shouldn’t be in the median,” he said.
The goal is to protect drivers and solicitors while “making sure not to trample on freedom of speech,” Hill said.
Violators would be fined up to $1,000 or face a year in jail. However, a crowded jail means people would likely only be fined, City Attorney John Shaver said.
City officials also said that many of the panhandlers are drunk or under the influence of drugs.
Dorothea Locke said soliciting money on the streets is her only source of income right now. The proposed law is unfair, she said.
“I hate this,” she said. “If I didn’t have to do this, I wouldn’t.”
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
