(KCPW News) Advocates for Utah’s poor and homeless have released a survey of 22 panhandlers in Salt Lake City, hoping to convince Mayor Ralph Becker to back off from trying to pass an anti-panhandling ordinance. Hoping to counter the perception that people who beg for money don’t actually need it, Bill Tibbitts with Crossroads Urban Center said all but two of them were homeless.
“How much have taxpayers in this city put into cracking down on panhandlers instead of helping people with no other options find some kind of work so they can have a meaningful existence?” he said at a news conference.
According to the survey, 10 of the panhandlers said they have received a citation. Tibbitts said this means the city already has the ability to stop panhandlers from blocking businesses and inappropriate behavior.
The mayor’s spokeswoman, Lisa Harrison-Smith, said the proposed ordinance came about because residents want it.
“And it is specifically targeted at aggressive panhandling, instances where the public is feeling threatened or there is some issue with traffic or something along those lines,” she told KCPW. “It’s not targeted at the homeless or panhandlers in general.”
Mayor Becker is scheduled to meet with anti-poverty advocates this Friday. Examples of behavior that would be illegal under the current draft ordinance include using profanity, touching someone, blocking the path of vehicles or pedestrians, and soliciting within 20 feet of an outdoor cafe.
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