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Sunday, May 27, 2007

Minneapolis wants to get tougher with panhandlers.

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posted by Bob at Sunday, May 27, 2007

2 Comments:

Blogger Bob said...

As city officials look to beef up its ordinance, a new campaign will ask citizens to give money to groups aiding the homeless.

By Terry Collins, Star Tribune

Last update: May 26, 2007 – 9:56 PM

A century on the hill
Minneapolis wants to get tougher with panhandlers
Children's Theatre given $400,000
Three diners were sitting outside in downtown Minneapolis recently when a man walked up and asked for a dollar.
The three, Minneapolis Council Members Sandy Colvin Roy and Ralph Remington and state Sen. Linda Higgins, politely declined.

The panhandler turned to Remington and went into a profanity-laced tirade.

"Man, I wanted to rip his head off," Remington recalled. "That could've been two brothers thrown in jail over what? A dollar?

"That showed me how dire this situation is."

Now Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and the City Council want to strengthen the ordinance against aggressive panhandling. A public hearing about the panhandling problem will be held June 6 at City Hall.

Following the lead of cities including New York, Denver and Santa Monica, Calif., the city is proposing to ban verbal soliciting for money within 10 feet of a crosswalk, convenience and liquor stores or within 50 feet of entrances and exits to a park or sporting arena.

It also wants to prohibit panhandling in groups of two or more people and at night.

"We're simply going to have a lower tolerance for panhandling," Rybak said. "Your well-intentioned guilt by giving your spare change is only a Band-Aid and isn't doing much to solve the problem. We have to stop it now."

City leaders say panhandling, common around the bustling Nicollet Mall, Uptown restaurants and freeway exits, is a livability issue out of control.

Rybak advises those intimidated by panhandlers to call 911.

"We want you do to that," he said. "I do it all the time."

The city is also rolling out a campaign called "Give Real Change" to urge people not to fund beggars and to instead donate to organizations trying to solve homelessness and other underlying problems that lead to panhandling. As part of the campaign, two outreach workers from the Heading Home Hennepin anti- homelessness initiative will tell panhandlers where they can find housing and support.

Soon, donations can be taken at a website and at colorful refurbished parking meters in spots where panhandling is prevalent.

A good idea, said Marilyn Martin, 59, of Minneapolis. She admits though it's hard to turn down panhandlers who politely ask for money, such as a group on Thursday near Hennepin and Lagoon Avenues in Uptown.

"I'm walking with a bag full of groceries, I couldn't just keep going," said Martin, who wore a T-shirt that read "Freedom is Not Free."It's tough to say no."

Especially if you're quietly holding up a sign, said panhandler Tia Boxberger, 26, who came to Minneapolis about a week ago from Portland, Ore.

"I'm not trying to hurt anybody," said Boxberger, standing with others holding signs near Lake Street and Hennepin. "We're trying to eat, maybe get some cigarettes. And stay away from the cops."

Despite having an existing "aggressive solicitation" ordinance, the city wants to put more pressure on those who approach or follow people or loiter outside businesses and cause fear or intimidation.

A stiffer ordinance could lead to abuse of homeless people, said Cathy ten Broeke, a city-county coordinator who heads Heading Home Hennepin and a longtime advocate to end homelessness.

Her department recently surveyed 45 homeless people who engage in legal panhandling. It found that the majority were homeless and nearly half had a long-term disability, including mental illness, and had been hospitalized in the past year. Chemical dependency is also a major issue, she added.

The survey, Ten Broeke said, revealed that most participants found panhandling demeaning and preferred not to, but concluded they had little choice.

"I think we're all on the same page that we want to see panhandling end," said Ten Broeke. "We have to figure out what's the best way to get there by doing a lot of things and being absolutely sure we're not penalizing people for being homeless."

Remington, whose ward includes Uptown and is a co-author of the revised panhandling ordinance, said, "I'm all about helping the homeless, but by the same token people shouldn't be subjected to that type of aggressive behavior."

In Uptown on Thursday, Boxberger said that any changes will likely not have an effect. Her colleague, Corey Doyn, 22, originally from Omaha, nodded. Doyn held a sign reading, "50 cents, Best Friend; A buck, I'll love you!"

A police car pulled up. A brief staredown ensued between the panhandlers and officer Bevan Blauert, who patrols the area.

"They're really testing the waters right now," Blauert said. He gets complaints daily about the loitering, the squatting and the begging.

He was about to ask them to scoot for the second time that day.

No need, though. The panhandlers had already gone around the corner.


Terry Collins • 612-673-1790 • tcollins@startribune.com

10:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Minneapolis ahs the same policy as St Paul with regard to running people out of their homes and making them homeless and then they wonder why they wind up downtown bothering people. Where else are they supposed to go. Even though the city does everything it can to force them out of town, they are not going to leave town. Both cities need to relaize that the more desperate they make these people, the more agressive they are going to get. All in all, with the way they are treated, I am suprised that they don't do more than just swear at people!

2:37 PM  

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