Panhandling banned in Atlanta
Saying you want money for nothing is officially illegal in downtown Atlanta.A new ordinance that bans spoken panhandling — you can still ask for money silently, with a sign — has been signed by Mayor Shirley Franklin. The Atlanta Police Department says it will begin enforcement immediately.
The ordinance restricting “commercial solicitation” was adopted by city council Aug. 15 after two months of heated public hearings, where business people fed up with beggars were pitted against free speech advocates crusading for the homeless.
The law makes it illegal to ask for money or other valuables in a public place “under circumstances where a reasonable person would understand that the purchase is a donation.”
Read the ordinance here.
posted by Jacqueline Dowd @ 5:47 PM
1 Comments:
i urge you to come work downtown and get spat, cursed and followed. maybe you'd understand why people wanted this ban.
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