On Nov. 1, an ordinance approved by the Atlanta City Council meant to reduce and eliminate aggressive panhandling, will go into effect.
In 2005, an overhaul of Atlanta’s policy on panhandling was not enforced and yielded no arrests in the seven years it was in place, forcing the city to reevaluate the policy.
The new ordinance, passed on Oct. 1, prohibits panhandling within 15 feet of building entrances or exits, ATMs, touching people, using foul language and repeatedly
Atlanta’s homeless and Georgia State students live side by side.
asking for money, mirroring the aggressive 1997-2005 policy the city had, which yielded 1,300 arrests in its last year alone.
In an piece Mayor Kasim Reed wrote for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, he stated the previous policy “while well-intended, made it nearly impossible for the city to enforce its monetary solicitation laws.”
One challenge with the previous policy was the requirement of a social worker when a person was arrested for panhandling.
With the new ordinance, first time offenders can be sentenced up to 30 days of community service and second time offenders must serve 30 days in jail. Third time offenses can carry a penalty of up to 90 days in jail, according to the Atlanta Police Department
“In all truth, I don’t think it is fair,” Alice Kim, a student at Georgia State, said. “Yeah, well, there may be some people out there that harass people, but some are just simply wanting to eat.”
While there are mixed feelings toward the ordinance, many students feel that it would be hard to enforce.
“Someone threw a cup at me and my friends and he was pretty mad that we didn’t give him money,” Collen Kelly, a student at Georgia State, said. “I think it would help a little bit but it’s kind of hard to enforce that.”
Georgia State University Police officers dealing with a case of aggressive panhandling would have to turn it over to the Atlanta Police Department.
Though they would arrest the alleged panhandler, they would have to take them to the city jail because it is a city ordinance, according to Sgt. Sharon Warren of the GSUPD.
According to GSUPD, officers do not have to arrest someone on their first offense: they can simply give a warning and ensure the panhandler leaves the area, but they must address the issue if they encounter it.
Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District’s website has outlined a specific plan to help the homeless avoid panhandling.
The site states “the goal of this comprehensive campaign is to convince residents, employees, customers, students and visitors that giving money to panhandlers is not an authentic act of charity, and to make panhandlers aware that their actions are against the law.”
It tells people not to give panhandlers any money but rather to donate some money to the various shelters and programs throughout the city that help those in need.
