Proposed Detroit Ordinance Targets Beggars
DETROIT (WWJ) - Before they take their summer break, Detroit City Council members will take up the issue of begging in the city.
City Attorney Tanya Long said the proposed ordinance, the first regarding begging since 1998, is meant to prevent panhandlers from becoming aggressive toward passersby.
"This is not an ordinance to prohibit begging," Long said, "This is an ordinance to prohibit a certain manner of begging."
The ordinance would also forbids begging in certain areas.
"They're enumerated specifically as part of the ordinance, and include places like waiting in line, food establishments, ATMs, bus and train stations," she said. "(They're places) where a person is held really to be in one location and can't move."
If passed, violation of the ordinance would be considered a misdemeanor.
City Council was expected to vote on the issue on Tuesday.
