Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- The Salt Lake City Council is set to consider a revised panhandling ordinance.
Advocates for the homeless called a panhandling ordinance the city considered last summer too harsh. It included several stringent provisions, including a ban on panhandling within 20 feet of places like outdoor cafes, ATMs, public transit stops, theater lines and churches.
Under the new ordinance, that restriction has been changed to 10 feet. It also bars actions like following people after asking them for money and making "threatening gestures."
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker is defending new proposed rules on panhandlers. He says he knows panhandling isn't going away but there needs to be rules, because some panhandlers are just too aggressive.
"[When] you're caught in a line somewhere, an ATM machine, someone is barking over your shoulder," Becker gave as an example.
The ACLU says this new revision still runs afoul of the First Amendment.
Residents and business owners have complained to city leaders that encounters with panhandlers have become increasingly hostile in some situations.
----
Story compiled with contributions from Sheryl Worsley and The Deseret News.
