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Resident criticizes new median panhandling ordinance as criminalization, urges care-based responses
Summary
A resident criticized a city ordinance, passed July 1 and effective Nov. 1, that prohibits standing or loitering on medians and right-of-way; she said the measure criminalizes vulnerable people and diverts enforcement resources from support services.
Laura Harris, a resident of District D, criticized an ordinance the council passed July 1 that will prohibit standing, sitting or loitering on street right-of-way medians and make interference with pedestrians a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 or 30 days in jail. The ordinance is set to take effect Nov. 1, she said.
Harris questioned whether the measure advances community safety or instead criminalizes people who are homeless or panhandling. She said the news reporting that prompted the ordinance cited dozens of complaints but did not document injuries or accidents caused by people standing in medians. "It seems to be what it's really about. You know, people don't wanna see homeless people," she said.
Harris urged the council to invest in support services rather than criminal enforcement and warned that spending police time on enforcement will divert taxpayer dollars from assistance programs. She described the ordinance as echoing a punitive approach similar to past criminalization strategies.
Her remarks were delivered during the public-comment period; the transcript does not include a council response or amendment to the ordinance during that portion of the meeting.
