New Memphis panhandling law effects the homeless in a negative way

The Memphis City Council voted to pass a new law placing restrictions on panhandling, making it illegal in the city of Memphis from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. on Oct. 18.[TH2]

Panhandlers must be at least 25 feet away from intersections and high-traffic areas, and must not appear under the influence of alcohol, illegal narcotic or a controlled substance.

If caught in violation of the new anti-panhandling law, an offender can be arrested and punished with a $50 fine.

"This ordinance is 100 percent, absolutely, positively, about public safety." Councilman Philip Spinosa said.

The law also reads that a panhandler is not to touch the person being solicited without that person's consent, block the path of a person who attempts to walk or drive away, or to solicit any group of two or more people.

Many Memphians say that this new law will do little to keep people from panhandling, and that the city needs to create a free homeless shelter to help those in need versus crippling the less fortunate into being deemed criminals.

"If you can`t pay for shelter, you can`t pay the fine,” Stephanie Wise, volunteer at a Memphis city homeless shelter, said. “Why would you criminalize someone that can`t pay the fine?"

Downtown Memphis Commission recommends not giving money to panhandlers. Their argument is that the most panhandlers are not homeless, and most homeless people do not panhandle.

“A better way to help is to donate to charities and organizations with outreach programs that truly help the homeless and needy because its common that most panhandlers are likely to use money from panhandling to buy drugs or alcohol,” Davis of the Downtown Memphis Commission said. “A former addict once told me that ‘giving money to a panhandler is like giving a gun to someone who is suicidal.”