PROVIDENCE – A city councilman has proposed a variation on the city’s panhandling ordinance, which would define anyone speaking to another person or following a person as “solicitation.”
The ordinance, introduced by Councilman Nicholas J. Narducci Jr., would strike references to aggression from the existing ordinance that is aimed at aggressive panhandling.
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Narducci, in a news release, said his intention is to help people who panhandle and ensure the safety of pedestrians, student fundraisers and panhandlers on city streets.
“All too often we see young people raising money for their sports teams or other organizations standing at busy intersections, and I’m always concerned for their safety,” he wrote. “This proposed legislation is meant to protect individuals who are actively soliciting donations from a myriad of dangers, including being hit by vehicles, causing unintended accidents, and even death.”
The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said the revision he proposes is unconstitutional, as is the original ordinance. The city has not enforced the original ordinance, under Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s administration, because courts have determined that prohibiting panhandling is a restriction on free speech.
People who are concerned about panhandling should focus on the social and economic problems that lead to it, said Steven Brown, state director of the ACLU.
“We think the proposed ordinance is blatantly unconstitutional,” he said.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
