by Sara Ransom (Sara Ransom) 

On June 3, the Grand Rapids City Commission delayed the proposed ban with a divided vote. Decision on the panhandling ordinance has been postponed to allow time to further review the proposed restrictions.

“At the moral level, it is not a crime to be poor, it is not a crime to ask for help. It is really a measure of our society how we treat those who are weakest,” says Miriam Aukerman, an attorney with the ACLU.

“You see some cities that are trying to essentially find new ways to crack down on requests of poor people. There is a desire, unfortunately, to sweep poverty under the rug. The belief is that maybe if you don’t see it, it is not there. Well that’s not true. We don’t make poor people go away by criminalizing them for being poor, we just spend a lot of money incarcerating them for simply asking for help,” Aukerman says.

Auckerman’s response to these kinds of attempts is to remind municipalities that at a legal level there are already laws in place against interfering with traffic, assault and fraud. All of that is criminal behavior, not speech. Her advice to municipalities is to focus on using existing laws that punish behavior rather than try to regulate speech itself.

“Whenever you start criminalizing speech you end up criminalizing a lot of things you don’t intend to criminalize because you can’t draw distinctions based on content,” says Aukerman.

“Panhandling is no different from other forms of speech such as requesting charity,” Aukerman says.

Aukerman says that whether an individual is asking you to donate to the Salvation Army or sign a petition, it is all protected speech under the constitution.

Aukerman says studies have shown that taxpayers pay around $31,000 a year per homeless person to stay in jail, compared to the approximate $10,000 it would cost to find permanent housing and supportive services.

“There is an enormous financial cost to these laws. You’re incarcerating people and expecting that somehow that will improve the situation. Of course it doesn’t. All it does is cost taxpayers money. We could be using those funds to provide supportive services that they need to rebuild their lives,” Aukerman says.

“Criminalizing poverty does not help the poor. It doesn’t prevent poverty,” says Aukerman. “All we are doing is locking people up for having the audacity to ask those of us who are better off, for spare change.”

via West Michigan ACLU Attorney: proposed panhandling ordinance threatens free speech | The Rapidian.

Sorry for copying your article, Sara. These quotes had to be displayed! Thanks, Aukerman – well said.