You can’t just make panhandling illegal

Taken from Thursday’s edition of the Jason Rantz Show.

The last time we talked about panhandlers it centered in Burien where there was an ordinance put in place to stamp out folks with body odor in public. They did this specifically to target the homeless in the community and there was outrage and uproar from folks who said it was demeaning and/or unconstitutional.

I saw in The Everett Herald that Marysville is starting to crack down on panhandlers in their community. I read it with interest, wondering if this will be the next Washington community coming under fire for going after the problem of panhandlers.

Now, in Marysville, the city council passed a couple of ordinances that address aggressive solicitation and nuisance properties.

Here’s what they’re specifically doing: One ordinance says don’t solicit pedestrians or motorists on public property after sunset or before sunrise. In other words, panhandlers can’t ask people for money when it’s dark out. It also stops folks from soliciting the sale of any product or service on on-ramps or off-ramps to I-5 or state highways; within 300 feet of seven busy intersections along Highway 528 and State Avenue; plus the intersection of 172nd Street NE and 27th Avenue NE in Smokey Point.

The second ordinance makes it so cops can designate properties a nuisance when folks repeatedly break the law at that property. This is a first-of-its-kind law for Marysville. It specifically puts the onus on the property owner to address the issues, such as people illegally camping out on property.

The mayor of Marysville says they’ve been having issues with safety with this influx of panhandlers. Mayor Jon Nehring says they’ve seen an uptick in panhandling because cities around them have toughened their laws dealing with panhandlers.

Everett stepped up its enforcement against panhandlers, who tend to go where they won’t be hassled. So Everett basically pushed them into Marysville, and now Marysville is acting.

Dealing with the homeless problem is always controversial because some folks think it’s demeaning to say the homeless issue is a problem – that ‘they’re people just like you and me.’ It’s true but some folks who think they’re high minded get on their soap box and like to pretend they truly care about the homeless.

They say we’re being selfish whenever we complain, because in their mind, you’re not able to care about the issues facing the homeless and be concerned for your safety or be flatly annoyed when they’re around begging for your money.

I’m not like that. I care deeply about homelessness and I contribute to organizations that serve the homeless, but I can also say they, at times, can make you feel unsafe and other times just annoy you by begging for money and then talking back when you decline.

There’s a high percentage of homeless people with mental illness – severe mental illness. That can make them dangerous not just to themselves, but to you. Aggressive solicitation makes us all fear for our safety.

It’s perfectly reasonable to want your community members to feel safe, and the more the population is made up of the homeless, the more unsafe you’re likely to feel. It’s why Pioneer Square seems so dangerous at night. I’ll only walk there at night when I’m leaving a Sounders game.

Going after panhandlers is perfectly reasonable and is better for the community. With that said, it’s short-sighted and perhaps immoral to only go after the homeless without trying to address the root problems, which helps deal with homelessness over the long run.

There’s a moral obligation, I think, to help. You can’t just put through an ordinance and force the problem on to a neighboring community. That’s not fair to Arlington, or Lake Stevens, or Stanwood. The problem is only compounded if those cities pass ordinances without helping treat the problem.

Homelessness is a community problem. Every city in this state needs to work together. It’s why Seattle is having such a hard time with homelessness. The city will never be able to fully help the homeless. It needs help from a Bellevue, or a Tacoma, or an Everett.

Taken from Thursday’s edition of the Jason Rantz Show.