Opponents Offer Two Cents On Panhandling Proposal

CINCINNATI -- Nighttime in downtown Cincinnati can make Tri-State residents feel uncomfortable.

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City Steps Closer To Licenses For Panhandlers

Some believe that panhandlers are part of the reason, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Todd Dykes reported Monday. That's why leaders gathered to talk about a proposed ordinance that would regulate panhandling. Those pushing for its passage claimed that it will help bring people back downtown; opponents said this is hardly the answer.

A year after City Council restricted when and where people can ask for money, there's a new push to target agressive beggars, Dykes reported. It's modeled after a similar effort in Dayton.

"This is about the right of every citizen to come downtown and have a safe environment," Councilman Pat DeWine said.

Added Mayor Charlie Luken: "This is destructive behavior for the person who's panhandling, and for the city, in every way."

The proposal would require panhandlers to register with the city and carry photo IDs, Dykes reported. Also, the city would hire a kind of social worker to help panhandlers.

"It's going to be an unusual caseload," supporter David Crowley said. "As a social worker myself, I think about these kinds of things. It's not going to be your traditional social work."

But opponents argue that spending money on another outreach program isn't what the city needs, Dykes reported.

"What you're doing is equating unemployment with laziness, poverty with free-loading and homelessness with ignorance," William Kirkland said at Monday's meeting. "This is not the answer."

Council's newest member Lakita Cole agreed with Kirkland, but found herself in a heated disagreement with DeWine during the hearing, Dykes reported.

As the public hearing came to a close, other critics offered their two cents, asking city leaders to spare a dime at the expense of people who beg for money.

If it passes, the ordinance would target aggressive panhandlers, not those who sit or stand quietly with signs asking for cash. As for the free panhandling permits? The city's health department would oversee the regsitration process, Dykes reported.

WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com will continue to update this story as additional information becomes available.