HomeCommentaryShould the city pass an ordinance forcing panhandlers off the streets?

Should the city pass an ordinance forcing panhandlers off the streets?

By: Tracy Simmons

Date:

August 10, 2012

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Spokane city leaders are preparing an ordinance that may soon ban panhandlers from city streets.

Do you think this is the right thing to do?

Tracy Simmons

Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of FāVS.News, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Associate Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.

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Neal Schindler

12 years ago

I’m interested in hearing people’s arguments on both sides. To me the measure just seems unnecessary.

Tracy Simmons

12 years ago

Russell, on Facebook said:

“no we should take care of them, why do we have 5 vacant homes to one homeless person in this country.?”

Alan Eschenbacher

12 years ago

Well of course we should force them off the streets … that takes care of the problem right? I mean really people, pay attention here! We just shut down all the “massage parlors” and that ended prostitution! We have been cutting support benefits and relief payments for the last couple years and look! No more poor people! All that’s left is people who won’t work or are lazy and … well to be blunt, they should just suck it up and die so they stop making me feel bad when I pass them on the corner. And by the way, if they can’t or won’t die they should quit coming to MY neighborhood and hanging around the parks and such, they’re bringing my property value down and my teenagers are scared to go to the park. Why can’t these “others” just stay out of my sight so I can get on with my consuming and my safe job, in my quiet neighborhood with my illusions that everyone on the planet can “have it all” if they only were more like me.

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