[Peace] Urbana set to pass an anti-panhandling ordinance tonight 7 pm, Monday, July 11, 2011

Mon Jul 11 13:59:38 CDT 2011

[Forwarding this from Danielle Chynoweth about Urbana set to pass an
anti-panhandling ordinance tonight. This ordinance would make asking
for help a crime punishable by a $165 fine [yet another attempt to
create something as insane as a debtor's prison].  The Urbana City
Council meeting is tonight, July 11, 2011 7 pm at 400 S. Vine Street,
Urbana. See Danielle's email to the city council below. -- karen
medina]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Danielle Chynoweth <chyn at ojctech.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Subject: [Discuss] Urbana set to pass an anti-panhandling ordinance tonight 7 pm

It appears they may have the votes to pass the anti-panhandling
ordinance tonight.  If they do, it will make asking people for help in
most places a crime punishable by a $165 fine.  Please show up to
speak against this ordinance at 7 pm at 400 S. Vine Street.  I have
attached the ordinance with its summary memo and my email to council
and the Mayor is below.

I have proposed an alternative sanction against harrassment (whether
money is solicited or not) which responds to the actual stated concern
that people are being harassed and threatened by people asking for
money.

- Danielle

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Danielle Chynoweth <chyn at ojctech.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 10:06 AM
Subject: Re: Urbana apartment buildings condemned
To: "! Lewis, Robert" <robertlewis10 at comcast.net>, Dennis Roberts
<drobertscitycouncil at yahoo.com>, Brandon Bowersox
<brandon at ojctech.com>, "Prussing, Laurel Lunt"
<llprussing at city.urbana.il.us>, Diane Marlin <marlindiane at gmail.com>,
egjakobsson at urbanaillinois.us, casmyth at urbanaillinois.us
Cc: Esther Patt <estherpatt at gmail.com>, "Tyler, Elizabeth"
<ehtyler at city.urbana.il.us>, Ruth Wyman <rewyman at hotmail.com>, Mike
Monson <mrmonson at city.urbana.il.us>

Dear Mayor, Staff, and Council members,

Thank you for your time and service to our community.

I am writing asking you to oppose the anti-panhandling ordinance.  It
is inherently discriminatory, exacerbates rather than solves the
problem of poverty, and is mean spirited.

I suggest you pass a law against harassment that would solve the
stated problem instead of a law outlawing our right to ask each other
for help in times of need.

Do we really want to create a ordinance that outlaws people asking
each other for help?

This ordinance bans asking for help.  I recently had a friend who
ended up in another city with no cell phone or money.  The only way he
was able to call me to tell me he was alive was because he asked for
help (aka panhandled) one dollar to call me.  Although not all
requests for help are legitimate, some are.

I have been in situations in my life where I needed to ask for help
(after dark, near a bus stop, asking someone in a car).  Please put
yourself in the situation of those far less fortunate than you and
consider the consequences of all the situations this law will cover.
If you are stranded and the only person available to help you is in a
car or waiting for a bus, should you not be able to exercise your
right as a human to ask for help?

This law is mean spirited - outlawing legitimate requests for help in
times of need.

This ordinance creates a big net to catch a small fish.

The argument for this law is that people are being threatened by
aggressive requests for help.  But the law is written to prohibit LOTS
of kinds of requests (near a bus stop, in a car, on the bus, in a city
lot, in line, after sunset, in groups of twos, in one specific
business district). In fact the only time is appears it is okay to ask
for help is in the middle of a sidewalk not near any place where
people are likely to dwell.

The mark of a bad law is one that is so detailed that no one really
knows when they are breaking it. There are so many situations lists
here, it is like walking through swiss cheese.

It is unfair to create laws that people can't easily understand and comply with.

What is the difference between panhandling and fundraising? The only
difference is the "profile" of who is asking - this is why this
ordinance is inherently discriminatory.

According to the ordinance "Panhandling means a verbal request made in
person upon any street, public place, or park in the city for an
immediate donation of money or other thing of value, including a
request to purchase an item or service of little or no monetary value
… "

What is the difference between panhandling and those fundraising for
Salvation Army, cheerleaders shouting into cars going by offering to
wash cars, or girls selling girl scout cookies? People offering to
wash your windows or rake your leaves for a "donation"?  Answer: the
person who is making the request.

This ordinance gives people who are uncomfortable with poor people a
tool to make them go away and punish them, while allowing similar
behavior from affluent people.

Fining people who don't have money makes no sense and fills the jail.

It is not in the public interest to fine people money who are asking
for  money.  It is clear they can not pay.  And if they can't pay,
they will end up paying off their time in jail.  That means we the
taxpayers end up paying.  And ending up in jail means that they can
not conduct their lives - go to or look for work - or take care of
their kids - all because they asked for money on the street.

So, how do I think you SHOULD solve the problem:

Those who do not want to be solicited need to simply say no and walk away.

For those instances where someone is being harassed and threatened,
the problem is NOT the asking for money, but the harrassment.  If
someone touched, blocked, followed, threatened or cursed at you, you
would feel the same harassment whether they had asked for money or
not. The harassment is the problem - go ahead and make a law against
that.

Ask long as there are poor people, there will be poor people asking
for money. As unemployment rises, people are being evicted from
housing, the number of homeless kids is on the increase, the city of
Urbana needs to continue to address the problem of poverty and not
simply make mean spirited laws that wish the problem away.  Funding
social services is a start - thank you for continuing your support for
them.

But we need laws that hold landlords accountable for relocating
displaced tenants.  We need to treat drug addiction like we do alcohol
addiction - as a health issue needing treatment.  We need to pull
together as a community to make sure everyone's basic needs are met.
This kind of ordinance does the opposite.  It shuts up and punishes
those who don't have their basic needs met.

Again and always, thank you for your service.

Danielle Chynoweth
412 W. Illinois St.
Urbana, IL 61801

_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
Discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org
http://lists.communitycourtwatch.org/listinfo.cgi/discuss-communitycourtwatch.org

-- 
-- karen medina
"The really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." - Mark Twain
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: ordinance-2011-07-080.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 353158 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/peace/attachments/20110711/768d81da/attachment-0001.pdf>