DDD to take up panhandling ordinance

The Downtown Development District will take up a proposed ordinance that would combat “aggressive panhandling” in downtown Baton Rouge at its monthly meeting Thursday. DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer says the ordinance is modeled after one OK’d in New Orleans last year. While “aggressive panhandling” has not been an issue in recent months, Rhorer says, there were some complaints last fall of panhandlers “getting in peoples’ faces and making them uncomfortable, things like that.” “This is really a preventative measure,” Rhorer says. In the ordinance, “aggressive panhandling” does not include “passively standing or sitting with a sign or indication that a donation is being sought.” As drafted, however, it would make panhandling illegal in public parks and transit vehicles, as well as within 30 feet of a sidewalk business, 20 feet of an ATM, or eight feet of an occupied vehicle. It would also make asking for a handout illegal between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., and would prohibit a panhandler from touching, blocking, following or directing abusive language at someone from whom they’re soliciting. Penalties for violating the ordinance include up to a $500 fine and/or up to 30 days in jail. Rhorer says the ordinance would not affect street performers and is not a condemnation of the homeless. “It’s just the aggressive panhandling that we have to stop,” he says. The Metro Council has the final say on the ordinance, which was drafted by the parish attorney’s office, Rhorer says. Read about New Orleans’ panhandling ordinance from The Times-Picayune here, see a draft of Baton Rouge’s panhandling ordinance here, and check out the full DDD agenda for Thursday here. The DDD meets at 8 a.m. at Spring Board Baton Rouge, 447 Third St. —Steve Sanoski