Council Addresses Aggressive Panhandlers

Metro Council passed a bill on Tuesday night that outlaws aggressive panhandling. It was the bill’s first reading, so it was expected to pass, but now, sponsor Walter Hunt says he’ll defer the bill’s next vote until after the holidays.

The measure drew criticism from homeless advocates. Hunt says he’s willing to work with them, saying his bill targets – in his words – “professional beggars.”

“Well, when you see somebody out there that’s very aggressive and asks you for a dollar, and you said, ‘no,’ and then they walk halfway down the street or the block with you, that’s aggressive panhandling. Usually, that’s the beggar.”

Hunt says Metro Police will have to draw the line on aggressive panhandling.

Meanwhile, Metro councilwoman, Erik Gilmore, deferred indefinitely, her proposal to ban the sale of the single-serve 24 oz. and 40 oz. beer cans. She says she’s targeting people who buy the beer, then drink it immediately.

“They pop it open, even though they’re supposed to wait, they pop it open and throw it on the ground. In the particular areas that they do it in, specifically convenience stores, they hang around those areas and it causes a problem.”

The bill would not have banned six packs, only the sale of beer in containers 70 oz. or less. Gilmore will bring back a different version of the bill after studying its impact on communities with similar laws.