Panhandling. Nobody likes it, right? I have to imagine the people doing it hate it more than anyone. It’s an option that doesn’t appeal to anyone but the most desperate.
Which is why it’s a little baffling that the Tulsa City Council recently approved an ordinance against occupying space within 18 inches of any roadway with a speed limit over 25 miles per hour for longer than necessary to cross said road.
Got all that?
The idea is to keep people off narrow medians and away from speeding traffic. In practice this ordinance will likely make life more difficult for the homeless and indigent, making it slightly more illegal to exist in public, even if that’s all you can do. There are also concerns about its effect on our First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.
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The fine for this offense is $150, which is equivalent to the current penalty for panhandling. The fine can be modified by a judge or substituted with a diversion or work program for those unable to pay; presumably the majority.
Look, I see what we’re going for here. I just feel like this is another step down a path we’ve already tried without much success.
How about this for a modest proposal: instead of a ticket or forced labor, the city sells $150 panhandling licences? Let’s legitimize begging as a craft and soon the desperate and needy will be crowded out by hipsters and technocratic entrepreneurs.
I’m envisioning panhandling tours and weekend workshops. I’m closing my eyes and seeing influencers with ring lights on the medians. What are the chances this is the one thing gentrification can’t destroy?