Denver police officers stopped enforcing the city’s panhandling law last week, and are no longer citing people after portions of a similar ordinance in Grand Junction, Colorado, were struck down by the U.S. District Court.
A federal district court judge ruled that the ordinance violates the First Amendment rights that should allow people to ask for charity in public. The ACLU, one of the leading supporters in shutting “panhandling laws” down, argues that an individual asking a passerby for money is akin to a Girl Scout selling cookies on the sidewalk. Those who want to enforce such laws say they protect business owners. Many think they simply criminalize homelessness.
The Colorado Independent reports that officers in Colorado Springs also stopped enforcing panhandling rules, “acknowledging police had been issuing tickets that were not just constitutionally dubious, but also outside the limits of the city’s ordinance.”
“We commend Denver for taking prompt action to suspend enforcement of a panhandling ordinance that violates the First Amendment rights of persons who peacefully ask for charity in public places,” said the ACLU’s Mark Silverstein in a statement.
Back in March, Colorado lawmakers introduced a measure to stop Denver from restricting camping and loitering, laws many consider to be enacted to target homeless people.
Marielle Mondon is an editor and freelance journalist in Philadelphia. Her work has appeared in Philadelphia City Paper, Wild Magazine, and PolicyMic. She previously reported on communities in Northern Manhattan while earning an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University.
Follow Marielle .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Never Miss A StoryDownload our app