PORTLAND, Maine — The City Council voted 6-3 against an ordinance banning people from standing on median strips except as necessary to cross the street, a ban that homeless advocates say unfairly targeted homeless people who panhandle on median strips throughout Portland.
City Councilor Ed Suslovic said the ordinance was first and foremost one concerned with public safety.
“If we do not act to ensure their safety, shame on us,” Suslovic said. “The word ‘panhandling’ appears nowhere. It’s not specific to any sort of activity in the medians.”
Police Chief Mike Sauschuck did not have statistics on accidents caused by pedestrians using median strips but said he doesn’t want to wait for accidents to happen.
“I don’t want to work reactively but proactively,” Sauschuck said.
After public comments, the ordinance met resistance from members of the City Council. After a presentation by Sauschuck and a statement of support from Suslovic, Councilors John Anton, Nick Mavodones, Jill Duson and Cheryl Leeman rose one by one to speak their opposition to the law.
“I don’t think it addresses the underlying issues of panhandling and substance abuse,” said Anton.
Councilor John Coyne stood with Suslovic in support of the ordinance, describing it as an important public safety issue.
“This is about distracted drivers,” Coyne said.
Zachary Heiden, legal director for the ACLU of Maine, urged the City Council to reject the ordinance.
“I’ve talked to people who had to do that in their lives, and none of them wanted to be in that position,” Heiden said. “This ordinance is going to put a significant burden on them, on their ability to do that. Even if it’s not the intent, this will be enforced disproportionately on people who are homeless.”
Opponents of the ordinance rejected the assertion that the ordinance wouldn’t target the homeless.
“This is nothing more than the criminalization of the homeless,” said Thomas Ptacek, a representative of the homeless advocacy group Homeless Voices for Justice. “This ordinance only makes people’s lives that much more difficult.”
Ptacek also questioned how people who rely on panhandling income could pay fines if punished for violating any ban on using the medians.
Resident Tim MacNamera said he reluctantly supports the ordinance after seeing dangerous behavior on the median at the intersection of St. John and Congress streets near his home.
“It breaks my heart to have to speak in front of a group to limit the behavior of these poor people who are down there,” MacNamera said. “To get them out of traffic and to somewhere where they can get help is really what needs to be done.”
This story was amended to correct the misidentification of City Councilor John Coyne.
When I was leaving Walmart the other day two guys where working the median as you leave the store. One guy was leaning up against the building counting his money. Even if he had nothing but one’s he had at least 50 dollars and the other guy was talking to him holding his sign.
Seems they are making some good coin standing around doing nothing but why work when you can get others to support you.
I had my window down the other day next to one of them, and it was like I was standing next to good ol` Jack Burton.
“From where I`m standing…`It`s Miller Time` .“
They are probably doing it for beer money.
The ones around Bangor are more of an organized gang. They are dropped off with their Dunkin donut Coolata drinks and at times work in teams of two. Lately , they’ve been consistently hitting every major intersection around the Bangor Mall, Walmarts, Home Depots and some of the other malls. It’s pretty much a every Thur, Fri and weekend thing around here. Oh and don’t get me going about them hanging in the interstate exits. It’s the same ones here too for years. If you really want to know how much that they make google the old BDN story of a few years ago. It will truly make you sick. It’s not getting better here, it’s getting worse. What a lovely greeting we give our out of town visitors. Same as Portland…let the democrats rule. Maybe Portland and Bangor should find out how other cities have banned this and why. Oh wait, I forgot, Portland and Bangor are liberal service center cities, I admit Bangor more so than Portland. Just keep raising the taxes on those left living in the city, cutting the school budgets and signing more people up for welfare and the meth clinics! That’s Maine the way life should be…Yeah, can’t wait for that East-West Highway that is going to bring all those jobs to Maine too. Maybe they could hire a few of them to hold the stop/go signs during construction. Not.
Don’t give them anything and they’ll stop.
A lot of us do not give them money but it seems a lot of others do.
….
That is the first time I’ve seen a pair of them together. This weekend when I’m out I’ll see if I can spot them in pairs elsewhere.
Tax free…
{ Seems they are making some good coin standing around doing nothing but why work when you can get others to support you. }
Thats My Beef about Romney being “Retroactively Retired” !
And since their panhandling money can’t be tracked by the government, they still qualify for free food and housing, courtesy of Maine and federal taxpayers.
Very good. Portland is a perfect place for them and they deserve them.
The previous article on this subject quoted this woman saying “I know people who have panhandled for 20 years”. That’s not out of work, that’s a lifestyle of being a parasite, and anyone who stops and gives them money deserves to be rear-ended.
I know people who are employed and do the same thing…they stand around, collect and count their money, and do nothing to earn what they are making. But it looks better and is more socially acceptable, isn’t it? Enjoy your elevated status. I’ve never given money in these situations (I give in other places), but if I am ever tempted I will hope you are not behind me. I already know with my insurance that any more hospital and/or medical bills will put me on the street. Sleep well tonight.
I’ll sleep perfectly. Maybe you need a second job?
Yes, politicians.
Don’t we call those people “Congress”?
Stop whinging.
Make sure you have 3 jobs. You’ll need all of them.
A Homeless Bum cant stand on a Median strip and ask for a handout but Rich Man Romney can Fly to Nevada and beg for 10 Million Dollar Campaign Donations !
It’s a Wonderfull World America!
And what do you call what your Obama boy is doing?
A fool and his money is soon parted. It’s not hard to figure out who’s truly hurting and who’s simply stoned.
The problem is that instead of saying “Geez sorry man, I don’t have any cash.” and moving on, we have to ‘legislate” an ‘ordinance’ – why?
Because we apparently can’t just buck up and say “no” I guess.
“A fool and his money are* soon parted.”
Thanks Merriam. I’m glad my grammer is of more pressing importance than the fact that people are panhandling either because they need to or want to support a drug habit. I’m sorry. I had to work last night and didn’t get much sleep today.
:)
“A fool and his money is soon parted”. For the giver and the receiver !
“Homeless Voices for Justice”
Wow, they even have a special interest group.
Oh well, you still need to get out of the road. Sorry.
Do any of these people pay taxes on this money?
Currently, you generally can give gifts valued up to $13,000 per person, to any number of people, and none of the gifts will be taxable.
Its called campaign funds.
The money panhandlers receive is a donation and considered a gift. No taxes required on gifts.
The ordinance definitely targeted panhandlers…but not unfairly.
Good, people still believe in the constitutin
Constitution*
I hope you realize that appointing yourself to the grammar patrol just makes you look like an A** ……
Just trying to help.
Also, I think you spelled that last word wrong.
Fail.
well that is just down right embarrassing.
I’m hoping most people knew what you mean’t.. If not, we are in trouble.
Good encourage more people to harass people on their ways to real jobs.
Last paragraph of the article:
“It breaks my heart to have to speak in front of a group to limit the behavior of these poor people who are down there,” MacNamera said. “To get them out of traffic and to somewhere where they can get help is really what needs to be done.”
*****************************************************
MacNamara is a bit naive. First of all, how do we get them out of traffic? There is a “somewhere” (plenty of somewheres in Portland) where they can “get help”. Help requires the panhandler to clean themselves up, stop drugging and drinking and stop begging.
They don’t want to do that. They make enough money to feed themselves, buy alcohol and shop at GW. Shelters are maintained for them to get in out of the cold in the winter and they also utilize soup kitchens.
So then what kind of poor solution is banning them from medians? They’ll just move to similarly public spots where they aren’t banned from.
Medians provide the beggar a spot where they are just a few feet away from the driver while that driver has to stop for traffic lights. Medians (where the lights are slow to change) is an ideal spot for begging. The cars have to be at a standstill for a while and if the panhandler is on the median, next to the driver’s side of a car, the beggar is just a matter of a few feet from the potential giver….with sad sign in hand. You can’t just walk by them, as in other public places.
Besides busy medians, where there is a traffic light, panhandlers already know the other best public spots to pursue their enterprise. Such as..street corners and public squares. (places where a lot of people tend to slow down) Stores where people make small purchases, such as grocery, liquor, and convenience stores, are often good because people will come out with change. But the medians are “primo”.
So medians should be banned because it’s harder to ignore the problem if they’re not? Come on.
I don’t think you understand how the vote went. Some group (I know not who) came up with an ordinance to ban panhandlers from the prime medians inPortland. The pandhandlers were already pandhandling on the medians (for quite a long time now) The Portland City Council voted 6-3 to let them still do their pandhandling on the medians. The Panhandlers won.
And no, I don’t mind them in the medians. Some folks do mind, but I don’t. And yes, when I’m idling, waiting for the light to change, I contribute to the cause.
Its funny, didn’t Jesus says that we should help the poor?
But these people do not look poor at all. They are well kept and clean shaven and look as if they take a shower everyday. At least the guys hanging around Walmart look this way.
Round them up and send them to washington with all the other bums.
And everyone said Mainers were charitable and kind. Glad we squashed that rumor quickly.
“`@,,,
MacNamera said. “To get them out of traffic and to somewhere where they can get help is really what needs to be done.”
If they had this available in the first place why would they be panhandling? Politicians and the 1% want them out of sight because they demonstrate the failed policies of todays leaders.
I think that’s a good point. What would an ordinance like this do? They would just move elsewhere, like sidewalks, entryways, etc. A ban on this kind of panhandling would be treating the symptom and not the problem.
Good point!
In my opinion “free speech” includes being allowed to ask “Hey buddy can you spare a dime?”
It is shocking that 3 Portland counselors would vfote against the First ammendment to the U.S. Constitution.
I would not be opposed to banning ALL people from the traffic lanes of streets roads and highways except when legally crossing them.
Sad state of affairs when people have to beg.
These stores that buy product from China and put the people begging out of work because factories moved overseas is ironic.. Then they complain about these people begging in front of their businesses… The circle is complete. every action has a reaction
Bring back Mike Chitwood!
Have any of you charitable pro-enablers ever thought that maybe working people and retired people are really getting sick and tired of giving, giving then lets take/give a little more. Self esteem what ever happened to it?????????????????????? Its really getting old.
……..
They panhandle all day for fifty or sixty dollars then get a free meal at the soup kitchen and a cot at the homeless shelter. Anyway you look at them they are are guilty of a wasted life. And that is the worst sin of all – a wasted life.
But it is THEIR life, not yours. Maybe they would think that you working 8-hours a day, having kids, paying off a mortgage, and ending up in a nursing home is a “wasted life.”
And we pay for their wasted lives. I for one and sick and tired of having to put up with the dregs of society hasselling me for change to buy their next fix. Society is better off being rid of them.
I have nothing against those that truely need the help but, fast food restaurants are always hiring – why not try to get a job there and save your dignity? I was in Ellsworth stopped at a traffic light and there was a pan handler right there puffing on cigaretts asking for money. Why not give up the smoking and then maybe you could afford food!
Do homeless shelters provide these people with a bulletin board with jobs available posted on them? What type of services (besides a bed and food) do they provide for the homeless? Do they help with setting these people up with a job?
Homeless and alcohol addicted drifters is not what fast food managers are looking for to “work” in their establishments. When a person reduces their existence to smoking, drinking and grabbing a meal here and there, panhandling actually provides them with the $$$$ they need for those 3 fundamentals.
In the days gone by, when trains were up and running everywhere, they were called hoboes. They weren’t in your face so much.
Idiotic liberals! I saw two panhandlers on Marginal Way today, and I was only in town 10 minutes. This type of begging is demeaning to the beggar and the donor. A true lose-lose.
Portland has a wide array of social service programs aimed at assisting this population, so I suggest that locals consider printing this list and giving it to the panhandlers at every opportunity.
They know where the assistance is but they don’t want assistance. It’s a way of life for them. When things get tough, food wise or weather wise, they do take andvantage of the various soup kitchenes and shelters in Portland.
Typical Portland. These people are a nuisance, let alone that they are putting their safety at risk hanging out in traffic. A few of them will get hit and then this ordinance will be adopted.