DiCicco bill takes aim at aggressive panhandling

An elderly woman with salt and pepper hair sat with her legs stretched out across the pavement Thursday in front of Royal Bank, on 15th Street near Ranstead - shouting at passersby for change so that she could eat.

She grew frustrated as people ignored her cry, so she began to shout, "Come on. Help me out! I'm hungry."If a bill introduced Thursday by City Councilman Frank DiCicco is approved, police would get more authority to deal with aggressive panhandling and with people sleeping or sitting near a building entrance or bank.

City law now allows police to ticket and if necessary arrest those who refuse to move along, but they must first provide an oral warning and contact an outreach worker. If both are ignored, a code violation notice is issued.

DiCicco said the law is no longer effective, adding that he has received complaints from hotel operators and business owners that the problem has gotten worse within the last few years

"The hoteliers are complaining because the guests who stay in these hotels are reporting back to the management of the hotels that they are being accosted, they're being abused and they're very uncomfortable," DiCicco said.

His bill would enable police to determine whether the person needs medical attention or psychological help at the scene, or whether to bring that person into police headquarters and then make a call to outreach programs.

"It's a time issue to get that person off the street," DiCicco said, adding that officers wait for long periods of time before outreach workers arrive. "The situation stays there, it draws attention from passersby."

Although tourism has increased in the city by 4 percent, Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, said that aggressive panhandling has affected business.

"It can destroy the guest experience," Grose said. "It affects our ability to raise rates, attract large groups and leisure travelers. We're not trying to make homelessness illegal, just aggressive panhandling and some sidewalk behavior."

Longtime homeless advocate and co-founder of Project H.O.M.E., Sister Mary Scullion, said that she opposes the bill.

"Aggressive panhandling is already addressed in the current legislation," Scullion said. "It seems to be a very dangerous and misinformed utilization of police forces."

The number of homeless people on city streets has increased since 2006 from 313 to 359 as of Jan. 31 2011, according to figures provided by Project H.O.M.E. There are 285 people on Center City streets, where the majority of the homeless reside.

Sidewalk behavior is a national issue.

"There has been a lot of litigation on regulation on public space," said Tuline Ozdeger, civil-rights director for the National Law Center on homelessness and poverty. "People panhandling tend to be people in need. Certainly these kinds of regulations can implicate constitutional rights."