Alexandria's City Council will vote Tuesday evening on whether to remove restrictions on panhandling in the city.
The reason is that recent case law has found that asking for money on the streets is actually a "protected form of expression" — in other words, free speech.
According to city documents included in the Oct. 10 City Council docket:
"The purpose of this amendment is to align the Code with evolving First Amendment caselaw, which has established 17 that panhandling is a Constitutionally protected form of expression. See Clatterbuck v. City of Charlottesville, 708 F.3d 549 (4th Cir. 2013). In other sections of the City Code, there are functional equivalents to many of the restrictions delineated in the existing panhandling ordinance that are broadly applicable to all speakers, rather than just panhandlers. Thus, many of the limitations in the panhandling ordinance would persist following a repeal of the panhandling ordinance by nature of their existence in other, more generally applicable Code sections."
The City of Alexandria's website does not have information specifically about how residents should respond to requests for financial assistance, but Fairfax County earlier this year provided information and a video in response to resident concerns.
"While many of you may get a good feeling by providing money, the reality is that people who panhandle often require more resources than small amounts of money," Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck wrote in an email to residents earlier this year. "Donations of cash will not help solve the underlying reasons why someone panhandles."
Instead, residents may consider directing individuals in need to local resources, including day shelters, overnight shelters, food programs and other resources. (Click here for a listing in the City of Alexandria.)
