Proposed Chattanooga panhandling ordinance moves forward

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – City Council members approved the first reading of a panhandling ordinance during the council meeting Tuesday night.

The proposed ordinance would expand current regulations on aggressive begging from downtown to city-wide.

“Right now there’s a state law that prohibits panhandling, but the punishment is punitive.  It’s 30 days in jail, whereas, this gives a police officer the ability to cite them to court and from there the city court judge can cite them to agencies that maybe able to give them the help that they’re possibly needing by having to go out and panhandling,” District 1 Councilman Chip Henderson said.

Under the proposed ordinance, the penalties would be an up to 50 dollar fine and a judge could refer them to a social services agency.

The council voted 7 to 2 to move the proposed ordinance along.

“We don’t have all the solutions or the answers, but we have to figure out ways where we can have the opportunities to provide those resources needed without you having to go through the judicial system, without you having to get a citation, without you having to get a strike on your background,” District 9 Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod said.

Some don’t think the ordinance is fair.

“It’s going to bring criminal penalties and fines on poor people, for asking for help. Which is just another way of feeding the bodies of poor people into the system of mass incarceration,” Beth Foster with Mercy Junction said.

Even Council Chairman Jerry Mitchell doesn’t think putting the ordinance in place will fix the problem.

“There’s aggressive panhandlers right downtown here, I know a few of them, and they already owe the court system over 1,000 dollars. They’ve already been in jail so many times, and you know what, it is a mental health issue, and it’s not going to change because of this at all.  Not going to solve anything,” Chairman Mitchell said.

Council members Coonrod and Mitchell voted against the first reading of the proposed ordinance.

The final reading and vote of the proposed ordinance is currently slated for the next council meeting on April 10th.