On
Thursday, March 21, Duke Memorial is hosting a public meeting about
city ordinance #14375. Below I've shared some reflections on what
this ordinance means for our city and for the church.
Ordinance
#14375 was passed unanimously by City Council in January. It
essentially makes it illegal to panhandle on medians, which is where
many people currently ask for money. The only place in which they can
ask for money from vehicles is on a paved sidewalk on the right side of a
one-way street. Even in this circumstance, the vehicle from which they
receive a tangible good must have a passenger, as they are not allowed
to receive anything from the driver. The ordinance also outlaws the sale
of any item besides newspapers and magazines. Since the ordinance
passed, numerous people have been fined or put in jail for asking for
money.
This
ordinance is important to us as Christians because Jesus was one who
was poor, who taught us that it is blessed to be poor, who taught us to
give to the poor, who taught us to be friends with people who are poor,
and who preached the Good News of a Kingdom where no one would be poor.
And he taught us to live into that Kingdom now.
When
friends of Duke Memorial, who work closely with the people whom this
affects most, asked Duke Memorial to host a public meeting, we welcomed
the opportunity to convene this space. We recognize that this is a
complex issue, and there many perspectives on panhandling held by
generous and compassionate Christians. So I thought it would be helpful
to share some details about what the public meeting will entail and why
we’re hosting it. First, what it is NOT:
1.
It is not a meeting celebrating panhandling. Panhandling is not an
ideal situation for anyone - the giver or the receiver. A good society
that reflects God’s Kingdom would indeed see no one panhandling - not
because they’ve been pushed aside, but because they’ve been given the
resources to emerge from their situation.
2.
It is not an attempt to ignore great services that work with people
who beg for money to help them become more financially stable. We have
shelters, transitional housing programs, health care services, and many other services that help with
these things, and we should surely support them.
3.
It is not necessarily an encouragement to give money to panhandlers. Each time is
different when someone asks another person for money. In every situation
we should give something to
someone who asks - money, food, a conversation, or even an
acknowledgment - but sometimes giving money is not the best option.
That
is what the meeting is not. On the other hand, the meeting is intended
to be constructive. Most people who will be attending are dissatisfied
with the ordinance for some reason or another. Here are some reasons why
the ordinance warrants a response and what that response might look
like.
1.
There needs to be conversation. The ordinance that passed in January
went through with no conversation. Durham has a Homelessness Advisory
Council that was not consulted. The agencies that work with much of the
people who panhandle were not consulted. This meeting is an opportunity
to discuss what the implications of a law such as this might be.
2.
Making panhandling illegal is a bad use of resources. Crafting, voting
on, passing, and enforcing this ordinance is a bad use of our city’s
time and money. Much will be (and has already been) spent in courtrooms, in the work of police
officers, and in other areas of our city. And for the most part, the
result will be the migration of panhandlers to another location. It
won’t help their situation. If we want to address the poverty that leads
people to panhandle, our resources should go into creating more jobs
for Durham residents, and into providing affordable health care,
counseling services, and substance abuse treatment. We have some good
programs for this, but there’s more work we can do on this end.
3.
Making tighter restrictions on panhandling criminalizes poverty. First,
fining and imprisoning people who panhandle makes it even more
difficult for them to emerge out of their situation because they go into
debt from their charges. Second, although some panhandlers use
deceitful means to solicit money or use the money to support a bad
habit, that is not the case with all panhandlers. But this stereotype of
panhandlers creates a common attitude of repugnance toward people who
beg, which is certainly unfair. Making beggars criminals intensifies
this stereotype. This ordinance also drives people who are poor further
out of the public eye, which heightens xenophobic attitudes and lessens
the possibility of a relationship that might help someone who is
struggling get out of her or his situation.
4.
Panhandlers and those who work with them are worth listening to. Those
who decide on an ordinance like this should not merely be City Council
reps, neighborhood associations, and businesses. An asset-based model to
development in our city recognizes that people who are vulnerable have
something to offer in the conversation about how to respond to the needs
in the community. People who are panhandling have not said anything
positive about this ordinance. But it’s also important that people who
are not in such a vulnerable situation work with them, through
relationships and strategy. Open Table and Rutba House, two of the
sponsors of this public meeting, have named the ordinance as a problem.
Open Table works with the people who often panhandle at the 15/501
intersection by providing relationships, immediate needs, and
connections to resources. Rutba House is a community that keeps an open
room for formerly homeless people. If these entities are saying it’s a
problem, we should at least listen and perhaps trust their experiences
more than the speculation of others or ourselves.
I
hope we all can be praying for God’s guidance as we learn the best way
to live into God’s Kingdom of justice and peace. And let us continue to
pray for those in our community who are in a position where they have to
ask others for money, that they would receive their immediate and long-term needs.
We hope to see you at the meeting on Thursday! Spread the word!
If you’d like to read more about the ordinance and how people are responding, see these links below:
http://www.heraldsun.com/news/x145778030/Lawyer-plans-challenge-to-panhandling-lawhttp://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientID=19967&stateID=33&statename=North+Carolina
Peace,
Reynolds
