Begging for change
In August, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty continued its mission to decriminalize panhandling across the country. The group, joined by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others, sent letters to local and state governments asking them to repeal anti-panhandling laws, claiming the regulations violated the free speech of the homeless. Multiple states have laws against begging or panhandling, but since 2015, 25 lawsuits have successfully forced those laws to change. The lawsuits even target states such as Colorado and Iowa, where homelessness is not a comparatively big problem. Officials find themselves in the tough position of wanting to care for the homeless while maintaining order and safety in their communities. Supporters of the laws say they encourage people to find solutions to homelessness instead of prolonging their destitution. —C.C.
Comments
JerryM
Posted: Thu, 12/27/2018 06:03 pmGood reporting, Charissa. One suggestion to better contextualise the immigration news: Refer to the debate about asylum seeker loopholes as well as the number and nature of successful v. unsuccessful asylum seeker applications.