Atlanta Agrees to Restrict Begging

A ban on panhandling near downtown Atlanta’s tourist attractions was approved by the City Council on Monday, despite hundreds of protesters who called the measure an attack on the poor.

The council had been considering the ban all summer at the urging of downtown merchants who said parts of Atlanta were so overrun with aggressive beggars that business was suffering.

But the plan -- approved 12 to 3 -- sparked opposition from activists for the poor and civil rights groups, who complained the ban would unfairly affect black males.

Several dozen opponents camped on the City Hall lawn on the eve of the vote, and after the ordinance was approved, about a dozen of them erupted in shouts and were escorted out of the council chambers.

“This is a day nobody in Atlanta should be proud of!” former City Councilman Derrick Boazman screamed as he was led away from the meeting in handcuffs.

The ordinance becomes law with the signature of Mayor Shirley Franklin, who supports the ban. Atlanta joins a list of cities, including Indianapolis and Orlando, Fla., with similar prohibitions.

A small area of downtown, and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site a few blocks away, would be subject to the rule making it illegal to beg for money.

The ordinance also makes it a crime citywide to panhandle at night or near public phones or ATMs. Violators would get a warning on the first offense, referral to a resource center on the second and a possible one-month jail term on subsequent offenses.