So the City Council plans to pass an ordinance banning solicitation, making it a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000 or jail for a year.

Hooray!, you think. Look again. The ban would not include panhandling, which is physically approaching people, holding out your hand and asking for money. Instead, waving a sign from a street corner, street median, parking lots, etc., and asking for money or offering a service for money will be banned. Read on, this is for the safety of the solicitors. Now I get it.
But the people on Fifth and Pitkin can’t pay fines. And a night (or a 365 nights) in jail includes hot food, warm beds, clean clothes and free medical care.
The fines will be collected from our high schoolers trying to raise money for activities not financed by school tax money. Our cheerleaders, sports teams, et al who previously waved signs from corners and medians offering bake sales and car washes will be banned, fined or jailed for this activity.
Now who exactly will be punished? Not the solicitors on Fifth and Pitkin, that’s for sure. They’ve just been told to lose the sign and start walking right up to people and asking for money.
Thanks, City Council.

Kathryn Weaver
Grand Junction

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 4:07 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.