Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Beggar By-Law Blasted
The Winnipeg Sun:
The error in NAPO's argument is that the bylaw does nothing to make "poverty illegal". It doesn't even ban panhandling. All you need to do is go to downtown Winnipeg to see that panhandling is still alive and well in this city.
What the bylaw does stop is those aggressive beggars who stalk their prey at ATM's and try to intimidate the rest of the population. The bylaw is not aimed at the down-on-their-luck types who find an intersection to solicit donations. Those are the ones who are usually fairly polite and don't have a problem when you say "sorry dude". It's aimed at the thugs who verbally and physically assault anybody who's not willing to hand over their wallet. When Winnipeg police see a panhandler using intimidation tactics on the general public, they need to be able to take that individual off the streets.
Aside from protecting the public from these few menacing individuals, the bylaw also will help to curb the poverty problem in Winnipeg. The bylaw allows for a sentence of up to six months to be handed down to aggressive beggars. A six month penitentiary term would give many of these individuals the opportunity they need to get help; be it with an addiction, mental illness, or even with job-finding skills.
Toronto is having the same problem with troublesome panhandlers that Winnipeg was having, until the bylaw was passed. Unfortunately for Torontonians, their city council has decided to take a more "holistic" approach, with an emphasis on maintaining "the rights and dignity of the urban poor".
The problem with Toronto's approach is that the victims of these aggressive and abusive vagrants are often those passive panhandlers who don't bother anybody. And "holistic" approach will only work with those panhandlers who need a hand-up; whereas the violent panhandlers are only looking for a hand-out.
Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz should fight this to the Supreme Court if necessary. It's not a matter of the "human rights" of panhandlers, it's a matter of human rights for the rest of us who want to be able to safely walk down the streets of our cities without fear.
The National Anti-Poverty Organization has filed a legal challenge in Court of Queen's Bench against the Obstructive Solicitation Bylaw which took effect in 2005, banning public begging at locations where so-called "captive audiences" can be targeted -- at pay phones, transit stops and around banks, bar patios and taxi stands, among other such sites. NAPO and the Public Interest Law Centre -- a branch of Legal Aid Manitoba -- yesterday joined other social support groups in attacking the clampdown that they say is a wrong-headed move "making poverty illegal" in much of the city while violating human rights.
The error in NAPO's argument is that the bylaw does nothing to make "poverty illegal". It doesn't even ban panhandling. All you need to do is go to downtown Winnipeg to see that panhandling is still alive and well in this city.
What the bylaw does stop is those aggressive beggars who stalk their prey at ATM's and try to intimidate the rest of the population. The bylaw is not aimed at the down-on-their-luck types who find an intersection to solicit donations. Those are the ones who are usually fairly polite and don't have a problem when you say "sorry dude". It's aimed at the thugs who verbally and physically assault anybody who's not willing to hand over their wallet. When Winnipeg police see a panhandler using intimidation tactics on the general public, they need to be able to take that individual off the streets.
Aside from protecting the public from these few menacing individuals, the bylaw also will help to curb the poverty problem in Winnipeg. The bylaw allows for a sentence of up to six months to be handed down to aggressive beggars. A six month penitentiary term would give many of these individuals the opportunity they need to get help; be it with an addiction, mental illness, or even with job-finding skills.
Toronto is having the same problem with troublesome panhandlers that Winnipeg was having, until the bylaw was passed. Unfortunately for Torontonians, their city council has decided to take a more "holistic" approach, with an emphasis on maintaining "the rights and dignity of the urban poor".
The problem with Toronto's approach is that the victims of these aggressive and abusive vagrants are often those passive panhandlers who don't bother anybody. And "holistic" approach will only work with those panhandlers who need a hand-up; whereas the violent panhandlers are only looking for a hand-out.
Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz should fight this to the Supreme Court if necessary. It's not a matter of the "human rights" of panhandlers, it's a matter of human rights for the rest of us who want to be able to safely walk down the streets of our cities without fear.
Labels: Human Rights, Ontario, Winnipeg Crime, Winnipeg Police
