Florida ordinance targets people who give to beggars and peddlers (essentially outlawing the poor)

[onehandle]

Source: LA Times

Dare to buy red roses or a newspaper from a street vendor, and soon you could be breaking the law. At least in Oakland Park, Fla.

Citing traffic safety concerns, officials in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of 42,000 tentatively approved an ordinance targeting not only panhandlers and peddlers, but the people who give to them or buy something from them. Under the ordinance initially passed last month, anyone who responds to a beggar with money or any "article of value" or buys flowers or a newspaper from someone on the street would face a fine of $50 to $100 and as many as 90 days in jail.

"You're going to put someone in jail for giving someone a coat when it's cold or a hamburger if they're hungry?" City Commissioner Suzanne Boisvenue said Wednesday. "For me, it's so wrong." She cast the only "no" vote at the March meeting.

Other critics say the measure violates free-speech rights and unfairly targets the homeless. "I assume you have the right to beg," resident D. Michael Iradi said. "And anyone should have the right to give money. "My civil right to contribute is being violated," he said.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-florida-panhandling12-2010apr12,0,3730999.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fnationworld%2Fnation+%28L.A.+Times+-+National+News%29