Constraints on Beggars Crumble After U.S. Supreme Court Case
- City ordinances struck down after Arizona free-speech decision
- `I call it harassment,' a critic says. `A public-safety issue'
A homeless person sits as tourists walk through Times Square on March 5, 2016, in New York City.
Photographer: Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
A U.S. Supreme Court decision that let an Arizona pastor put up signs directing people to church services has frustrated cities’ attempts to control swelling numbers of panhandlers.
Lower courts across the nation have used the case as the basis for broader First Amendment protections, overturning anti-begging ordinances on the grounds that the government generally can’t outlaw speech on particular subjects. The protection for panhandling comes as cities grapple with the effects of homelessness and the post-recession challenge of promoting development and tourism in struggling downtowns.