Monday, September 18, 2017

#a2council preview

Gentle readers, today is a great day for public meetings. Not only is there a special meeting to discuss the International Village Development and affordable housing tonight in Ypsi, but there is also a regular meeting of the Ann Arbor City Council.

One thing that pops out on tonight's #a2council agenda is B-2/Public Hearing-2 on An Ordinance to Amend Section 9:70 of Chapter 108 (Disorderly Conduct) of Title IX of the Code of the City of Ann Arbor (Ordinance No. ORD-17-16). This ordinance would amend the portion of the Disorderly Conduct statute that deals with solicitation and it specifically looks aimed at curtailing some forms of panhandling. Specifically this would ban solicitation in the following areas, in addition to placing other restrictions on solicitation:

At the Blake Transit Center;
In any public parking structure & within 12 feet the entrance/exit to any public parking structure;
In any public alley & within 12 feet of any entrance/exit to any public alley;
Within 12 feet of a bank or automated teller machine;
By moving to within 2 feet of the person solicited, unless that person has indicated that he/she wishes to be solicited;
By knowingly making a false or misleading representation in the course of a solicitation;
Within 12 feet of the entrance to or exit from the Nickels Arcade;
Within 12 feet of the entrance to or exit from the Galleria;
Within 12 feet of the entrance to or exit from the Pratt Building;
Within 12 feet of the entrance to or exit from the Ann Arbor District Library;
Any of these restrictions is likely a reasonable time, place, manner restriction on free speech (panhandling). Though when they are all combined, I wonder how much of downtown will be open to panhandling if this ordinance passes.

Gentle readers, have you had a chance to look at tonight's #a2council agenda? What are items are you most interested in?

1 comment:

  1. I am interested to hear from the medical marijuana speakers. I haven't been following the issue that closely.

    ReplyDelete