Orlando Chase, standing, and John Sullivan, a.k.a. “the whale man,” panhandle at their usual spot in Washington, D.C. Passersby increasingly tell them they have no cash. WASHINGTON — John Sullivan wears a giant foam hat in the shape of a whale. It works well as a conversation starter when he panhandles on the corner of Wisconsin […]
panhandling
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Portland business group wants to crack down on panhandling
PORTLAND — A trade group of local merchants in Maine’s largest city is starting a drive to crack down on panhandling, which it says hinders the ability to draw tourists. Portland Downtown is putting together a committee of merchants that will hold its first meeting this month. The Portland Press Herald reports the group is […]
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Posted inMark LaFlamme
Street Talk: To give or not to give to the confidence man
It was the perfect panhandle. The man standing outside the grocery store, shivering in the cold, was neither too clean nor too grungy. He was polite but not gushing and his story walked that fine line between outlandish and plausible. “Hey, buddy,” he said, darting to and fro like an aquarium fish. “Can you help […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Federal court rules Portland’s panhandling ordinance unconstitutional
Special Report: Portland struggles with ‘explosion’ of panhandlers PORTLAND — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a Portland ordinance prohibiting panhandlers — and anyone else — from standing on city median strips infringes on the public’s constitutional right to free speech and must be thrown out. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine helped bring […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Portland police say panhandler attacked tourist
PORTLAND — A homeless man is facing an aggravated assault charge after he allegedly attacked a pedestrian who refused to give him money Monday, police said. Richard Sneddon, 45, is being held at the Cumberland County Jail and is expected to be arraigned Wednesday, Portland police Lt. James Sweatt said. A man from the United […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Federal judge hears testimony in Portland panhandling lawsuit
PORTLAND — A federal judge is hearing testimony as the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine challenges an ordinance banning panhandlers from standing in street medians in Portland. The ordinance was spurred by an upsurge in the number of homeless people looking for roadside handouts coupled with an increase in reports of near misses with […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Panhandling ordinance advances in Lewiston
LEWISTON — A rewritten panhandling ordinance makes a clearer distinction about what can happen on city streets and what can happen on sidewalks. Councilors approved a draft of an ordinance on first reading on Sept. 3, designed to crack down on aggressive panhandlers as well as those blocking traffic. On Tuesday, they reviewed a new […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston panhandling rules target aggressive beggars
LEWISTON — The city has a bigger problem with aggressive panhandlers than it does with people begging for change blocking traffic, according to police Chief Michael Bussiere. Bussiere recommended that the city adopt ordinances that do two things: They address panhandling in traffic and aggressive panhandling. “That’s not just asking for money or cigarettes of […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Portland council cracks down on panhandling
PORTLAND — After hearing public testimony from nearly two dozen residents, the City Council on Monday night unanimously voted into law a ban on loitering in street medians — a measure critics have said is a thinly disguised attempt to stamp out panhandling in the city. The ban, which was proposed a year ago but […]
Posted inMaine
Lewiston studying ordinance; Auburn says panhandling not allowed
Police have seen a few instances of individuals panhandling near the Auburn Walmart and in front of the Lewiston post office downtown. “I wouldn’t say we don’t have panhandling here. We do get complaints,” Lewiston Chief Michael Bussiere said, mentioning the elderly being targeted at the post office. “But Portland has a way bigger problem.” […]