Tim Burgess, Nick LIcata, and why Gay Softball=Awesome

Tim Burgess is going about this whole panhandling ordinance all wrong. That's all there is to it.

While I would be the first to jump up and say "Hey! Asking me for money while I'm taking money out of an ATM is annoying and wrong," passing an unenforceable ordinance isn't going to do much about it.

Even worse, the original idea - not near ATM machines, not near people getting out of cars (later changed to people using parking meters), and no touching - seems to be missing. If I read correctly, the bill now just adds a $50 fine for aggressive panhandling. Because that's how behaviors change. $50 to someone who has to beg for money for food or booze or crack or whatever.

Nick Licata made an excellent point when he attempted to add a sunrise provision, requiring that funding for beat cops come before expecting any enforcement of this bill. Last I heard, Richard Conlin is fast-tracking this bill, which may very well avoid this commonsense idea. Is it just me, or is this one of the first times that Mr. Conlin has not wanted to hold endless hearings on an issue? Even worse, take an issue that has had endless hearings, completely change the bill, not allow for public comment, and then swiftly vote on it? This is SO not Seattle process.

The funny thing...I spend a lot of time in Downtown Seattle. I work downtown, I grab a bite downtown, I shop downtown, I go to movies downtown, and there are various meetings I go to downtown. You know what makes downtown uncomfortable for me? It's not the homeless folks. They're annoying sometimes, but for the most part, they're respectful and blend in with the building facades.

Nope. It's Pike and Pine, between 2nd and 3rd Aves, especially around that McDonald's.

I'm sure many Seattleites remember the pomp and circumstance of the "Open House" at City Hall, where we got to go hang out with City Council Members, department heads, the Mayor. I was there. I had just purchased a new pair of fabulous pink shoes, after being at an event for the Schools Levy. While walking with my purchase form the Nordstrom Rack, I chose to go down 3rd Ave towards the parking garage I use, and realized how completely awful this area can be. Young and old folks shouting at each other, swearing, threatening, blocking the sidewalk, and generally acting like dicks.

I said to Mr. Burgess that day, "Have you been down on 2nd or 3rd between Pike and Pine recently?" He said, "No."

This is an issue of someone attempting to solve a problem that he really doesn't understand. More beat cops, greater communication between the police department and these folks who like to make a ruckus, that's what is necessary. Unenforceable panhandling ordinances are not.

There is already an aggressive panhandling ordinance. Enforce the law as it exists. And if you really want to make downtown seem safer, focus on the rabble-rousers.

This bill will likely come before the full Council on Monday. I do hope that Sally Bagshaw and Richard Conlin can say they voted it out of committee, just to vote it down by the full Council. I do hope that Nick Licata keeps his energy up, and reminds the Council and the public that we need more boots on the ground, not ordinances. And I hope that Bruce Harrell, Tom Rasmussen, Sally Clark, Jean Godden and O'Brien have the good sense to vote "No".

And if you hope so, too, be sure to email the members to that effect.