Homelessness.

It’s something we tend to look past. Naturally we want to see less of it, but it’s an issue with no easy fix. It’s fair to say it makes us uncomfortable.

Baltimore is trying to come to terms with the problem. But, perhaps, not in the right way.

The city is considering stricter limits on panhandling, following a national trend that has emerged over the past few years. Some say it would make Baltimore more attractive and safe. Others are outraged.

The ban originally planned to prohibit begging in all of downtown. It has been scaled back to ban begging within ten feet of businesses and five feet of parking meters. 

“There ought to be a distance, a safe distance before they can approach,” said Councilmember Rikki Spector, proposer of the bill.

The New York Times ran an article about the nationwide reaction from the homeless and advocacy groups. Steve Ray Evans, a homeless man from Salt Lake City, said:

“I do it for survival purposes. I feel as though a lot of other individuals depend on it, too.”

Heather Maria Johnson, a lawyer for the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, expressed her opinion on such laws: 

“Rather than addressing the issue of homelessness, they are adapting measures that move homeless people out of downtowns, tourist areas or even out of a city.”

Is this a necessary step for Baltimore and other cities? Or just a way to criminalize homelessness?