Just say no

I was only a teenager but I still remember the event quite clearly. I was running some errands in downtown Providence and figured I could catch a ride home from my father who worked nearby. The elevator to my dad's parking garage was located next to a small donut shop so, having been walking around all day, I sat on the ground next to the elevator and waited for my dad to arrive.
A woman sprang out of the donut shop in near-hysteria and told me that I couldn't sit down in front of the elevator- although she never really told me why I couldn't. For many years I just figured the woman was an up-tight East Coast person.
Sometimes in the summer I would visit my cousin out West, first in Santa Barbara and then in Seattle where people were less up-tight, more layback and relaxed. One of my first Seattle moments was going on the Pioneer Square underground tour in the early `80's. The tour guide pointed out ``our neighbors'' and the tourists waved to the people who were hanging out in the square. The people who would be called ``bums'' back East.
Of course, the Seattle establishment isn't as friendly towards the homeless these days (chances are those who hung out in Pioneer Square 25 years ago weren't homeless but lived in the downtown single unit houses that have long since disappeared). Heck, some in the Pioneer Square Neighborhood Association don't want Real Change moving there.
On Wednesday, the Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee will vote on Council Member Tim Burgess's Panhandling Ordinance. (see more details on the bill below). The bill has to get out of committee to even be voted on by the full Council. There are rumors that Council Member Nick Licata might block the bill and Real Change hopes to have a large contingent in attendance. Anyone interested should arrive about 9:00am.
There are already sufficient laws on the books to deal with people who are harassing their fellow citizens. This bill appears to be nothing more than another step towards criminalize the homeless. I urge anyone who feels this way and wants to take a stand towards ``a more uptight Seattle'' to attend Wednesday's meeting.