Last week, Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess unveiled his "Aggressive Solicitation" ordinance before the Downtown Seattle Association. The proposed new law is designed to address the fears of potential shoppers and convention goers while offering services to those in need. This law will do neither, and must be retooled to address the real problems that exist.
The law solves nothing fundamental. The Top 25 Panhandlers, as identified by the Metropolitan Improvement District, are mostly mentally ill people who are already in housing and receiving services. State disability assistance, at $396 monthly, does not cover anyone's expenses. Services and assistance are grossly inadequate, even for those who receive them.
The law will be expensive. The law will result in thousands of citations that demand court and jail resources. The assumption of the law is that most citations will default to warrants. A mentally ill person jailed on a minor misdemeanor will, on average, spend 100 days behind bars while competency for trial is being established. The law will, without a doubt, create the need for the new municipal jail that most of our electeds