Posted on 09/07/2005 7:17:57 PM PDT by bwteim
Hurricane refugee arrested in Atlanta for panhandling
06:04 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 7, 2005
Errin Haines / Associated Press
ATLANTA -- A man who fled Louisiana with his family to escape Hurricane Katrina was arrested for asking motorists for money in this city where panhandling has been one of the most contentious issues lately.
James Scott says he had slept in a car for days with his brother, sister and her two young children when they decided to ask for help last Thursday. Nearly broke and newly stranded, the family drove to Buckhead -- an affluent north Atlanta neighborhood -- and got out near a shopping mall and split up, hoping for the charity of others.
"It's the most expensive mall in Atlanta," Scott said. "I thought I could get some help."
After a half hour of asking passing motorists for help, Scott was approached by a policeman on a bicycle. Scott showed the officer his Louisiana driver's license, a $2,000 check stub, his car tag and his car registration -- proof that he was not a local homeless person, but an evacuee down on his luck in an unfamiliar city.
Scott was arrested for soliciting. As he was being handcuffed, he said he broke down in tears.
"I asked the cop, 'You can't feel my pain?"' said Scott, who added that another officer even gave him $7 as he took him to jail.
Atlanta Police Department spokesman John Quigley said soliciting on a public sidewalk is allowed, but not in traffic. He said he was not aware of a rise in panhandling arrests in Atlanta since thousands of hurricane refugees first fled to the state last week.
"You can't be on the roadway soliciting. You have to be in a public place," he said.
The incident took place two weeks after Mayor Shirley Franklin signed into law a panhandling ban around tourist destinations in parts of downtown Atlanta -- not the area where Scott was arrested. The ordinance drew noisy protests at City Council meetings and prompted dozens of activists and homeless people to sleep one night in front of City Hall. Opponents declared the ban was a mean-spirited way to hide the city's homeless population.
Scott's arrest was condemned by some of the same activists and others Wednesday, who said evacuees should not be punished for doing what they have to do to survive.
"We need a moratorium on arrests for panhandling until we can sort this thing through," activist Elisabeth Omilami said. "These are not people who want charity. These people have been through hell. Atlanta needs to be heaven for them."
Scott's sister, 25-year-old Roxie McCraney, said she thought her brother had gone missing. They didn't know he had been arrested and taken to jail, while they also were out asking for people's help. She and her other brother, Shun Tippit, called hospitals and the police before they found him.
"Why would they do something like that when we're already broke?" McCraney said. "The money we had was basically running out. I was getting ready to have a nervous breakdown. All I wanted was a hug, a pat on the shoulder, something."
Scott, Tippit, McCraney, her 9-year-old son, Alfred, and 5-year-old daughter, Al-Jona, stayed at a local motel this week, thanks to a good Samaritan. A local pastor on Wednesday agreed to take them into her home.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Were George and Laura Bush out there forcing the Police to arrest this man? I just bet they were!
He should have went to a local shelter first. There are many who will pay day labor to help him out, etc.
Anyone who has spent time in NO knows that panhandling is just part of life there. For some, it's an art form.
"One wonders."
Where would you look for a handout? Outside Big Lot?
Well I think the cops could have told the guy to move on and pointed him to a shelter. Arresting him was a bit harsh considering what they have been thru.
Second that.
I live in downtown Atlanta. We have a lot of panhandlers originally from Louisiana here (I know because they walk along side you, telling their story whether you want to hear it or not). A lot of them don't look like bums and have a well rehearsed story about being from out of town and having busted hose or something. It wouldn't surprise me if this were the case here. Call me heartless and cynical, but I have to walk the gauntlet past these people every day. I've been all over, and have found Atlanta panhandlers to be among the most aggressive in the country. It's been a lot better since the panhandling ban though.
We're above having beggars in this country. The only beggars out there are those who don't want to be in the system for relief.
For tourists in the Quarter, sure.
Let's take the story at face value: you high tail it out of town when the mayor says evacuate - you have a car full of family (yourself , brother, sister and her two young children) and start driving north. Assume that is the extent of your family.
At some point, unless you got a wad of cash, your money starts running out. You have no family. All a check stub is is past tense. You can't go back to NOLA, no job, no house at least for now.
What do you do?
And, if the story is true, this man was not on relief.
I figured there was a Buckhead connection to hurricane Katrina, somehow.
Finding work is a priority.
Well, one thing I can tell you: I wouldn't have the faintest, foggiest idea where the ritziest mall in Atlanta was. I've lived in Pittsburgh for about ten years, and I couldn't even tell you where the best place to panhandle here is. The guy either knew the city, or did his homework very well.
You know what? Your take on this rings true to me: I wouldn't be surprised if you're right. OK, a little surprised--it takes a lot of chutzpah for the guy and his whole family to pull such a stunt. But after reading your post I reread the article, and the guy's "proof" really only proved that he was from somewhere in Louisiana. Kinda flimsy...
Without a doubt. So are food and shelter.
Or a church, or Sal Army, etc.
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