Some think helping the homeless, or allowing them to ask for money, is the kind and correct thing to do. Others counter that such activity will only encourage more homeless or impoverished people to come to our area.
According to a Seattle University study, cities around Washington have struggles with the same issue, enacting 288 ordinances that target the homeless since 2000.
Centralia is among cities to act, with the council last year approving an ordinance that bars the activity at most major intersections within the city.
It seems to have been completely effective in moving transients to other locations.
That’s the case even without widespread enforcement, as very few citations have been issued by the Centralia Police Department.
A story in Saturday’s edition of The Chronicle focused on the Seattle University survey titled “Washington’s War on the Visibly Poor: A Survey of Criminalizing Ordinances & Their Enforcement.”
The writers included the Centralia ordinance as an example of state laws seemingly outlawing many activities conducted by homeless as a means of survival.
“(Aggressive panhandling ordinances) target conduct undertaken only by visibly poor people. Other laws like assault or harassment already cover bad behavior, but those are visibly neutral,” said Sara Rankin, the Seattle University professor in charge of the study. “You’re supposed to target conduct, not people.”
Supporters of the ordinance counter that the panhandling ordinance did just that, preventing activity deemed as threatening to some motorists.
Others note that the law could be a violation of freedom of speech. Students raising money through car washes and other activities are in many ways doing the same as panhandlers, they reason.
The issue is worth considering as other developments provoke discussion in Centralia.
An Amtrak representative has asked the city to monitor drug and prostitution activity at the downtown train station. Just across the railway, the Salvation Army is finalizing plans to build a hygiene center for the homeless. When temperatures dip below freezing, a shelter opens on nearby North Tower Avenue.
Balancing the needs of a recovering economic environment while managing the activities of those who remain in poverty — in many cases through their own fault — is a difficult prospect.
Developments such as the Seattle University survey allow us to collectively consider how we handle the most vulnerable among us.
There are no right answers, but reflection helps chart a better course toward the future, wherever it leads us.
