Video: Zone 4 Supervisor on Panhandling

The Zone 4 Supervisor spoke to NPU-T residents at the latest neighborhood meeting and discussed the issue of panhandlers in the area.

He showed residents a number of "Will Work for Food" signs, and said that all of those signs had resulted in arrests.  Panhandling is against the law, and if warned to move and they do not do so, "we arrest them," Sgt. Oliver said.

Unfortunately, most times, the judges let them go the next day.

As of Monday, September 17th, the Atlanta City Council was due to vote on creating a new tougher ordinance against panhandlers, which have become somewhat of an epidemic in downtown Atlanta.  Though Zone 4 arrests its share of panhandlers, the law is said to be so weak that violators are out of jail the next day.

As residents wait for a new tougher law, the best advice is to call 911 when you see a panhandler and would like him/her to move.  The police officers should give the offender a warning, and if they are found again doing the same thing on the same day at the same location, they will be arrested.