American Notes the Homeless

Atlanta is promoting itself as the vanguard of the New South and the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics. One flaw in its progressive image, however, is the thousands of homeless beggars in its downtown area. Last week Mayor Maynard Jackson proposed an ordinance to ban aggressive panhandling, sleeping in vacant buildings and hanging out in parking lots. Violators could get 60 days in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both.

Critics blasted the measure as an attempt to "sanitize" Atlanta's downtown for the benefit of business and in anticipation of the Olympics. "We believe this law will be selectively enforced to restrict certain people's movements, and we will fight it," said Anita Beaty, co-director of the Task Force for the Homeless. But police chief Eldrin Bell argued that the ordinance would, in fact, protect the homeless from criminals.