"panhandling free speech" News

Medford had tried to prevent aggressive panhandling with an ordinance that prohibited people from asking for money at intersections and freeway off ramps. But a judge ruled last March that it violates the right to freedom of speech under the Oregon Constitution.

The Medford City Council has voted to appeal a ruling that overturned its anti-panhandling ordinance. a judge struck it down in March, saying the ban on begging at intersections and other spots violated the Oregon Constitution's free speech protection.

The business of begging can be a tough sell, but is panhandling even legal? The simple answer is yes -- and no. Begging is protected free speech, but how panhandlers and donors interact can violate the law.

Some city officials in Bend want to craft a new law that would address the growing number of panhandlers around town. But creating an ordinance that doesn't violate a panhandler's constitutional rights could be difficult.

A city law that bans begging for money on street corners violates the constitutional right to free speech, a Jackson County judge ruled in finding an anti-panhandling ordinance in Medford, Ore., unconstitutional.

The lawsuit filed Thursday by the civil rights group argues the city of Medford cannot punish people simply for asking for a handout.

A police survey says panhandlers outside Wal-Mart in Coos Bay can make $300 a day. Inside, it takes a clerk a week to make that much. Coos Bay authorities say most panhandlers are not criminals.