Police in Atlanta arrested a man for panhandling. It turns out the man and his family are evacuees from New Orleans.
The usual suspects against ordinances that free our cities of the nuisance of beggars are upset and trying to use this issue to kill the recently enacted Atlanta ordinance. Others with a more sensible approach have called for a moratorium on panhandling arrests until the Katrina crisis subsides.
What wasn't asked was why the man and his family were panhandling at all. Why didn't he and his family seek help from the various relief agencies already helping New Orleans disaster victims?
Furthermore, why didn't the police, rather than arrest the poor man, take him and his family to the local Red Cross for help?
The ordinance worked fine. It helped identify a problem and gave the police the means to deal with it. Unfortunately, the police missed their opportunity to do the sensible thing.
