Any place people gather in large numbers is prime territory for panhandlers.
People who visit or work in downtown Akron know this and long have complained about beggars who ply their trade with particular zeal.
We've all seen them: They're the ones who won't take no for an answer; who park outside banks, who intimidate pedestrians by being loud and argumentative.
Regular surveys show that aggressive panhandlers are a constant concern.
Business owners and visitors say beggars' presence creates an unsafe atmosphere. It discourages people from traveling downtown.
Akron already has a law against active begging at bus stops or intersections. Now there is a proposal to require those who actively ask people for on-the-spot cash to have a permit and badge.
There would be no cost for the permit, which would include fingerprinting and a photograph. The new law would prohibit people from asking for money near major public attractions, banks or ATM machines, near restaurants or sidewalk cafes.
They would be barred from begging after someone has said no. Those convicted of aggressive begging in the past two years would be denied a permit.
This approach is not new. Dayton's law has been on the books since 2000. Atlanta and Cincinnati also have tightened their panhandling ordinances, although Cincinnati's is being challenged.
Certainly, life circumstances can reduce a person to begging, although a wealth of human service agencies stand ready to catch someone in such personal free fall.
This law is aimed instead at those who beg as a career. It requires a certain honesty and street etiquette.
It speaks volumes that those who work regularly with the homeless support this effort to make downtown Akron safer and more congenial.
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