Don Smith can collect up to $30 a day rolling his wheelchair up and down Akron's Main Street.
The 55-year-old said he has relied on the goodness of strangers for ``groceries and stuff'' since losing a leg to severe blood clots six years ago.
``To people, it's not bothersome. They're friendly as heck,'' he said before rolling a cigarette on his lap, his left pant leg tied off above the knee.
Panhandling is Smith's business. Smith, who doesn't work, said he affords rent for his small apartment only on another income.
But that could soon change, as the City Council considers a law Monday requiring panhandlers to register with Akron police.
Three outstanding warrants for Smith's arrest stem from a 2005 aggressive panhandling snare at the corner of Main and Exchange streets.
Although Smith said he would gladly register -- ``the city got a lot of people here they got to watch'' -- an aggressive panhandling arrest within the past two years would automatically deny him a permit.
If approved by the council, panhandlers would be fingerprinted and given a free photo ID badge to wear while soliciting money.
Similar laws have been adopted in Dayton and Cincinnati, the latter of which faces a legal challenge by a homeless coalition.
The lawsuit asserts that registration restricts free speech.
Akron's law would also ban solicitations within 20 feet of the Civic Theatre, Canal Park, Lock 3 and any bank, ATM machine or sidewalk cafe.
Violators could face up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.
Bricco Restaurant owner David Glenny said Smith sits almost daily outside the doors of his downtown restaurant.
``The random person that just happens to be in the area and down on his luck and asks for a buck as he's walking by, that's not such an issue,'' Glenny said. ``It's the persistent problems that don't get taken care of that are an issue for our business.''
Akron's panhandlers often appear before Aeros baseball games, Glenny said, because ``they know it puts the parents in an awkward situation.''
Another popular spot is outside Sunday worship services at the First United Methodist Church at the corner of High and Mill streets.
The Rev. D. Lynn Snider said police get called to clear them away every couple of weeks.
Snider said the church is not insensitive to those in need -- it provides about 10,000 meals a year through its free lunch program.
``We're certainly concerned about the needs of the hungry, but I don't think giving a dollar to a person who's allegedly homeless is the way to deal with it,'' he said. ``It's hard to tell, if an elderly lady is accosted by a 6-foot-2 man, who's looking a little shabby, looking a little crazy, for a dollar, did she just get mugged?''
Making regular panhandlers wear photo ID badges could increase the sense of security among Akron business people and visitors, said Mayor Don Plusquellic, who backs the idea.
It could also help visitors, police and outreach programs identify those in real need, he said.
Akron Municipal Court records show there have been 350 panhandling cases since the existing law was passed in 1994.
Two Akron men have 16 cases each. Another was charged at least once a year between 1998 and 2004.
``I fell for it. I've witnessed it with my own eyes,'' Plusquellic said. ``This is really an almost disgusting way to take advantage of someone's kindness. We start to get tainted because we figure they're all rip-off artists, and that's not the case.''
Accompanying legislation would also kick off a public education campaign by the Downtown Akron Partnership aimed at properly assisting the homeless and hungry.
Several council members said they expect the proposal to pass.
``I can't think of anybody who would vote against this,'' said Councilman James Shealey, D-5.
The council will discuss the proposal at a hearing at 3:30 p.m. Monday in City Council chambers on the third floor of Akron City Hall on High Street.
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