Is downtown ‘under siege’?

(Updated 2:18 p.m.)

Providence recently opted to not enforce a longstanding ordinance which relates to “aggressive solicitation,” which advocates for the poor and homeless had argued resulted in harassment.

But where does that leave business owners concerned about the persistent presence of panhandlers on some downtown streets and people sleeping on blankets in closed business entrances?

In a Feb. 3 letter to the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, which had asked the city to stop charging people with violating the ordinance, City Solicitor Jeffrey Dana said the city would stop its enforcement.

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“The mayor remains committed to making Providence a place that supports its residents, especially those who are most in need,” Dana wrote to ACLU Executive Director Steven Brown.

Brown said the city’s attorneys likely did enough research to understand that ordinances banning activities such as asking for money are being rejected by courts nationwide.

In Massachusetts, efforts to restrict panhandling in Lowell and Worcester were rejected in U.S. District Court.

The courts have found that panhandling is an expression of free speech, according to Brown.

But Joseph R. Paolino Jr., former mayor of Providence and managing partner of the commercial real estate company Paolino Properties, has been vocal in expressing his opinion that the number of vagrants is rising, and is affecting commercial activities.

He says the presence of vagrants and panhandlers in Kennedy Plaza and other areas downtown has made it more difficult for him to lease office space. “You tell me why it wouldn’t?” he said. He said he’d had at least one company relocate to another building in Providence after its executive was approached by a panhandler.

In a statement on his company’s website, Paolino said panhandlers have become more assertive in approaching people. He attributed it to their understanding that police would not stop them.

Neither a spokesman for Mayor Jorge O. Elorza nor the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce immediately returned calls seeking comment.

Is the number of vagrants downtown increasing? Brown, who works there, doesn’t think so.

“All the publicity he has generated, raising concerns, has probably caused more damage than the panhandlers themselves. Just the way he describes downtown, you’d think it’s under siege,” Brown said.

Frank La Torre, director of public space for the Providence Downtown Improvement District, agrees there appears to be more panhandling downtown. He says city and business representatives, and social-service agencies, have been meeting to discuss the issue.

It’s time “to have a strong community conversation about it,” he said. •

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