By a 7-2 vote on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Council banned activities in medians less than 30 feet wide.
For more than two hours, several organizations who help the poor and homeless spoke in opposition to the measure. Councilwoman Meg Salyer said she pushed the bill and amended it to deal with public safety.
"The ordinance before us today, amending Chapter 32 of the municipal code about motor vehicles and traffic, addresses the public safety issue of both pedestrians and drivers," Salyer said.
Only one group spoke in support of the measure, and Salyer said she hopes it's a call to action.
"So many of the social service agencies that are sitting in this room are operating on razor-thin budgets," Salyer said. "Let's do something to help these agencies that are doing such good work in our community."
Councilman Pete White, who voted against the measure, said the proposal only became a public safety issue because the city realized it couldn’t just ban panhandling outright.
"This thing changed when the constitutionality of what they were doing whas questioned seriously," White said. "That's what the hypocrisy of it, I think, is part of it."
White claims the ordinance comes out of some citizens' disdain over seeing panhandlers on city streets.
"You can't put those people off of the intersection and expect them not to exist someplace. You've got to deal with that problem as it exists," White said. "I'm offended by the whole process and I'm offended by the people that support it."
Under new amendments, a person could stand in medians less than 30 feet wide only if they are standing 200 feet away from the intersection or if the median contains a trail, park, or bench.
The amendments also drop the fine from $500 to $100.
