GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — Three people are suing the city of Glendale through the ACLU for its crackdown on panhandling. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, said the ordinances are unconstitutional because they violate First Amendment rights.
In October 2022, the Glendale City Council passed an ordinance that made it illegal to ask for money in an “aggressive manner” in any public space, at a bus stop, and within 50 feet of a bank, ATM, or check cashing business. The other ordinance banned people from crossing into the road on an unmarked sidewalk or standing in the median. First offense is a warning, while the second offense can be up to a $2,500 fine.
The three people, Amy Hughes, Denise Carr and Gabriel Gilbert, are or were homeless and relied on panhandling for money. They said they were harassed and threatened with arrest for panhandling under the ordinances and that the laws hurt them financially…