I wrote about how Rutba House, along with friends from around Durham, has chosen to focus our Lenten fast on a recent ordinance that makes it illegal to beg on our streets<\/a>.<\/p>\nOur commitment has been 1) to raise awareness through personal conversation and correspondence about the difficulties this creates for our most vulnerable neighbors and 2) to stand with those neighbors in any way we can.<\/p>\n
Last Monday, this second commitment took us to court. Cherokee was the first person cited for violating Durham\u2019s new ordinance. He was charged with standing on a median at a major intersection, as he has for years, holding a sign that said, \u201cWill work.\u201d<\/p>\n
The income that Cherokee earns from the occasional side job he solicits in this manner is his primary source of income. He has developed good relationships over the years both with a clientele that knows where to find him and with police officers who know he presents no danger to the public. The officer that came to give him a ticket, Cherokee told us, wasn\u2019t a regular on that beat. But he was just doing his job.<\/p>\n
Just like the assistant district attorney in court last Monday was doing his job. He\u2019s a good man who is supposed to represent the public interest, but he couldn\u2019t see fining someone who was begging to make ends meet. He worked out a deal with Cherokee\u2019s lawyer, a friend who graciously offered to represent Cherokee for free. If Cherokee pled guilty, he could walk out with all fines and court fees waived.<\/p>\n
Cherokee told us, \u201cI know I\u2019m the first one out here who\u2019s gotten one of these. I know there\u2019s a lot more coming. I just want to help any way I can.\u201d But the legal system is long and complicated, especially for someone who doesn\u2019t have their own transportation or consistent income. His lawyer encouraged him to take the plea.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what do I do the next time I get one of these,\u201d Cherokee asked?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou call me,\u201d his lawyer said. \u201cI\u2019ll be here for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was glad to get to stand alongside three ordained clergy from Durham as the judge told Cherokee he was free to go. It was good to see that, despite a bad law, the courts can have mercy.<\/p>\n
That was Monday.<\/p>\n
But none of us were on the street on Friday, when a man we didn\u2019t know from the local homeless shelter was arrested for violating the same ordinance. He spent the weekend in jail for doing what Cherokee had done\u2013standing on the side of the road, holding a sign and asking for help.<\/p>\n
We have had several good exchanges with our City Council, in which they assure us that they\u2019re looking into these matters and considering them carefully. I want to believe them. However, we have also learned from homelessness service providers, as well as from members of the advisory board that exists to consult with city and county officials on these matters, that none of them were asked to weigh in on this ordinance.<\/p>\n
It was never up for public discussion.<\/p>\n
So we have decided to host a public meeting on Durham\u2019s panhandling ordinance to hear from the people who are being most impacted by it. We think folks like Cherokee deserve to be heard.<\/p>\n
So we need help getting this word out.<\/p>\n
Durham\u2019s First Public Meeting on Ordinance #14375<\/strong>
\n7-8pm, Thursday, March 21st<\/strong>
\nDuke Memorial United Methodist Church (504 W Chapel Hill St)<\/strong><\/p>\nWe\u2019ll only meet for an hour, but we need to pack the hall to help our elected officials see that this is not a marginal issue, but something that matters for everyone in Durham.<\/p>\n
So please come. Please bring your friends. Please help us say loud and clear to our friends who\u2019ve been forced to beg, \u201cWe want you. We need you. You don\u2019t belong in jail. We need to learn from you and with you how we can care for one another.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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<\/a>On Ash Wednesday, I wrote about how Rutba House, along with friends from around Durham, has chosen to focus our Lenten fast on a recent ordinance that makes it illegal to beg on our streets<\/a>.<\/p>\n