Mayor Fung proposing an ordinance to address public safety

By Ana Bottary

abottary@abc6.com

@anabottary

Cranston Mayor Allan Fung is proposing an ordinance to address people standing on busy and dangerous street corners, collecting money or other things from cars.
 
"This is an ordinance that is designed to protect people from running into the road way and getting anything from people within vehicles or even people in vehicles passing things out,” says Mayor Fung.
 
Fung says this public safety ordinance is not strictly aimed at panhandlers.

"Whether its students that are looking to seek donations for a charitable organizations, to people standing in the middle of the roadways trying to panhandle, to even people performing drug transactions in the road," he adds.

Cranston did have an anti-panhandling ordinance in place, but dropped it after the ACLU sued. Fung says this new ordinance has withstood constitutional scrutiny in Missouri. However, Fung’s challenger Mike Sepe says he agrees that people shouldn’t be standing out in the middle of the road. But, he thinks Fung’s taking the wrong approach.
 
"If they are going to be able to remain on the road they should have designated places where they won’t get hurt and they wont be intimidating the passer-byres….I think if we could get some federal money maybe and some state money to put these people to work where they will be productive in the city of Cranston anyways," says Sepe.
 
We did reach out to the ACLU who says they have not yet seen the proposed ordinance.
But adds, if it is similar to what has been proposed in providence, they have serious concerns.

©WLNE-TV / ABC6