Ticketed for "begging"

From today's Houston Chronicle. Looks like they cover this issue better than the Statesman.

AUSTIN - With a reputation as the bleeding heart capital of Texas, Austin's recent designation as one of the meanest cities for the homeless caught some by surprise.

The National Coalition for the Homeless named Austin the nation's 10th-meanest city, based on its adoption of laws it says criminalizes the condition of living on the streets.

The ranking is contained in a report released this week that cites Austin for a host of ordinances the advocacy group deems hostile to the homeless. The report also asserts the city has lately been harassing street people for selling the homeless newspaper, the Austin Advocate.

Ticketed for 'begging'

Take, for example, the $250 ticket for "begging in public" given to 81-year-old homeless veteran Robert Stevenson, one of the paper's vendors, the report said. The charge was dropped once it was discovered no such offense actually exists.

Dallas and San Antonio made the top 20 list and Texas was cited alongside California, Florida and Hawaii as one of the four meanest states for the homeless.

"Austin basically made the list because there has been sort of a pattern of police harassment, harassing homeless people in the community," said Donald Whitehead, spokesman for the Washington-based coalition.