St. Petersburg Cracking Down on Street Soliicitations

St. Petersburg has been nationally known for aggressive tactics against the homeless. Those acts included destroying the tents of homeless people. St. Petersburg is making an attempt to ban solicitations on road mediums. Panhandlers will not be the only people punished. Newspaper venders, charities and firefighers will be effected by the ban.

Alex Pickett has covered the homeless situation in Tampa for years. His friend G.W. Rolle is formerly homeless. Rolle has started the homeless newspaper Homeless Image and is an activist for homeless rights. He explains why the solicitation ban goes too far.

Many people see the Sunday sale of the St. Petersburg Times as a way to weather a bad situation. I wouldn't say that the selling of the St. Petersburg Times was my sole savior. I would say that the film Easy Street and my ability to speak publicly lifted me out of homelessness. I will say however that the selling of the St. Petersburg Times kept me out of homelessness and that I was able to pay a weekly rent due to it. Had it not been for the St. Pete Times on on those Sundays, it is easy to see myself slipping back into homelessness.

Read Rolle's entire letter.