Denver Police Chief Robert White has ordered city police to suspend the enforcement of the city's panhandling ordinance. They also once again could solicit for handouts near ATMs and restaurant patios, inside buses and light rail trains, or anywhere after dark.Those restrictions have been on the books for 15 years, but a City Council committee on Tuesday reluctantly voted 7-0 to advance a proposal that amounts to a significant rollback of the aggressive panhandling ordinance. The panhandling law may result in a criminal record that makes it harder to obtain a job and create barriers to federal housing and other benefits. A recent Federal district court ruling stated panhandling is a form of free speech. A proposal that could ban "street-side" panhandling may appear on Denver's ballot in November. In the books in Denver is a law against being aggressive in the effort to get a buck. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — A panhandling ordinance in Grand Junction has been ruled unconstitutional, with a federal judge saying it’s not OK to stop people from asking for money after dark. }; var z = document.createElement("script"); DENVER - Federal District Court Judge Christine Arguello issued a 39-page decision yesterday striking down Grand Junction’s panhandling ordinance, ruling that it violates the First Amendment rights of persons who wish to solicit charity in public places.. Wednesday’s ruling expands on an earlier order in the case, issued in June, which held that the ordinance regulated speech on the … The line between a noncommercial solicitation of a donation and the “selling [of] any merchandise” (which, under this hypothetical remedy, would continue to […] The decision Thursday from U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello means that Grand Junction will be barred from enforcing its 2014 ordinance limiting panhandling. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver reversed the ruling of a federal judge in Oklahoma City who ruled in 2018 that the ordinance was constitutional. The new measure would allow for enforcement anywhere in city limits. MANTIS_RECOMMEND = { But rules that focus on behavior still would apply.”Denver is proposing to repeal the portions that we think violate the First Amendment, and I think this is a good move,” said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.Boulder repealed parts of its panhandling ordinance within a week after the Grand Junction ruling. Justice Barbara Lenk stated in her ruling that “we see an unacceptable risk of a chilling effect here. Denver police officers stopped enforcing the city’s panhandling law last week, and are no longer citing people after portions of a similar ordinance in Grand Junction, … Denver Police no longer enforce a portion of the city’s aggressive panhandling ordinance. Denver Police encourage individuals to report any suspicious activity by calling the police non-emergency line at 720-913-2000. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)In Denver, panhandlers soon could be allowed to repeatedly ask the same passerby for money even after getting turned down. The ordinance violated the First Amendment, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. The ordinance violated the First Amendment, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. That judgement came after the ACLU filed suit. After that we will go to first reading of the panhandling ordinance. The Denver City Council has voted unanimously to decriminalize a number of offenses, including defecating in public. The reason, a similar ban in Grand Junction has just been ruled as a violation of panhandlers' first amendment rights. “The city is going to kind of take some time out here, re-evaluate its ordinance and move forward from there,” said Doug Schepman, spokesman for DPD. Along with its legal efforts, the ACLU of Colorado is also supporting HB 1264 , known as the " Homeless Bill of Rights ," in the Colorado legislature. Vero Beach council members may consider ordinance limiting panhandling. "Today was a good day. It was founded in 1858 and had already become Colorado’s socioeconomic center by 1880. ‘Come with me if you want to live’: Schwarzenegger gets COVID vaccine, urges others to follow suit, Sen. 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Changes in Columbia's panhandling ordinance could take cues from the Rockies. Update: The ACLU of Colorado and Fort Collins have reached a settlement over the city's controversial panhandling ordinance, detailed in our previous coverage below.