A plan to ban people from walking in the street in St. Louis County is drawing fire from an attorney who won a major settlement against the county for it's past treatment of an exit ramp beggar.
Bevis Schock won a $150,000 settlement in 2021 for a man who was ticketed for begging at Interstate 55 and Lindbergh. He says the latest plan before the county council is unconstitutional. "The government cannot restrict speech, which is really what this is about. They say it's for safety but it's not. It's really, that's a pretext. It's really about getting homeless people out of St. Louis County."
The plan was given first-round approval Tuesday night by a vote of 5-2, and could come up for a final vote next week. Supporters say the plan is fair because it's directed at everyone, not just the homeless. "If you're walking next to a roadway, you'll need to be on a sidewalk. If you're crossing a street you need to be in a crosswalk," Councilman Ernie Trakas told the council Tuesday.
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