The St. Louis County suburb of Des Peres is defending its ordinance that outlaws asking for money along the side of the road.
An attorney for a homeless man contends the law is unconstitutional.
Des Peres City Manager Douglas Harms says the law is meant to save lives -- and it's not just for the homeless.
"We don't allow our own firefighters to pass the boot for Jerry's Kids for Muscular Dystrophy on roadways," Harms said. "They can do it on private property and they do."
In a muncipal court hearing, Attorney Bevis Schock argued that public safety is a "significant, but not a compelling interest," according to an earlier ruling on a similar anti-begging law in St. Louis County. In that case, the county was ordered to pay a homeless man $150,000. The Des Peres judge took the case home to think about it.
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