A judge will hear arguments today over an effort to block the new Dallas panhandling ordinance.
Are panhandlers a public safety issue or are they within their Constitutional rights? The US Supreme Court has already ruled that panhandling is a form of speech, protected by the First Amendment.
So the Dallas City Council passed the ordinance in October that attempted to thread a needle saying the city was concerned about public safety and not necessarily panhandling.
The claim is that the people asking for money create a safety hazard by darting in and out of traffic. But those defending the panhandlers say that was just an attempt to use safety as a cover and get around the First Amendment issues.
Magistrate Rene Toliver is being asked to block the city from enforcing the law until the actual lawsuit can be litigated. It's not known if she will issue a ruling today or take the matter under advisement.
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