My city, over the summer, passed a law and it went into effect in July. We have a TON of panhandlers here, they're on nearly every corner and can get a little aggressive if you ignore them. I actually had one get very close to my vehicle this morning, which is what sparked this post. The state court struck down a ban on street begging, because they said it was unconstitutional as street begging is protected by the first amendment. So, my city passed an ordinance banning jaywalking, and pedestrians being in the medians and such of 75 specific roads around the city, which happen to be main roads and where the panhandling is the most prevalent, hoping it would cut down on it without violating anyone's rights. If you violate the ordinance, you can receive a $25-$50 fine. Twice a week, a city van goes around to beggars and offers to take them to a paid job for the day. If they agree they don't have to pay the fine. I have noticed a decrease in people begging on the bigger roads, but unfortunately there's just as many on the little side streets and corners. I personally don't give to beggars in the street, because there are resources in the city to help. I donate my money to those places when I can donate.