Airport Fights Panhandlers

After a decades-long battle to regulate solicitors at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), airport officials have finally prevailed. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals banned Hare Krishna representatives and other panhandlers from seeking donations at the facility.
A 1997 L.A. city law banned panhandlers from soliciting travelers in airport terminals, parking areas and airport sidewalks. The ban prompted the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to file a lawsuit 13 years ago, claiming the city ordinance was a violation of the group’s right to free speech. The Hare Krishnas stated non-secure areas should be considered public gathering spots.
In 2002, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance limiting solicitors to areas marked with blue tape inside the terminals or along sidewalks. A 2006 ruling by a federal judge upheld the decision that LAX is not a public forum. The Krishnas appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals, who turned the ruling over to the California Supreme Court in 2008. The March 2010 Supreme Court ruling declared solicitation at the airport was not protected speech.
According to the DailyBreeze.com, panhandling was so problematic at the airport that airport police were specifically assigned to locate and arrest aggressive donation seekers. The court’s ruling will allow police to prevent passengers from being solicited and violators will face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The DailyBreeze.com article quoted Gina Marie Lindsay, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, following the ruling: “This is a huge step forward in ensuring the comfort and safety of the traveling public at LAX. From now on the traveling public will not have to worry about solicitors asking for money.”
The traveling public will, however, still have to worry about being approached by organizations. The ruling bans organizations from soliciting for and collecting money at the airport, but does not ban organizations from talking to travelers, passing out literature and providing information on how to contribute