Mobile Revises Ordinances For Solicitation, Loitering

The Mobile City Council has approved revised ordinances regarding aggressive solicitation, obstructing sidewalks and loitering in parks after dark, AL.com reported. The ordinances were approved unanimously after several weeks of deliberation. Revisions include updates to existing language and definitions to give police more enforcement tools to handle aggressive solicitation and individuals obstructing sidewalks and loitering in public parks after dark or after closing hours. Penalties for violating each ordinance will result in a fine up to $500, incarceration for six months and the potential for community service. According to Kendell Young, Mobile‘s homeless outreach coordinator, the revised ordinances were not designed to criminalize the unhoused but to help the city’s outreach team try to “divert” people to facilities that could provide needed resources.