Reed to be "muscular" with panhandling problem

Mayor-elect Kasim Reed is pledging to enforce existing ordinances and get "muscular" with the panhandling problem downtown.

"We're going to enforce the ordinances and we are going to fix the panhandling challenge in the city of Atlanta, period," Reed said to rousing applause from members of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"We are going to deal with this issue in a very muscular way," he said.

I am not sure if new ordinances are needed, not that Reed has proposed any.  Stronger enforcement is a good first step here.

FWIW, I'm downtown quite often and I have certainly felt like the panhandler situation has been much better the last six to nine months.  I can't remember the last time I got asked for change Downtown (although it happened to me at in Midtown Tuesday).  I'm not really sure why - maybe I'm just getting better at ignoring it all?