City Hall
Rasmussen Proposes Guidelines to Stop Aggressive Canvassers
At the downtown Hard Rock Cafe this afternoon, flanked by framed guitars and a flat screen TV displaying a rippling Hard Rock flag, city council member Tom Rasmussen announced a new "canvasser code of conduct" intended to address the problem of aggressive canvassers for charities such as Save the Children and ASPCA.
Under the agreement, which is voluntary, the four main canvassing companies in the city say they will support a set of six guidelines when asking passersby for donations. Among other promises (full list below), the companies have said their employees won't block pedestrians' paths; won't follow pedestrians after they've said they're not interested; won't "aggressively beg or solicit members of the public"; and won't move more than one step toward a pedestrian.
"If someone is blocking your way or following you down the street, there's really no way to get away," Rasmussen said. "So these practices are going to end, but they're going to end on a voluntary basis." Asked why the agreement doesn't include any enforcement mechanism---people who want to complain will have to contact the city council or call the companies directly---Rasmussen said, "I think it's much better if the companies will do this on a voluntary basis rather than by trying to set up an enforcement mechanism. Our police have enough to do."
The agreement comes after Mayor Mike McGinn vetoed a proposal by council member Tim Burgess that would have banned aggressive panhandling, a proposal Rasmussen did not support. At the time, Rasmussen said he believed aggressive canvassing was a bigger problem than aggressive panhandling in downtown Seattle.
Joshua Ryan, director of the Pike and Pine St. Business Association, said most Seattle residents are used to being asked for money on the street. "The challenge becomes when you have to go from 1st to 9th, and there are multiple canvassers, and you're from out of town—it can be intimidating."
The guidelines apply only on Pike and Pine Streets from 9th Ave. to Pike Place Market.
Asked why other business districts that attract canvassers, such as Broadway, aren't included in the agreement, Rasmussen said he expects the canvassing companies will train their workers to use the same standards wherever they canvas in the city.
Here are the guidelines, in their entirety:
Under the agreement, which is voluntary, the four main canvassing companies in the city say they will support a set of six guidelines when asking passersby for donations. Among other promises (full list below), the companies have said their employees won't block pedestrians' paths; won't follow pedestrians after they've said they're not interested; won't "aggressively beg or solicit members of the public"; and won't move more than one step toward a pedestrian.
"If someone is blocking your way or following you down the street, there's really no way to get away," Rasmussen said. "So these practices are going to end, but they're going to end on a voluntary basis." Asked why the agreement doesn't include any enforcement mechanism---people who want to complain will have to contact the city council or call the companies directly---Rasmussen said, "I think it's much better if the companies will do this on a voluntary basis rather than by trying to set up an enforcement mechanism. Our police have enough to do."
The agreement comes after Mayor Mike McGinn vetoed a proposal by council member Tim Burgess that would have banned aggressive panhandling, a proposal Rasmussen did not support. At the time, Rasmussen said he believed aggressive canvassing was a bigger problem than aggressive panhandling in downtown Seattle.
Joshua Ryan, director of the Pike and Pine St. Business Association, said most Seattle residents are used to being asked for money on the street. "The challenge becomes when you have to go from 1st to 9th, and there are multiple canvassers, and you're from out of town—it can be intimidating."
The guidelines apply only on Pike and Pine Streets from 9th Ave. to Pike Place Market.
Asked why other business districts that attract canvassers, such as Broadway, aren't included in the agreement, Rasmussen said he expects the canvassing companies will train their workers to use the same standards wherever they canvas in the city.
Here are the guidelines, in their entirety:
1. Canvassers will not stop the flow of traffic or block a pedestrian's walking path.
2. Canvassers will not walk backwards or alongside a pedestrian in an attempt to follow or engage the pedestrian.
3. Canvassers will not aggressively beg or solicit members of the public. Canvassers will not intrude on a pedestrian by slowing or blocking their path. Canvassers may invite a pedestrian or pedestrians to stop and engage them. Canvassers will remain stationary (fixed in one place) or can move toward a pedestrian no more than one step. Should a pedestrian choose NOT to stop or to be engaged, the pedestrian will be politely thanked and allowed to move on with interruption.
4. All professional canvassers (excluding those who work directly for the charity for whom they are fundraising) must identify that they are working for a canvassing agency and not the charity itself.
5. All canvassers must be clearly identifiable as such (i.e. always wearing an ID badge and charity branded clothing - shirts in summer, jackets or bibs in the winter).
6. Canvassers will always end a conversation in a polite and respectful manner as soon as they are asked to.
