Advocates and homeless people spent the night outside Atlanta's City Hall. They are opposing a proposed panhandeling ban.

The proposed resolution would make it illegal to beg for money near downtown hotels or tourist sites. On a third offense, beggars could be jailed or fined.

Advocates are instead pushing for affordable housing and a living wage for the city's homeless population, saying the ban would criminalize a person's right to ask for charity when they cannot take care of themselves.

Several critics call the proposed ban a civil rights issue since many of the beggars are black.

"This is really about poor, black men. We're bad for business," said Joe Beasley, a 68-year-old Atlanta native who heads the regional office of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

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