Opinion ID: 2266381
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The McFarlin and Taylor Convictions

Text: Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor contend that (1) their actions were not prohibited by the Act; or (2) the Act is unconstitutional as applied to them, and unconstitutional on its face because it is overly broad and vague.
We turn first to the question as to whether the Act, as drafted, covers the conduct engaged in by Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor. The men played music and put a bucket on the ground to collect coins and bills, although they never asked for any money. The Act was not designed to reach two gainfully employed men who simply play music in the above ground area of a metro station. Nor were Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor arrested for playing music. [14] They were arrested for soliciting an immediate donation of money by placing a bucket in front of them while they played musical instruments. Although the title of the Act uses the word panhandling, the word does not appear in the text of the Act. Nevertheless, to panhandle is to beg on the streets, and a panhandler is commonly regarded as a person who begs on the streets. See WEBSTER'S NEW WORLD DICTIONARY (2d college ed.1982). As the trial court commissioner concluded, Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor are professional musicians, not beggars. Yet, even though the terms panhandling and begging may not ordinarily be applied to them, the statute, as drafted, covers their conduct. We are bound by and must apply the plain words of § 3(b) to these cases. [15] The statute defines the words ask, beg, or solicit alms to include an act conducted for the purpose of obtaining an immediate donation of money or thing of value. These words are not ambiguous. A donation is defined as a gift or a contribution, and may connote a charitable gift or contribution. See WEBSTER'S NEW WORLD DICTIONARY, supra. In the musical world, donations may be given during or after a musical performance. In placing a bucket on the ground Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor signaled that they would accept an immediate donation of money. Under the plain meaning of the statute, they received an immediate donation of eighty dollars. In short, they solicited money to be placed in a bucket in front of them. Accordingly, we cannot conclude that, as drafted, the statute does not cover the conduct engaged in by Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor. [16]
Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor were not charged with having panhandled in an aggressive manner, and, as we read the record, the government's proof in the eyes of the fact finder failed to establish that they solicited within fifteen feet of the escalator top. Hence, we must reverse their convictions for insufficient evidence. As discussed above, Officer Triplett testified fairly early in her testimony that Mr. McFarlin was about sixteen feet from the subway escalators, and Mr. Taylor was approximately eleven and a half feet from the escalators. If credited as accurate, that testimony would have placed Mr. Taylor within the forbidden fifteen-foot area. However, this was the only evidence that either appellant was located within the fifteen-foot zone, andwhile the hearing commissioner did not consider the fifteen-foot rule to be relevant it is apparent that as the testimony continued, the hearing commissioner eventually did not credit Officer Triplett's earlier testimony with regard to Mr. Taylor's distance from the escalators. As the commissioner observed, Officer Triplett was evidently having trouble with this distance and was unable clearly to measure or estimate the distance of Mr. Taylor from the subway escalator in comparison with that of a flower vendor, and the officer's diagram of the area presented problems and was not drawn to scale. In their application for allowance of appeal, Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor asserted that the evidence showed that they performed more than fifteen feet from the nearest escalator. The commissioner's certification to this court of the facts set out in the application for allowance of appeal reflects, in our judgment, an effective finding that the government had not shown beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor solicited within the forbidden fifteen-foot area. Accordingly, we must reverse the convictions for insufficient evidence to prove the charged violation of the statue. Cf. Smith v. United States, 601 A.2d 1080 (D.C.1992); McGee v. United States, 533 A.2d 1268 (D.C.1987). [17] For the foregoing reasons, as to Mr. McFarlin and Mr. Taylor, we remand with directions to enter judgments of acquittal, and as to Mr. Williams, we affirm his conviction. So ordered.