(a) Findings. The activities of vendors of tickets of admission to sporting events and other events in and near the Central Business District has caused inconvenience and annoyance to persons on their way to the events or patronizing restaurants and other businesses in the vicinity of the events. At times, pedestrians encounter a gauntlet of ticket vendors employing aggressive sales tactics, or witness sidewalk turf disputes among ticket vendors that sometimes escalate to physical altercations. The time, place and manner restrictions imposed by this section are narrowly tailored to respond to this matter of public and governmental interest.
(b) Offense. No person who possesses a ticket or tickets of admission to a sporting event, theater, show or other event shall, after first being warned by a law enforcement officer to desist, sell, hawk, peddle, display for sale or solicit another to purchase the ticket or tickets outdoors within the zone identified in division (c) of this section, except the parts of the zone designated as permissive ticket sales areas, for a period of six (6) hours before or during any event at the Cleveland State University Convocation Center or Gateway complex or the event regardless of venue to which the ticket or tickets pertain.
(c) Ticket Zone Established. The zone referred to in division (b) of this section and the permissive ticket sales areas within the zone are shown on the map and set forth by legal description both contained in File No. 961-08-A. The Director of Public Safety may, through the issuance of a regulation, modify the boundaries or placement of the zone or permissive ticket sales areas as set forth in the file if the Director determines that such changes are needed to advance the purposes of this legislation as stated in division (a). Any such regulation shall take effect fourteen (14) days after its publication in the City Record.
The Director of Public Safety may cause signs to be posted to apprise persons of the existence of the zone and permissive ticket sales areas established by this section, but the absence of signs or any deficiency of signs shall not constitute a defense to division (b) of this section provided that the offender, in accordance with division (b), has first been warned by a law enforcement officer to desist from the proscribed conduct.
(Ord. No. 961-08. Passed 7-2-08, eff. 7-7-08)