A. Purpose: The purpose of this section is to promote the public peace, health and welfare in all public places in the city and to encourage the free flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic on public sidewalks and streets.
B. Definition: For the purpose of this section, "loitering" is defined as remaining or wandering in or about a public place, sidewalk or street without an apparent reason.
C. Offense Declared: It shall be a petty offense for anyone to loiter in such a manner as to:
1. Create a breach of the peace, a disturbance or annoyance to the comfort and repose of any person; or
2. Obstruct the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles of public sidewalks and streets; or
3. Obstruct, molest or interfere with a person lawfully in any public place by conduct, including, but not limited to, making unsolicited remarks of an offensive, disgusting or insulting nature that are calculated to annoy or disturb any person in whose hearing the remarks are made; or
4. Disturb any person of ordinary sensibilities as to cause such person to react in a way which threatens public peace and order; or
5. Under circumstances which justify suspicion that the person is engaged or about to engage in crime; or
6. In a place, at a time or in a manner not usual for law abiding citizens under circumstances that warrant alarm for the safety of people and property in the vicinity where:
a. Said person is provided an opportunity to dispel the alarm by providing a satisfactory explanation for his presence to a peace officer; and
b. Said person refuses to supply a satisfactory explanation; and
c. Does not subsequently provide a satisfactory explanation at a trial conducted on the merits of this violation.
D. Request Of Removal: No person shall be charged with the offense of loitering until he has been asked to move along by a peace officer and said person has refused to comply.
E. National Labor Relations Act: No subsection of this section shall be construed to impinge upon the right to peaceably picket as defined in 29 United States Code 157 et seq.
F. Penalty: Any person found guilty of violating any provision of this section shall be subject to penalty as provided in the City of Sycamore Consolidated Fee Schedule. (Ord. 91.13, 6-17-1991; amd. 1994 Code; Ord. 2005.78, 1-3-2006; Ord. 2023.04, 5-1-2023)